Half the Sky
.jpg) | |
| Author |
Sheryl WuDunn Nicholas Kristof |
|---|---|
| Subject | Sex trafficking, maternal mortality, sexual violence, microfinance, girls' education |
| Published | September 8, 2009 |
| Pages | 294 pp. |
| Awards | Los Angeles Times Book Prize Nominee for Current Interest (2009) |
| ISBN | 978-0-307-26714-6 |
| OCLC | 763098931 |
Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide is a book by the husband-wife team of Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn published by Knopf in September 2009.[1] The book argues that the oppression of women worldwide is "the paramount moral challenge" of the present era, much as the fight against slavery was in the past.[2]
Overview
Half the Sky focuses on sex trafficking, maternal mortality, sexual violence, microfinance and girls' education. Carolyn See, the book critic of The Washington Post, said in her review: "'Half the Sky' is a call to arms, a call for help, a call for contributions, but also a call for volunteers. It asks us to open our eyes to this enormous humanitarian issue. It does so with exquisitely crafted prose and sensationally interesting material....I really do think this is one of the most important books I have ever reviewed."
Several nonprofit organizations mentioned in Half the Sky have produced additional events and materials in support of the book, including a live event[3] from CARE and a reader's companion[4] from EngenderHealth.
In 2012, the PBS television series Independent Lens presented the documentary based on the book.[5] The film follows the book's authors and celebrity advocates America Ferrera, Diane Lane, Eva Mendes, Meg Ryan, Gabrielle Union, and Olivia Wilde to ten countries: Afghanistan, Cambodia, Kenya, India, Liberia, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Somalia, the United States, and Vietnam. In each country, the film introduces women and girls bravely fighting to rise above very difficult circumstances. Their stories expose the blight caused by sex trafficking, forced prostitution, maternal mortality, and gender-based violence as the authors propose that microfinance and female education can help.
See also
References
- ↑ Half the Sky movement website
- ↑ Kristof, Nicholas D.; Sheryl WuDunn (August 23, 2009). "The Women’s Crusade". The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved 2009-10-11.
- ↑ live event
- ↑ reader's companion
- ↑ Half the Sky | Independent Lens | PBS
External links
- Manji, Irshad (September 17, 2009). "Book Review 'Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide,' by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-10-11.
- Half the Sky at the Internet Movie Database