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    Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide
    Unavailable
    Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide
    Unavailable
    Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide
    Audiobook10 hours

    Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide

    Written by Sheryl WuDunn and Nicholas D. Kristof

    Narrated by Cassandra Campbell

    4.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Two Pulitzer Prize winners expose the most pervasive human rights violation of our era—the oppression of women in the developing world—and tell us what we can do about it.

    An old Chinese proverb says "Women hold up half the sky." Then why do the women of Africa and Asia persistently suffer human rights abuses? Continuing their focus on humanitarian issues, journalists Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn take us to Africa and Asia, where many women live in profoundly dire circumstances—and some succeed against all odds.

    A Cambodian teenager is sold into sex slavery; a formerly illiterate woman becomes a surgeon in Addis Ababa. An Ethiopian woman is left for dead after a difficult birth; a gang rape victim galvanizes the international community and creates schools in Pakistan. An Afghan wife is beaten by her husband and mother-in-law; a former Peace Corps volunteer founds an organization that educates and campaigns for women's rights in Senegal.

    Through their powerful true stories, the authors show that the key to progress lies in unleashing women's potential, that change is possible, and that each of us can play a role in making it happen.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHighBridge Audio
    Release dateSep 10, 2009
    ISBN9781598879391
    Unavailable
    Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide

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    Reviews for Half the Sky

    4.5/5

    476 ratings46 reviews

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    • 5/5
      This book is so difficult to read in certain parts because of the devastating nature of the content, but important to get all the way through. A heart wrenching look at what women all over the world go through on a daily basis and the efforts that have been put in place to stop it. It is a brilliant analysis of ineffective western intervention, and the the amazing difference small grass roots projects can have on communities and countries as a whole.This book is a must read. Period.
    • 4/5
      I have mixed feelings about this book. While the stories are compelling and the message of women's rights is obviously incredibly important and immediate, it felt a bit patronizing and ethnocentric at times; it certainly suffered from the Western "savior complex". So take the advice/policy suggestions with a grain of salt (although I can't argue with promoting education for girls and women!).
    • 4/5
      I was pleasantly surprised by this book in that it provided more critical analysis than I anticipated. Not only does the book have personal anecdotes that illustrate the issues affecting women around the word, it includes both successes and failures and a healthy amount of skepticism about outsider "assistance." Recommendations include the need to include men in solutions, which is vital to long term human success.
    • 4/5
      Adult nonfiction. Horrific and uplifting at the same time; these are some really powerful stories. Greg Mortensen claims to have read it in a single sitting (staying up until 3am) and I can believe it. The number one recommended "thing you can do to help in the next 10 minutes" in the list at the end of the book is to make a microloan (e.g., through kiva.org).
    • 5/5
      A powerful and painful look at the current status of women around the world. From sexual slavery, to brutal murders, to rape as a form of war, to repressive governments and home, women have much to contend with. More than that, a country that oppresses women is far more prone to poverty, violence, and terrorism. The authors present their own experiences, stories and research in an attempt to spur the reader on to do their part. There is so much to be done, but it is important to not be overwhelmed or paralyzed by it. Instead we must act in whatever way we can to bring justice and hope to women and girls around the world.
    • 5/5
      I first heard about Half the Sky when the two-part documentary aired a couple of years ago. Anyone who reads this book should also watch the documentary because while the book throws tons of practical information and sound statistics, the documentary complements it by featuring the women we read about and making their stories more real (at least from my point of view).

      Initially, I thought that the book focused a little too much on statistics and numbers, but by the end of it, I realized that without having quantifiable data, it would be hard for anyone to fully grasp the magnitude of the task at hand.

      TO THOSE WHO ARE WONDERING "WHAT NOW?": I recently read My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem and I think this book is equally effective as Steinem's at showing that small local actions can be taken by virtually anyone in order to help make small differences. Donating, volunteering, fundraising or even just raising awareness at a local level can help women all over the world. I find it easier to first think about what issues I care the most about (in my case, sexual violence against women in my city - especially in public transport) and start from there, even if it is only talking about the issue. The rest will slowly - or sometimes rapidly - unfold.
    • 4/5
      It’s hard to escape the escalating decline in world conditions. Whether it’s refugees’ stories from far flung war-torn countries, or reports involving the abuse of our environment and its critters, there is no limit to the different forms of media that are reporting global events non-stop. Even if the view outside our kitchen window is generally uneventful and peaceful, books like Half the Sky are a cold slice of reality pie. Half the Sky focuses on human rights violations against women around the world, but mostly in Africa and Asia. Divided into areas of concern such as sex trafficking, systematic rape, maternal mortality, and illiteracy, Kristof incorporates statistics with personal life stories. Many of them were hard to listen to, and at one point I found myself stuck in rush hour traffic sobbing into my sweater sleeves. As “advanced” as mankind is, why are things like this still going on today? Why are these things generally unknown, although they’re not taking place in secret? I enjoy documentaries and books like these because they make me more aware of what is going on around the world. If all I believed was based on what I saw on the news, I’d be one short sighted individual. Pee-Wee Herman summed me up when he said: “I’m a loner, Dottie. A rebel.” I mention him because my only complaint about this book, call me a pragmatic idealist if you want, was that I don’t like being told what to feel. A compelling life story was almost always followed by a proposed plan of action that equated the group of women to monetary assets. Everything was reduced to dollars and cents. I get it, people higher up won’t focus on these women’s issues if it’s not profitable, but isn’t that the sad part to begin with? What’s a life worth? No matter how much is donated to certain causes, or how many laws are passed, it ultimately can’t change the way people think or feel, let alone how they treat others. I guess I would have prefered the journalistic touch without the agenda. Just my musings, at any rate. Highly recommended if you’re interested in current events in regards to the oppression of women, and what they do to overcome these obstacles.
    • 4/5
      In Half the Sky Pulitzer Prize winning journalists Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn share a heartbreaking study of oppression of women around the world. It begins with a long section on the sex trafficking of women, sharing personal stories of many victims. Girls may be told that they are about to go to earn money selling fruit in a city, and then they are kidnapped, beaten and raped until they submit to prostitution. Some are born into brothels. Many who escape or are rescued from their situation return "willingly" because they know no other way to make a living and they are stigmatized in their community for their past occupation. And many return because they crave the drugs that their pimps have forced upon them to keep them complacent and needy. The book also explores lack of freedom to get educated, honor killings, genital mutilation, and maternal mortality. Half the Sky was a difficult read because it's hard not to be dragged down by the pain these women have experienced - and that millions worldwide are still experiencing. This is a powerful and important book, and I believe that everyone even remotely interested in the topic should either read this book or watch the documentary that is based on it.
    • 5/5
      This is an intense book, but I would highly recommend any and everyone read it. They don't hold back as they tell you story after story of women faced with extreme oppression and difficult situations. Interspersed between the tragic stories are stories of hope and models of success. The authors combine globe statistics with research and studies of methods that have worked, grassroots organizing that you can get involved in through your time and resources.
      I'm not exactly sure what to do with the information, I want to take action, and was surprised to find the website for the book has very little beyond a simple list of the non-profits they mentioned in the book. I feel like it's a book that should spark a movement, but no one has stepped up to help organize it.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book! It was amazing!
    • 5/5
      This amazing book is filled with stories about women around the world. One story might be about a girl kidnapped or sold into slavery in a brothel. Another story might be about a woman laboring through childbirth for DAYS without any assistance with the devastating outcome of a stillborn child and a fistula that results in the woman being an outcast from society. I've heard great reviews about this book. But I've always been reluctant to listen to it because I thought it might be a tad depressing. Oddly enough, this book, filled with these brutal stories, is powerful and uplifting. Not only do the authors inform us of what is happening in the world, they also show how the lives of many women are improving by small changes that EVERYONE can help make. Loved this book so much that I purchased the paper copy to reference agencies. Everyone should read this!
    • 5/5
      Probably the most important book I will read this year. This is a call to action couched in a series of narratives that are passionate, disturbing, engrossing, and ultimately inspiring. It is difficult to read at times, though the gruesome details about rape, honor killings, prostitution, maternal morbidity and other violence done to women do serve the higher purpose of explaining the importance of these issues. Sometimes the authors seem to have simplified things in order to present clear cases for one solution or another, and I do take issue with their promotion of industrialization as a solution to women's poverty, which needs some rethinking in the wake of Bangladesh's deadly sweatshop fire in 2012. They also -- for perfectly valid reasons --concentrate on the developing world, to the extent of minimizing any similar problems in the U.S. and Europe (which admittedly are not of the same scale, and are generally not condoned by an entire nation's culture or government). Their overall argument, however, is so compelling that I'm going to go set up an account on Kiva so I can channel my new knowledge into loans to people who need them.
    • 5/5
      The honest to god truth of what is happening in this world... the things we try to ignore and pretend are not happening so we can live in our developed western world of freedom. After reading this book, your problems will seem to trivial and unimportant. I read this book after watching the documentary and it took me through a great number of emotions. Fear for these people... and the future victims, anger for those who need help and angry at those who wont help, acceptance to the fact that I was so ignorant before reading this... sadness and tears... and then ultimately the drive to learn much more and try to find a way to help.
    • 5/5
      Please read this book. If you care about poverty, brutality, or women in any way, read this book. Half the Sky is full of triggers, but there is simply no way to address the horror of what is happening in this world without those. So please read it anyway. Because it doesn't just tell you how awful it is, it tells what is being done about it and how you can help. It tells you what has worked and what hasn't worked. It tells why things succeeded or failed. It gives you a list of options as to how you can become involved.You may not agree with every conclusion drawn in Half the Sky. I certainly don't. However, this book is an exceptional tool which will empower you to help others.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Not only is this a great book, it is an important one. Despite the very difficult subject matter, which at times is deeply sad and often very confronting, it is a book of hope. Highlighting the plight of women around the world, particularly women in developing countries, it also documents some absolutely amazing stories of courageous women and what they have achieved. The authors tackle some very ‘hot’ issues such as the role of religion in oppressing women, but this is handled in a very fair and objective manner, criticising where warranted and praising when deserved. The book is written to an American audience, which can be a little disconcerting if you are not American, but don’t let that put you off because it will inspire you and motivate you to take action.
    • 5/5
      This is one of the most moving and heart-wrenching books I’ve read, and I’m so glad I did. We’ve all heard of sex trafficking, domestic violence, mass rape, and girls being forced into brothels, but Half the Sky makes these horrible injustices real in a way I never could have imagined. Kristof and WuDunn show that the education and ultimate emancipation of women around the world have been demeaned merely as “women’s issues,” but that ultimately these are issues of human rights that need to be addressed in order to improve not only the quality of women’s lives, but also the quality of the world. This was a wake-up call I never expected.
    • 5/5
      There's no "liked it" about this book. It's brutal, grueling and exhausting to read. It's graphic and depressing and ultimately hopeful. It's got concrete suggestions on how to address the oppression of women throughout the world, even from your comfy, warm desk chair. It should be required reading for all students, preferably in grade 11 or 12 in the US.

      It's one of those books which can't be read lightly, I think. Or certainly not one I could read lightly. I was aware of many of the issues presented here, but in a peripheral sort of way. Kristof and WuDunn do an excellent job of personalizing each of the issues they cover, and it's much harder to ignore something when you know someone affected by it.

      As hard as this book is to read, as much as I hated reading most of it, I think you (whoever you are) should read it too. And then do something.
    • 5/5
      I've always considered myself a feminist, but this book was still jarring to me. I appreciate the fact that while dealing with topics that are horrifying to read about (human trafficking, rape used as warfare, etc.), the authors follow each difficult chapter with a chapter about an individual or group that is effectively fighting and striving to eliminate the problem. I am planning to increase my charitable giving and advocacy to nonprofits that help women -- and my book club is even planning to make a microfinance loan to a woman in a 3rd world country via Kiva as a group!
    • 3/5
      While this is a topic everyone should read about, it is not as interesting for those who already understand the cruelties this world holds. The fleeting stories made this book feel more like a textbook. I would have been more interested had it been presented in a more story-like fashion. However, I know many people can still appreciate the material as is.
    • 5/5
      Thoughtful & passionate look at the condition of women throughout the "third world", seen through the lens of a few specific issues, ending with the rallying cry that the liberation of women is necessary for development & social growth. Some really horrifying/scary stuff here, but also inspiring stories.

      (BTW, my first ebook read on my new phone, checked out from the library. A pretty decent reading experience, although a few lines at the bottom of the screen were occasionally cut off.)
    • 5/5
      I found this book to be very powerful. It should be required reading for everyone, or at the very least, for politicians and diplomats. I don't see how we get away with turning our faces from sex trafficking, "honor" killings and female genital mutilation. This book is an eye-opener.
    • 5/5
      The authors admit that this book is intended to manipulate your feelings. They compare their attempt to books that helped end slavery, e.g. Uncle Tom's Cabin. It is their intention to arouse emotions against practices that subjugate and kill women in great parts of Africa, Asia and, to a lesser extent, South America. I have to respect their self-awareness and transparency, so I did not resent that they did manipulate emotions quite well.The true stories they present are incredibly effective at humanizing the horrendous statistics that accompany them. This is a hard book to read. I can't forget the story of the young woman who had the courage to go to the police station to report that she had been gang raped, only to have the policemen themselves also gang rape her. There is page after page of this kind of hopelessness and abuse.But there is more. The authors describe how, time and again, a woman, with help, has changed her life and the life of her family. This isn't a book of hopelessness, but of hope. And of practical hope -- it concludes with concrete suggestions for the reader to start to make a difference.I think this is an important book. I realize I'm late in reading it, but the problem has not been solved, so there's still time to help.
    • 5/5
      How could I not have known about this book until just recently? I don’t know when I’ve read a book that has made more of an impact on me. Admittedly, I read mainly fiction, but read of this book on the Kiva.org web site. I reserved it at the library and no sooner than reading a couple of chapters, I knew I had to purchase this book. Probably the most impressive thing about this book is although it brings out very graphically the horrendously oppressive conditions that hundreds of millions of women and girls suffer with on a daily basis, it also has many relatively simple and doable solutions. The first part of the book is filled with actually individual cases the authors found in their travels throughout many third world countries. Heart-wrenching stories of very young girls sold by their families, forced into prostitution and not having a shred of hope for a better life.You’ll read things in this book that will make you tremendously angry, perhaps bring some tears but the optimistic solution is never too far behind.We in developed countries take for granted that childbirth is relatively safe in this day and age but that is not the case in many many countries. Mothers and infants dying are everyday occurances in many places and millions of women who are going through their whole lives, through many births and have never, ever seen a doctor. Very young girls suffering horrendous injuries from unattending births.The end of the book has a chapter called “What You Can Do” and “Four Steps You Can Take in the Next Ten Minutes”. To say this book is an eye-opener, inspirational, a call-to-arms is simply not strong enough. It needs to be read by everyone, period.
    • 5/5
      Powerful, inspiring and global! It is definitely one of the most important books I've ever read. The dynamic Pulitzer prize-winning couple, Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, have tackled the many issues of gender inequality head-on, providing statistics and personal stories through exquisitely readable investigative journalism. Each chapter is personal success story and testament to how much can be done with so little. It was a real pager turner that I gobbled up in a few sittings. The reference section at the end of the book makes it very easy for you to do something powerful in your own small way for one of the initiatives that you will have undoubtedly been moved to support.
    • 4/5
      Half The Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, is a “must read”. It is by no means an easy book to read; it is sometimes quite confronting; in places you will cry; you will be disgusted by the actions of some members of the human race, both male and female; the words and actions of some medical personnel, aid agencies, churches and governments will leave you gasping. But ultimately, this is a hopeful book. The authors explore causes of, and possible solutions to, maternal mortality, human trafficking, sexual violence, discrimination against girls and female genital mutilation. This book tells us that at least part of the answer is gender equality: educate and empower women. It is full of data, but also full of humanity. It has a few surprising facts about diverse things such as sweatshops, about Rwanda, about what interventions are and aren’t effective, about TV and about salt. It demonstrates how local knowledge and grassroots programs are most effective in educating and empowering women.I found myself frowning, smiling, crying and, quite a few times, laughing out loud! I especially enjoyed the way the Huichol tribe in Mexico ensure that the pain of childbirth is shared. If you despair at whether you can make a difference to the plight of women in the Third World, this book shows that you can. If the only action a person can take is to donate money, then this book guides the reader to where that will be most effective. We owe it to every woman who has ever suffered in the Third World to read this book.
    • 5/5
      A must read not just for woman but all of those interested in changing our world for the better.
    • 5/5
      Simply one of the best books I've ever read. Others have summarized its content well, so I probably could not do justice to women's stories and how incredibly inspiring they were. There is brutality, cruelty and sadness to be sure, but there is no way to show the heroics of the women (and the situation as it exists) without it. I was educated, brought to a new level of understanding about the lack of gender equality across the globe and felt a bit of hope that change is possible. I was equally frustrated at how horribly wrong policy makers tend to get things. I applaud the authors for how incredibly well written this book is, but also how they stayed out of traditional political rhetoric to try to get both sides to see reason. There are parts of the Blue and the Red that each work, but the "this is the way we've always done it" blinders on issues keep problems stagnant. For example, she shows how the Catholic Church's policies simply ignore the realites of what is going on in the countries they often serve. However, the Catholic Charity workers actually stationed in various countries are doing enormous good and often dance around the doctrines to help many, many needy women. This is a fresh approach to healing and helping the world's women from the ground up. I'm not sure what I'm going to do (I'm a lawyer, so perhaps get into asylum law or volunteer for one of the many resources listed in the end), but I'm going to do something. It's a powerful book to spark movement. Read it, you will forever be changed. You will want to be the change you wish to see in the world. And your problems will seem very, very small.
    • 4/5
      This text is a well written account of some of the issues which plague women in third world countries today. Kristof uses personal accounts to highlight topics such as human trafficking, maternal mortality, fistula, honor killings, and other problems women face. He gives a very convincing argument for making these issues a priority for all of us. It is not a shocker that the most important way to solve gender inequality problems is to provide education. What did surprise me were the ways that have been proven effective to do this. In the back of the book is an appendix with contact information for agencies involved in grass roots movements to improve the conditions of half the world's population. Recommended.
    • 4/5
      Several times this book made me scream out in shock when reading so many disturbing stories about women around the world. It helped me appreciate my place in the world and made me realize how much work there is to be done to help sisters worldwide.
    • 5/5
      A must read for anyone who cares about justice for all!