What A Girl Wants

I first starting paying attention to Nicholas Kristof and his columns in the New York Times when I read his contrast of the American vs. African church’s response to the AIDS epidemic. While stateside Christians pretty much said “you reap what you sow,” the African Christians were rolling up their sleeves and actually making great strides in eradicating the pandemic. A column he wrote on that subject, along with a similar observation from General Hank Drewfs (then at Samaritan’s Purse) inspired the plot of my novel Informed Consent.

Kristof and his wife, Sheryl WuDunn are a Pulitzer Prize-winning husband/wife team. Kristof (a native Oregonian--woop!) writes an op-ed column, and WuDunn is an investment advisor at the NY Times. Her specialty is philanthropy.

I just finished reading their third co-authored book, Half the Sky. And never has a book so turned my stomach while inspiring so much hope.

I didn’t realize, until they told me, that more girls have been killed in the last fifty years, and killed because they were females, than men were killed in all the wars of the twentieth century. I’ve stood in D. C. and looked at our numerous war memorials. And I’ve driven through Arlington Cemetery. Seriously? More than all those men?

That’s the bad news…okay, along with info on sex trafficking, female genital mutilation, and honor killings.

The good news? Study after study demonstrates that change is possible and that local women are the most effective change agents. The authors offer amazing stories and studies that communicate a stubborn hope that we don’t have to give up on this issue. If China can stop foot-binding and the Brits can lead the abolition movement, we can see an end to the oppression of females in our time.

I appreciate about this book that the authors thoroughly explored what has and has not worked in the field of international aid, backing up their words with all the latest research. Sometimes when working with the developing world it’s tough to know how best to help.

I liked that Kristof and WuDunn treat evangelicals with respect. They acknowledge the great work being done by organizations such as the International Justice Mission, but the authors also don’t understand why we seem less concerned with the lives of women than we are with fetuses. They don’t criticize our stand on abortion—not at all. They just seem to think it’s inconsistent. And I agree with them.

They would also like to see us find common ground with feminists (as we have done in fighting porn) in stemming the tide of violence and sexual abuse against women. And once again, I agree.

They end their book with four action steps the average person can take within five minutes after reading. And the last part of the book consists of contact info and descriptions of organizations and how the average person can help lead a grass-roots effort toward change.

I hear a movie’s in the works. If so, I might have to take some Pepto to the theater with me.