Half The Sky

Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn wrote Half the Sky, published in 2009, after spending years as New York Times correspondents in Bejing, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. They are the first married couple to win The Pulitzer Prize in journalism for their coverage in China.

The subtitle tells about the main topic of the book in general: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. But inside, the reader will quickly discover that Half the Sky is much more than a surface level work to acquaint us with women's issues in our world. Instead, it describes in detail several specific and horrific atrocities girls and women experience as a matter of course in lands as diverse, however unfortunately somewhat similar, as Africa and Asia.

The authors tell the personal stories, without becoming didactic, of girls and women subjected to sex trafficking, forced prostitution, "honor" killings, and female genital cutting. These frightening sagas with their pain and passion call us to action on the behalf of women and girls around the globe.

On the back cover, George Clooney proclaims, "I think it's impossible to stand by and do nothing after reading Half the Sky." For each reader, Kristof and WuDunn include steps on how to start making the world a better place for the female half of the population. They also provide a comprehensive appendix of organizations supporting women for short and long term commitments.