Half The Sky

I think you should read Half the Sky by  Nickolas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.  I think everyone should read it.  I am definitely adding this book to the list of books I will present to my book club.  It's nonfiction and riveting.  The title comes from an old Chinese proverb that women hold up half the sky.  And women do.  The book says it is time to stop the injustices that plague the female half of the people holding up the sky; injustices like sex trafficking, prostitution, mutilation, rape, and lack of maternal health care.  These are horrifying topics but the authors write in an empowering and hopeful light.  I think this book is so powerful that you can't be the same person you were before you read it.  Good change can happen.  An example given in the book is the end of slavery.  Britian took the lead on this issue.  As a nation, they decided to end slavery.  Other countries continued to use slaves.  Using slaves to raise and harvest sugar and other crops when Britian wasn't using slaves was a huge economic bonus for the slave owning countries.  And a huge cost to Britian.  But they ate the cost. They thought it was worth it.  And although I am sure there are still pockets of slavery that exist, it has been eliminated for the most part.  Hats off to Britian for taking the lead on this issue. I am telling you-read it.  Read Half the Sky; the sooner the better.