Review
Half the Sky doesn't pretend to be anything it isn't - the introduction tells you flat-out that Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn are out to convince you to help the world become a better place. By closing the gender gap in opportunity, safety, and social equality, their research suggests that all of humanity will benefit. They want you to educate yourself and invest your time, money and voting power into making changes. It reads like a primer on how to set up organizations that work, and a call-to-action for those of us fortunate enough to be born in lands of relative safety and security.
I consider myself reasonably well-informed on the subject of women's oppression, but this book showed me how much I still have to learn. It is full of interesting details and overwhelming facts. Did you know that iodine in a pregnant woman's diet could make a 10-point difference...
Beyond the Book
Guides to Giving
Kristof & WuDunn frequently mention two websites that can help readers decide which charitable organizations to give their money to. These two sites - GiveWell.net and CharityNavigator.org – rate charities based on efficiency and other factors and make that information public. You can see whether $90 of your $100 goes to those in need, or only $65. There are more factors than just efficiency of course, but the more information donors have, the more likely it is their money will be used in the way they imagined. Both sites cover charities in general and are not specific to charities that help women in developing countries.
Charity Navigator has dozens of top-ten lists, such as 10 Highly-Paid CEOs at Low-rated Charities,...
