Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn - Book Report/Review Example

Half the Sky is not just a simple collection of stories. It is a lesson, not a sermon nor a lecture to give women the respect that they ought to receive. It aims to make different societies understand the roles of women, and it gives women hope that there are people who understand their plight. It gives hope for women to stand their ground and believe in themselves. Half the Sky features the stories of women who have been discriminated and ostracized by their own families, by their own community and society.

It tells of the atrocities done to women in developing countries. It shows us how women are used, raped, sold, and left for dead. One of the gripping stories is about the Dalit women. They are known as the Indian untouchables. It tells of the gang-raped woman, Mukhtar Mai. It tells about the prostitution of an Indian girl, pimped and beaten by no other than her mother-in-law. It tells about the Ethiopian woman’s suffering while and after giving birth. Her grueling experience includes being left for dead by her own people.

Kristof and WuDunn enumerated several other women’s stories picturing the world of women full of suffering, sorrow, anger and sadness. But they do not leave it at that. After revealing the ugly side of women’s struggles, they gave women hope as they brought forth the success of the women who suffered. It shows us how strong women can be, and how their strength can be developed to become instigators of change and success in the world. Half the Sky may actually bring you to question whether it is different from the developed world since Kristof and WuDunn are only showing us stories from the developing countries.

Some may think that emphasizing only women inequalities in the developing countries differentiates how the developed countries treat their women. Half the Sky does not show us how women are treated in the developed countries because it is a story about developing countries. It highlights the association of the devaluation of women with the pursuit of economic development of one country. The title itself highlights that women have more value in them that they are credited for. “Women hold half the sky.

” That is one of the most famous lines of the book. That line alone encompasses the purpose of the book. It aims to show us that women are valuable since they are a country’s sleeping source of power and development. As they are pushed down, as they are beaten down, the capacity of women to pursue power and development are limited. And when unleashed, they can actually help the entire society improve which eventually is needed for economic development. This can be seen in China. When China allowed women in their work force, they added thousands of power in their industry and their economic development peaked.

And this is all with the help of women. Half the Sky accentuates the underrated strength of women when it comes to economic development. Half the Sky shows us that losing women are like losing our natural resources. They are characterized as people with the hidden power to make a country a superpower, an example clearly seen when China opened its doors for Chinese women to take part in their economic development and their industries. Half the Sky shows us that if women are to pursue their rights like what the women in the book did, they will be able not just to survive, but