Read All About It!

We at Open Books are all about the powers of social media, making use of our Twitter and Facebook accounts.  But our mission statement is all about the power of books, and I recently heard about this one.

The husband and wife New York Times team of Nicholas Kristoff and Sheryl WuDunn wrote the book Half the Sky to bring attention to the plight of women in developing countries.  Not only are many women in the world uneducated, but they are also often unprotected.  Half the Sky tells the story of several women who rose beyond their traditional roles- some founding schools, others working in hospitals, and all of whom are working to help women lead better lives.

The authors hope that the book will start a movement.  They set up a website full of information, stories and ways for people to help.  They’ve set a huge task for themselves, but hope that word of mouth will help these women get much-needed attention and help.

Half the Sky is available for sale at your local independent bookstore!  The website (linked above) also provides a lot of information on women in developing countries who have done great work, and gives you several ways of making an impact yourself.

Using the power of books to make the world a better place?  Now, that’s a cause we at Open Books can get behind.