Book 6: Half the Sky

I will not call this a feminist book, because it is really a book about humanity, though focused on what the female half of humanity can contribute to the world, and what barriers they face in making those contributions. Calling these feminist issues, the authors say, makes it easy to dismiss and ignore them.



The authors focus on a few major issues that have enormous power to transform developing countries and indeed the entire world: human trafficking, education, maternal mortality, and economic opportunity. Where women get more education, have more economic opportunities like small businesses, have healthier pregnancies and births, and are not at risk of forced prostitution, people are physically healthier, societies are less violent, and communities are economically stronger.

This is the kind of book that makes you want to get involved and do something more around the world. For more ideas of what you can do, visit Half the Sky's website for a list of their NGO partners who have proven strategies for helping women and their families.