Summary Of Half The Sky: Turning Opportunity For Women

There are only a few books that, upon reading them, have made me think, “Wow… every single person needs to read this book.” Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn is one of those compelling books. Authors Kristof and WuDunn, who both work in Asia as journalists and editors, are the first married couple to have received a Pulitzer Prize for their work as New York Times writers. Their book tells of the present-day oppression of women throughout the world, particularly in developing countries in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Major topics discussed include sex-trafficking and forced prostitution, gender-based violence, and maternal mortality, as well as solutions to these …show more content…
One strength in this evidence is that the authors are willing to state weaknesses in their arguments. In some cases, a claim would be made or a fact would be stated and the authors would write that there is possible skepticism to that theory. This served as a reminder that the authors lack bias and realize that their argument is not the only perspective. In addition, the authors were strong at having a balance between the stories of individuals and the facts to generalize these situations. It was not just stated that between 30 percent and 60 percent of women had experienced physical or sexual violence by a husband or a boyfriend, but told the story of a Punjabi woman who was a victim of just that (Kristof & WuDunn, 61). Half the Sky catches the attention of the reader with these personal stories, but is straight to the point about the commonality of experiences like those with direct facts. This book is interesting and even witty; every word written is one that is relevant to developing an understanding of the