Half the Sky

Just as moral leaders ended African slavery and the Holocaust, the authors say, a similar initiative is necessary to stop the oppression of third-world women in three disturbing areas: sex trafficking and forced prostitution, cultural violence against women, and maternal mortality. They argue that governments prefer bombing perceived enemies to dealing with these entrenched practices, despite evidence that educational investment, small business loans, and courageous lawmaking can all help women help themselves--and their children and communities. Cassandra Campbell's somber reading couldn't be more attuned to the authors' mission as she interprets writing that is as intense as it gets. Her impressive depth carries listeners through the book's gruesome lows and inspiring highs, and ultimately to a place where they cannot dismiss this human rights tragedy. T.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

Starred review from February 1, 2010
Kristof and WuDunn, the first married couple ever both to win Pulitzer Prizes for journalism, here expose the brutal horrors endured by millions of women throughout Asia and Africa, putting names and faces to these individuals and their suffering. They argue that the key to change is social entrepreneurs who can empower at the grassroots level through such means as education and microloans. With her soothing delivery, actress/narrator Cassandra Campbell ("The School of Essential Ingredients") avoids sensationalizing this already dramatic material, whose accounts of gang rape, forced prostitution, and childbirth injuries make for painful but essential adult listening. Strongly recommended. [The Knopf hc, which published in September 2009, was a "New York Times" best seller; the pb will release in May 2010.Ed.]Risa Getman, Hendrick Hudson Free Lib., Montrose, NY

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.