Half the Sky Introduction Paragraph - Before Revisions

Catherine Glass

            In their book Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, couple Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn write, “More girls were killed in the last 50 years, precisely because they were girls, than men killed in all the wars in the 20th century. More girls are killed in this routine gendercide in any one decade than people were slaughtered in all the genocides of the 20th century.” This loaded statement has brought a lot of attention to the oppression of women and the book has started a movement of change. Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn won the Pulitzer Prize in 1989 for writing about the protests of Tiananmen Square. Both are public intellectuals who write about economic and social issues. Nicholas Kristof is an Op-Ed writer focusing on societal injustices. Sheryl Wudunn writes about female entrepreneurs and was a journalist for the New York Times. In 2009, the spouses wrote a book exposing the cruelty of women in under developed countries. They found that women tend to be harder working in education, business, and nutrition. Kristof and WuDunn concluded that, if we work towards helping these women, not only will their lives improve, but also our economy will sky rocket. The anecdotal way of writing conveys emotion and intensity while the facts prove the world’s ignorance in women’s potential. Renowned author Anne Rice commented, “Half the Sky can and should galvanize support for reform on all levels. Inspiring as it is shocking, this book demands to be read.” Kristof and WuDunn didn’t just write a book, they began a movement.