Review: Half The Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn

Genre: Non-Fiction International Development
Series: No
Pages: 294
Copyright: 2009
Publisher: Vintage Books, a division of Random House, Inc.
Buy: Amazon

Summary: 
Through story and example Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity For Women Worldwide looks at how women in the majority of developing countries, as well as some developed countries, do not have as many rights as men. The book focuses on four main issues which women face. 1. Sex Trade: women who are sold into the sex trade, often across borders and are unpaid. 2. Women's Honor: women are supposed to remain chased but men often rape them leading to marriages to the rapist or women killing themselves. 3. Health Care: health care standards for women are often shatteringly dismal. Maternal health care is not at the standard it should be and many more women die in child birth than should. 4. Education: education is often seen as optional for women. When families are stressed financially girls are the first to loss access to education were as male family members will continue to attend.

By addressing these issues and putting forward creative solutions from examples of women who succeeded Kristof and WuDunn are looking at the most powerful tool for global reduction of poverty and an increase in potential. Women are half of the population and by oppressing them we are reducing the potential for creativity and innovation by half.

Feelings: 
Half the Sky was a really fast read. I enjoyed it much more than I expected to. Non-fiction is often slow with detail after detail rather than stories that can be remembered later. The stories included to illustrated the points they are making are amazing and heart breaking. We get to read about women who have succeeded and gone on to make a new life for themselves. It also looks at women who struggled in childbirth and are majorly injured because they did not have proper care and are then outcasts because of the injury. The book also provides some tools and suggestions for individuals who want to help make a change in the lives of women worldwide. The book would not be such a powerful statement in support of women's rights if it were not for the stories included here. This book should be read by all men and women who think women (and men) in the third world are a second class citizens.