NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF and SHERYL WuDUNN, the first husband and wife to share a Pulitzer Prize for journalism, have coauthored four previous books: A Path Appears, Half the Sky, Thunder from the East, and China Wakes. They were awarded a Pulitzer in 1990 for their coverage of China, as well as the 2009 Dayton Literary Peace Prize for Lifetime Achievement. Now an op-ed columnist for The New York Times, Kristof was previously bureau chief in Hong Kong, Beijing, and Tokyo. He won his second Pulitzer in 2006 for his columns on Darfur. WuDunn worked at the Times as a business editor and foreign correspondent in Tokyo and Beijing, and now works in finance and consulting. They live in Oregon.
"Urgent ... Passionate ... Compelling ... A
grab-the-readers-by-the-lapels wake-up call."
—Boston Globe
“Opens our eyes to an enormous humanitarian issue.”
—Washington Post 10 Best Books of the Year
“Vitally important .... Heartbreaking, galvanizing, and
unforgettable.”
—Publishers Weekly Top 100 Books of 2009
“This book isn't a sermon .... These stories are electrifying and
have the effect of breaking down this enormous problem into
segments the reader can focus on. Suddenly, these horrendous
problems begin to seem solvable ... Again, this book is not a
sermon about victims. Its range is wide, and sometimes it's even
funny ... Half the Sky is a call to arms, a call for help, a call
for contributions, but also a call for volunteers. It asks us to
open our eyes to this enormous humanitarian issue. It does so with
exquisitely crafted prose and sensationally interesting material
... I really do think this is one of the most important books I
have ever reviewed.”
—Carolyn See, The Washington Post
“Passionate yet practical .... [Half the Sky] is both stirring and
sensible ... This wonderful book combines a denunciation of
horrible abuses with clear-eyed hope and some compelling practical
strategies. The courageous women described here, and millions
more like them, deserve nothing less.”
—Martha Nussbaum, The New York Times
“Women facing poverty, oppression, and violence are usually viewed
as victims. Nick Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn’s Half the Sky
shows that unimaginable challenges are often met with breathtaking
bravery. These stories show us the power and resilience of
women who would have every reason to give up but never do.
They will be an inspiration for anyone who reads this book, and a
model for those fighting for justice around the world. You
will not want to put this book down.”
—Angelina Jolie
“If you have always wondered whether you can change the world, read
this book. Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn have written a
brilliant call to arms that describes one of the transcendent
injustices in the world today—the brutal treatment of women.
They take you to many countries, introduce you to extraordinary
women, and tell you their moving tales. Throughout, the tone
is practical not preachy and the book’s suggestions as to how you
can make a difference are simple, sensible, and yet powerful.
The authors vividly describe a terrible reality about the world we
live in but they also provide light and hope that we can, in fact,
change it.”
—Fareed Zakaria, author, The Post-American World
“I think it’s impossible to stand by and do nothing after reading
Half the Sky. It does what we need most, it bears witness to
the sheer cruelty that mankind can do to mankind.”
—George Clooney
“It’s impossible to exaggerate the importance of this book about
one of the most serious problems of our time: the worldwide abuse
and exploitation of women. In addition to describing the
injustices, Kristof and WuDunn show how concerned individuals
everywhere are working effectively to empower women and help them
overcome adversity. Wonderfully written and vividly
descriptive, Half the Sky can and should galvanize support for
reform on all levels. Inspiring as it is shocking, this book
demands to be read.”
—Anne Rice
“Half the Sky is a passionate and persuasive plea to all of us to
rise up and say ‘No more!’ to the 17th-century abuses to girls and
women in the 21st-century world. This is a book that will
pierce your heart and arouse your conscience. It is a
powerful piece of journalism by two masters of the craft who are
tireless in their pursuit of one of the most shameful conditions of
our time.”
—Tom Brokaw
“The stories that Kristof and WuDunn share are as powerful as they
are heartbreaking. Their insight into gender issues and the
role of women in development inspires hope, optimism, and most
importantly, the will to change. Both a brutal awakening and
an unmistakable call to action, this book should be read by
all.”
—Melinda Gates
“An unblinking look at one of the seminal moral challenges of our
time. This stirring book is at once a savage indictment of
gender inequality in the developing world and an inspiring
testament to these women’s courage, resilience, and their struggle
for hope and recovery. An unexpectedly uplifting read.”
—Khaled Hosseini, author, The Kite Runner
“While we rightly roared at racial apartheid, we act as though
gender apartheid is a natural, immutable fact. With
absolutely the right Molotov cocktail of on-the-ground reporting
and hard social science, Kristof and WuDunn blow up this taboo ....
A thrilling manifesto for advancing freedom for hundreds of
millions of human beings.”
—Johann Hari, Slate.com
“The most important book of the year .... Half the Sky is the kind
of book that could change the course of history.”
—William Petrocelli, The Huffington Post
“How many books make a significant difference in matters that
concern everyone who lives on earth? Nicholas D. Kristof and
Sheryl WuDunn have certainly written such a book. Half the
Sky is the most important book that I have read since Rachel
Carson’s Silent Spring, published in 1962 .... Half the Sky is a
groundbreaking, eye-opening book, stunning in every sense.”
—Charles R. Larson, CounterPunch
“Urgent .... Passionate .... Compelling .... Half the Sky is a
grab-the-reader-by-the-lapels wake-up call.”
—Bill Williams, The Boston Globe
“Superb ... As Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring once catalyzed us to
save our birds and better steward our earth, Half the Sky stands to
become a classic, spurring us to spare impoverished women these
terrors, and elevate them to turn around the future of their
nations.”
—Susan Ager, Cleveland Plain Dealer
“Stunning .... [Half the Sky] belongs on the ‘must-read’ list
because it offers perspective, insight, and clear-eyed optimism for
why and how each of us can and should meet one of the great moral
and humanitarian challenges of our times.”
—Bill Gates, Sr., The Huffington Post
“Any review of this book should begin without pretence; in the
plainest language. Unadorned. Unembellished. Understandable. It
should begin with the five following words: This is an important
book! Exclamation indicated.”
—New Strait Times
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