Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide

I'm very surprised that I don't like this book

I believe in book's main premise: by empowering women and girls, we can change the world and help end poverty. However, I found it disappointing and shocking to read this entire book and not find a single story about water and sanitation. You can't even find the word "water" in the index.

No doubt, the stories Nick and Sheryl tell are horrific and inspiring, and women living in poverty face obstacles that I can't even imagine. But, as I read it, I felt it was more of a collection of anecdotes from Nick and Sheryl's international travels rather than as advertised: a "must-read" and "call to arms" about how we can end global poverty.

Having spent 19 years working in international aid, I don't see how you can seriously talk about helping women in poverty and not mention water or sanitation. For millions of girls from poor households, there is a straight tradeoff between time spent in school and time spent collecting water. For their mothers, time spent collecting water means they have little time for more productive work or rest.

Being without access to water means that to obtain the water they need to survive, people resort to ditches, rivers and lakes polluted with human or animal excrement, and they carry that water home on their heads or backs, causing chronic back pains and sores, wearing flip flops if they are wearing shoes at all, walking uphill on steep, rocky or muddy paths. This daily walk for water saps their energy, diminishes their health status, and prevents them from participating in economic and social activities that are vital to the development of communities.

Each day,
* Women spend the equivalent of 340 million work days on water collection
* Poor families spend $137 million is spent on treatment of water-related diseases
* 5 million girls are collecting water instead of attending school
* 7,000 children worldwide die from the lack of safe water and a toilet
Poverty and water are inextricably linked.

What began as a hopeful read has unfortunately left me jaded and wondering if providing PVC piping and septic tanks just don't have the emotional appeal and book-selling potential of sex slavery and genital mutilation.

So I'm in! Let's invest in women. I believe it will pay off. But we have to be smart about it. I've met too many girls who dropped out of school at the age of 6 to help their mothers carry water, so it makes no sense to me to invest in education in a community with no toilets or accessible, safe water supplies. It makes no sense to me to build a health clinic of any kind in a community without toilets or water either, because 80% of the illnesses that will come into that clinic will be caused by the lack of water and toilets. I'm also a believer in micro-lending, but I've met a lot of people who have defaulted on their loans in order to pay medical bills for a family member suffering from diarrhea.

I'm excited that people are talking about women and development. But I'm disappointed at this missed opportunity to talk about the vital links between water and sanitation and poverty and empowerment. We need to act appropriately to ensure that the lack of attention to water and sanitation does not undermine all other development goals.

18 out of 23 people found this review helpful.

This book describes the grim reality of life for women and girls in much of the developing world and is must reading for everyone who cares about education and empowerment for women and girls worldwide!

The title of this book comes from an old Chinese proverb: women hold up half the sky. The Pulitzer Prize-winning authors lead us into the world of women in developing countries: breaking the silence about vaginal fistulas that ostracize thousands and thousands of girls; trafficking of girls and women; discussing the reality of wife-beatings as prevalent; and other contemporary issues facing women in a variety of cultures around the world. But they don't stop there, they then share the wonderful stories of hope and empowerment: through self-help projects; access to education; and micro-credit loans. One telling statement with its source in the US military, to paraphrase: where girls and women are educated, terrorism is not prevalent.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Half the Sky - Essential reading

An engaging, absorbing book with powerful recommendations. Not as depressing as one might imagine given the subject matter.

3 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

We Can Change the World

Half the Sky is the most powerful book I have ever read. First person accounts of women suffering horrific abuse are unforgettable. While the reader is confronted with the stark realities that many women wordwide face, the authors also provide concrete tools and encouragement on how to make a real difference in the world. The authors invite us to join a revolution. I, for one, am reporting for duty!

2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Grey Areas, but definitely the truth.

I was very interested in reading this book just from the reviews I read about it, but there was a little disappointment in it. The authors talk about gray areas in the problems they encountered and I encountered my own in reading this book. I have read both authors' previous work, but some of the recommendations in this book are realistic and some are hopeful. I don't believe foreign countries should not allow doctors to get degrees, just to make sure they don't emigrate. I doubt the authors would be saying this if a doctor in rural Iran was being persecuted and wanted to leave. Granted their work is very valuable to the country, but life decisions should be their own. You can't force people to work in certain conditions and expect them to be above human needs or to not become desensitized to things they see everyday. I do think the situation at the hospital with Dr. Pipi and the nurses was disturbing and disgusting, but like the authors I can understand that it is human circumstances and behaviors that contribute to these problems. I do agree that maybe training midwives and others to do the same duties a doctor would perform would be more practical. I doubt any real physician who cares for their patient would be threatened by their patient receiving accurate care before they are taken to a hospital, its better than having a woman lay in labor for days only for it to end in the death of both mother and child. Also, the idea that female travelers may have an easier time connecting with people is true, but I don't think the authors should gloss over real dangers female travelers face. Any female traveler to India is very familiar with Eve teasing and the rapes that go on there. Believe me when I say the local men are not intimidated by foreign women of any race. While there were some instances when I was reading where I just didn't agree with some of the authors' recommendations, I do think the wider message of this book should not be lost. It is a call to help volunteer at the many organizations talked about in the book. I am definitely interested in the fistula surgeries and hospitals dedicated to this cause. I even remember seeing a NOVA special on the hospital in Ethiopia and the care taken to give these women their dignity back and to overcome not only the physical, but emotional wounds inflected upon them by society. Cultural and societal attitudes must be changed in order for things to progress around the world and better the lives of women and girls. It was also great to see that there were grassroots efforts in combination with government agencies that came together to help better the lives of women and girls around the world. I do think there is more to be done and I will try to do my part.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Half the Sky, a life changing book for me

This is an inspiring and eye opening book I am recommending to all my friends and one I am giving to many as a holiday gift, along with a donation in their name to one of the listed organizations which support women. The authors vividly let us realize the plight of many women and girls in developing countries and show us how little it takes to help them. I appreciated the mention of websites we can consult for more information about aid groups.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Incredible

This book is very moving and just...incredible. I can't think of a better word. It's very well written and is one of those books that makes you want to go out and help to fix the world. I wish I had an eighth the bravery that these women have.

This book changed my life. Every girl needs to read this book .

This book changed my life. Every girl needs to read this book ...

Featured at Willow Creek Community Church on 5/5 - 5/6/2012

This became a best seller and won numerous awards. It shines a spotlight on gender injustice in a way that had never been done before. Almost everyone who reads this trembles with outrage and then buys 5 copies for their friend so they can learn about something that should never be tolerated in a world as advanced as ours. Featured at Willow Creek's Celebration of Hope 2012.

Every woman and man should reas

Not fun to read but a must. Everyone should read this book. An eyeopener.

Highly recommended

Nick and Sheryl truly expose the tragedy that is gender discrimination. Through powerful and painful, yet uplifting, stories they paint a vivid picture of what it is to be a woman in societies where they are given little or no value.

With all the heart-wrenching tragedy they also show that progress is being made and hope is not futile.

This book truly has changed my perspective on what I consider a bad day and the first world problems I face, such as a long line at Starbucks. It has also propelled me into action and I am now committed to making a difference in women¿s lives.

Very Good

If you have an interest in social justice and improving the plight of the poor--this is a very good and practical book. Easy to read, down to earth, and practical.

Was required for a class but it ended up changing me

I dived into this book so I could get it out of the way. It turns out I could not put it down and it made me want to make a difference. I am an education major now I am considering going abroad to teach.

Very Highly Recommended

A good friend put this book in my hands. After reading it, I recommend this book to every person I can. No exaggeration. I read a lot and this book is top of my list. Very well written. Easy to read through, unlike some other nonfiction pieces. Incredibly eye opening. It describes difficult situations, but from the perspective of how women overcome their circumstances. It also gives educated insight into what we can do for this half of the world. Excellent book.

Brutally & Heart Breakingly Honest

Nicholas D. Kristof is a favorite of mine, so it was a little difficult to not be biased.
Having said that, this book will shed lights in the depressing state of our current worldly affairs. Hats off to Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn for their bravery and great work!

An eye opening journey

The authors have elequently establish irrefutable evidence that empowering women is the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do and it is what makes sense to do, period !

For every woman; for every man.

A must read!

Half Of The Sky With The Whole World In Her Hands

This book is a must read for every woman. To me, it has become a call to every woman to play her part in helping better the lives of other women. I highly recommend this book. I'd also recommend that you buy "When God Stopped Keeping Score," an intimate look at the power of forgiveness that I believe every woman should read. Given the chance, it too could change your life.

You can make a difference-a must read!

A chinese proverb states that woman hold up half the sky. This statement is the backbone of the book Half the Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, which focuses on empowering women and girls. This book- a collection of essays and anecdotes- argues that empowering woman could be the greatest resource that third world countries have to bring them out of poverty. For most in America it is thought that slavery ended with the thirteenth amendment, but little is it known that woman and girls are still being slaved all over the world. At young ages they are trafficked into brothels, raped by men when they are old enough, and then forced into prostitution. They are the victims of gender violence, which includes honor killings and mass rape, and every minute a woman dies from maternal mortality. One of the major messages in this book is that education is the best way to change what is happening to females around the world. In education females receive knowledge and with that knowledge they can change what is happening around them. It is said that educating a female is educating a village, and one village at a time we can slowly change this epidemic. I like that this book can and has already made a difference to woman and girls all over the world. By writing this book they introduced a subject that people seldom talk about, and gave it the attention it needs to promote change. Not only do they introduce it to you, they give you plenty of organizations to go through so you to can make a change. This book shows you that miracles can happen and that even you can help make a difference to what is happening around the world. A down side of this book is gradually there are less and less anecdotes. I think the anecdotes are what makes this book more valuable. The stories hit you on a personal level and make you think, what if that was me? Every girl that has the chance should read this book. It opens the door to a whole new world that many people don't even know exists. Some of the stories will leave you shocked and disturbed, even horrified, but reading them makes you want to make a change even more.The real question is will gender equality ever truly exist?

A Must Read for Understanding the State of Our World

This book should be required reading for all Americans, men and women. While it is hard to read at times, the message is ultimately inspirational. Reading this book may just permenantly cure you of "can't". Read it in your book club and then select one of the very worthy organizations listed in at the end of the book and get involved.