The O-town Scene

Book Talk with Anne Van Deusen “Half The Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity For Women Worldwide” by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn Last year, my mother asked me if the Green Toad had a book called “Half The Sky,” because she wanted to buy a copy of it for my brother for Christmas. Sheryl WuDunn, the co-author of the book, had been a fellow student and friend of my brother’s when he was at Cornell in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. At the time, I knew a little bit about the book because of its popularity, but I had yet to read it myself. That changed last week when I picked up a copy and was knocked off my feet by the ferocity of the injustices that women are subjected to every day in countries like Ethio- pia, India, Afghanistan, Pakistan,Cambodia ... the list goes on. A year later, and now in paperback, over 300,000 copies of “Half The Sky” have been sold, and I can’t believe that there is one person, man or woman, that could read this book and not become a Freedom Rider in the name of women’s equality and the end of the horrendous abuses besetting them today. Most of the information gathered for this book is extremely disturbing and hard to read because of its assault on your senses as a human being, yet there is hope within its pages as is illustrated by the modern heroes who are turning the tide of oppression in these countries. Most of us are aware of these atrocities through watching the news, reading articles in newspapers and magazines and from movie stars who become proponents and monetary supporters like George Clooney and Angelina Jolie. Yet most of us think, what can we do? These places are a world away; does the money we donate to organizations or our government’s money ever really get there? The answers to how we can be affective in this cause lie in “Half The Sky.” How do we put an end to sex trafficking and the spread of AIDS in Cambodia, acid attacks in Pakistan, maternal mortality in Ethiopia, genital cutting in Senegal and honor killings in the southern Punjab? “Half The Sky”’s critical message is that it has to be at the grassroots level. Educa- tion, educa- tion, educa- tion. While not undermining the importance of monetary aid, Kristof and Wudunn emphasize the need to change the social con- ventions and behaviors that lie at the root of these abuses. It’s all well and good to make laws pertaining to this in the capital city of Addis Ababa, but that will have little to no affect on the hundreds of rural villages in Ethiopia where these crimes are taking place. Creating environments where girls can go to school, providing women with access to medi- cal care while they’re growing up and having children, teaching girls trades, offering micro financing for them to start small business, all of these things not only empower the individual women but greatly advance the entire coun- try's economic success. Of course, most inspiring about this book are the individual stories about the women who have experienced physical and emotional pain of despair, but have refused to be beaten down and now have become role models and heroes to others. One can't help feel inspired to help even though the fight seems overwhelming. But that is the beauty of this book, because Kristof and WuDunn have added a dimension to their story so that it becomes like a handbook for affective volunteerism. Throughout its pages is advice on what you as an individual can do on your own or as a group. There's a wonderful resource list in the end of the book on reliable aid organizations. To this end, The Green Toad Bookstore is hosting a discussion group of “Half The Sky” on Thursday, Dec. 9, at 7 p.m. Copies are available at the shop. Nov. 11, 2010 O-Town Scene 29

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