A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power

by Jimmy Carter

In the highly acclaimed bestselling A Call to Action , President Jimmy Carter addresses the world’s most serious, pervasive, and ignored violation of basic human the ongoing discrimination and violence against women and girls.

President Carter was encouraged to write this book by a wide coalition of leaders of all faiths. His urgent report covers a system of discrimination that extends to every nation. Women are deprived of equal opportunity in wealthier nations and “owned” by men in others, forced to suffer servitude, child marriage, and genital cutting. The most vulnerable and their children are trapped in war and violence.

A Call to Action addresses the suffering inflicted upon women by a false interpretation of carefully selected religious texts and a growing tolerance of violence and warfare. Key verses are often omitted or quoted out of context by male religious leaders to exalt the status of men and exclude women. And in nations that accept or even glorify violence, this perceived inequality becomes the basis for abuse.

Carter draws upon his own experiences and the testimony of courageous women from all regions and all major religions to demonstrate that women around the world, more than half of all human beings, are being denied equal rights. This is an informed and passionate charge about a devastating effect on economic prosperity and unconscionable human suffering. It affects us all.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Feminism, Religion, Womens, History, Social Justice

224 pages, Paperback

First published March 25, 2014

About the author

Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

James Earl Carter, Junior, known as Jimmy, the thirty-ninth president of the United States from 1977 to 1981, creditably established energy-conservation measures, concluded the treaties of Panama Canal in 1978, negotiated the accords of Camp David between Egypt and Israel in 1979, and won the Nobel Prize of 2002 for peace.

Ronald Wilson Reagan defeated Jimmy Carter, the incumbent, in the presidential election of 1980.

He served and received. Carter served two terms in the senate of Georgia and as the 76th governor from 1971 to 1975.

Carter created new Cabinet-level Department of education. A national policy included price decontrol and new technology. From 1977, people reduced foreign oil imports one-half to 1982. In foreign affairs, Carter pursued the second round of strategic arms limitation talks (SALT). Carter sought to put a stronger emphasis on human rights in 1979. People saw his return of the zone as a major concession of influence in Latin America, and Carter came under heavy criticism.

Iranian students in 1979 took over the American embassy and held hostages, and an attempt to rescue them failed; several additional major crises, including serious fuel shortages and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, marked the final year of his tenure. Edward Moore Kennedy challenged significantly higher disapproval ratings of Carter for nomination of the Democratic Party before the election of 1980. Carter defeated Kennedy for the nomination lost the election to Ronald Wilson Reagan, a Republican.

Carter left office and with Rosalynn Smith Carter, his wife, afterward founded the nongovernmental center and organization that works to advance human rights. He traveled extensively to conduct, to observe elections, and to advance disease prevention and eradication in developing nations. He, a key, also figured in the project of habitat for humanity. Carter particularly vocalized on the Palestinian conflict.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/jimmyc...

Reviews

[Deborah Markus · Rating 4 out of 5]

When did black Americans get the right to vote?

If you answer, "1965," you are very cool and we can have a friendly, spirited discussion about whether having "the right" to do something is really a right if you can’t actually act on that right. And we may have to agree to disagree, because technically the late lamented Voting Rights Act was put into place in order to protect the rights already spelled out in the Constitution. But we’ll certainly be cool and groovy together, because you obviously get it.

If you answer "1870," however, I’m going to have to yell and cry and possibly call your mom. Because 1870 is the year the fifteenth amendment was added to the Constitution, and black women were specifically left out of the text of the fifteenth amendment.

The answer to the question "When did black Americans receive a constitutionally guaranteed right to vote?" is "1920." (And yes, you’re right – that effectively only gave white women the right to vote. Black women as a group only got to exercise their constitutionally guaranteed right to vote when the VRA went into effect. Right now, I’m just talking about what was on paper.)

Why am I asking this? Why am I talking like some kind of Constitutional scholar when I’m just a stay-at-home reader who’s trying to review a book that’s already a day overdue at the library?

Because I think we have a bad national – no, make that global – habit of believing that human rights are vitally important and women’s rights are cute if you’re into that kind of thing, but frankly kind of 1. boring, 2. obnoxious, and 3. are we still talking about this?

I have a friend who is kind, educated, worldly, intelligent, well-read, and sophisticated. If asked, she could describe (and deplore) the human rights violations happening every day all over the world – in Syria, Nigeria, Turkey, all over the place.

She noticed I was reading this book and asked how I liked it.

I explained I’d been worried at first that it would be a lightweight work in every sense – it’s barely 200 pages, and has 18 chapters covering every sort of women’s issue you could think of. But I was starting to understand why Carter went ahead and had a lot of short chapters on a lot of important topics. The matters he asks readers to grapple with are sometimes so brutal that really, the important thing is that he’s touching on them at all.

"But he obviously gets it," I concluded. "I mean, I could kiss him just for the fact that he puts the word 'honor' in quotes when he talks about 'honor' killings."

My hip, groovy, compassionate friend looked alarmed. "What are honor killings?" she asked.

And that’s why it’s important that an old white Southern gentleman wrote a book about how religion is used all over the world as an excuse to mistreat women.

Specifically, it’s important that a guy as well-known, old-fashioned, devoutly Christian, and just plain nice as Jimmy Carter decided to write a book like this one. A book with chapter titles such as "The Genocide of Girls" and "Child Marriage and Dowry Deaths" and, yes, "'Honor' Killings."

"Honor" killings cause the death of hundreds of women every single year in Pakistan alone. Women’s rights are human rights because women are quite literally dying for the lack of them.

And the reason my friend hasn’t heard of them is that women’s rights are just not considered important enough to be reported on.

For example:

When the news runs stories about India, the reports tend to focus on economic growth and investment. There are occasional stories of individual cases of individual women suffering horrible fates; but where is the general sense that India is first and foremost a place where it’s just not safe to be female?

Can you imagine reporting on South Africa a few decades ago without making any mention at all of apartheid? South Africa was defined by its institutionalized inequality.

In India, girls are singled out just for being female before they’re even born. And that’s if their parents are wealthy enough to go in for a gender-based abortion. Poorer parents often simply murder their girl-children at birth. And no, this is not just about a few horrible cases. This is what India is like, to the point that there are some areas of the country in which there are only 650 girls for every 1,000 boys.

And that’s just the beginning. Female literacy rates are lower than male rates, because education is much less of a priority for girls than it is for boys. Women in India are routinely expected to endure sexual harassment in public – ever heard of “Eve teasing”? The rape statistics are horrifying. And don’t even get me started on dowry deaths.

So of course when we talk about India, we talk about economic opportunities for investors.

I’m not saying India is the only sexist place in the world. Sadly, that's not even close to being true. I’m saying: all things considered, why is sexism not associated with this country the way racism was with South Africa?

I’m a screaming heathen redhead feminist. It’s easy to dismiss my rageful rantings.

It’s not as easy to brush aside the gentle, earnest anger of a devout and kindly elder statesman like Jimmy Carter.

You may not need to read this book. But I think we should all be glad it’s out there.

And if, like my good friend, you don’t know about so-called “honor” killings – or dowry deaths, or just how widespread gendercide is – you might want to go ahead and grab a copy of this book from the library.

Be warned: it’s short, but it’s not a quick read. Not because the prose is dense – quite the contrary – but just because of the subject matter. I do a decent amount of heavy feminist reading, and I had to take frequent breaks to revisit some very sweet children’s books in the course of reading this book, because otherwise I’d have to scream and cry and throw things. But I’m still glad I read it.

[Rayme]

I admire Jimmy Carter but found this book frustrating. Each chapter outlines a different problem women face globally: domestic violence, trafficking, maternal health, etc. and as a thoughtful fact-based summary, it does a fine job (and can be used as a primer, especially for men of an older generation, to raise consciousness). My frustration comes from the mental gymnastics and very narrowly selected quotes Mr. Carter uses to show that the major world religions do not really condone poor and unequal treatment of women. He'll say verses of the Bible or Koran are misquoted, mistranslated or misapplied and that religion/God commands women to be treated with honor, respect and equality. I am not convinced and think that the major world religions are misogynistic at their core and no amount of polish by Jimmy Carter can fix that. I understand why he wants his thesis to be true--he has a lot invested in his faith and I believe a genuine interest in women's rights-- but in my opinion it's lipstick on a pig.

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forget what your "politics" are. This man is beyond reproach for his championing of women's rights, human rights. While the book is backed up by statistics that blow you away, certainly some of the more depraved practices, both cultural and religious, around the world will haunt you. I finished this book and cried. This information is really not that new to me, but certainly, how little that has changed since I first became aware of violence towards women, is new. It will make you angry, sad, horrified, overwhelmed and energized. It takes a while after reading this book, to digest all you've read. It should be a MUST READ, for EVERY high school student, male and female. Thank you President Carter for continuing your fight for equality and respect for all women. This book IS a call to action. I can't say enough good things about this man, his mission, and this book.

[Ms.pegasus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Religion has for centuries been linked with violence and inhuman cruelty. Former President, Jimmy Carter, a deeply religious man, devotes this book to uncoupling that connection. His focus is on violence, subjugation, abuse, and discrimination against women.

He starts with the flawed dogma propagated within his own religion. In 2000 the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest U.S. Protestant group, banned women from leadership positions. As a result, the Carters resigned. Instead, he focused his activities on his local Baptist congregation and internationally on the Human Rights Defenders Forum.

As a former U.S. President, Carter has obtained access to political leaders across Africa, Asia and Central America, and describes his encounters with for example Violetta Chamorro (President of Nicaragua 1990-1997), President Hosni Mubarak (President of Egypt 1981-2011), and President Thabo Mbeki (President of the Union of South Africa, 1999-2008). Under the auspices of the Carter Foundation, he has networked with numerous national and international organizations as well as scholars of Catholicism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism.

His work in forging joint resolutions and commitments of change are enumerated in this book, but what resonated most for me were his personal stories. He accompanied a farmer who had been proclaimed Global 2000 Outstanding Farmer of Zimbabwe after insisting that as a fellow farmer they had much in common, only to learn that it was the farmer's wife who did all the actual work. He speaks of funding a local ministry for the impoverished, many of whom were law-abiding but undocumented migrant workers, through the sale of his tapes of Bible lessons. An Afghani relative of a friend fell victim to a brutal extortion scheme and was finally extricated from the situation by the combined interventions of Carter and Burhanuddin Rabbani, a former president of Afghanistan (served from 1992-1996).

One might question Carter's insistence in tying the interpretation of religious doctrine to what might be considered a secular issue, human rights. However, Carter's examples demonstrate the close intertwining between culture and religion in the non-Western world. Rudolfo Anaya's Bless Me Ultima or Nahquib Mahfouz's Wedding Song are powerful works of fiction that examine this connection. Carter's religious commitment actually aided him in his work. His own curiosity about other religions and his deep respect for indigenous decision-making invited trust. In 2007 the Human Rights Defenders Forum convened with the theme of “Faith and Freedom.” Both secular and religious representatives were hesitant. “We also encountered resistance among some religious persons and leaders because of their perception that the human rights concept focuses on the individual instead of the collective well-being. We also were quietly informed that many religious people and institutions automatically associate the human rights framework with the promotion of homosexual and abortion rights, so they were reluctant to become too closely associated with the movement.” (p.91)

Zainah Anwar, a Malaysian activist with Sisters in Islam (SIS) gives forceful articulation to the importance of indigenous activism. “We are not a product of the West; we are a product of our own society and the challenges that we face within our own society.” (p. 107) From his work in Africa, Carter concludes: “It is clear that more equal female involvement in community affairs is beneficial to all citizens but is best achieved by letting the local people – both men and women – make their own decisions. The experiences of The Carter Center and our African coworkers show that there are ways to encourage these changes in social norms, but this work will require a lot of patience and a tremendous amount of humility and mutual respect.” (p.85)

This is not a deep book. Even Carter is perplexed by the contradictory statements of author Naguib Mahfouz in his Life's Wisdom from the Works of the Nobel Laureate. It is unfortunate he did not raise this issue with some of the scholars he met in Egypt. (I know this is a quibble, but Mahfouz's name does not appear in the book's index). The writing is organized as a series of essays on various topics, e.g. "Sexual Assault and Rape," "Violence and War, "Women and the Carter Center." Although this permits some interesting observations such as the unintended consequences of China's "one child" policy, the sense of progress is muted.

After finishing this book, one can only have a renewed respect for former president Carter. His efforts have been tireless and his commitment demonstrated by actions. It is a refreshing contrast to the self-aggrandizement we have seen all too often in former political leaders. His optimism is not infectious but it is admirable. This was the selection of our local book club.

NOTES:
updated survey from the UN: https://www.theguardian.com/global-de...

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to Jimmy Carter read his book on the audio version, which I got as a review copy from the publisher. He doesn't always pronounce everything perfectly, but he's Jimmy Carter!

This is an excellent overview of how religious and political restraints impact the status, health, and livelihood of women worldwide. He offers specific ideas for working toward change while also acknowledging why some change has been difficult. You can see the 23 action items on the Carter Center blog without even reading the book, and I'd recommend at least doing that.

He doesn't let the USA off the hook. He points out that Atlanta, his closest urban center, is the highest trafficking point of women in the country (these numbers are crazily high, I had no idea) and the negative impact some ultra-conservative organizations have had on women's health legislation (leaving the USA among a handful of countries to not move forward in this arena.) Most of the information is very current, with sources as recent as earlier in 2014 in use. Some of the older information was shocking, such as some United Nations documents on women's rights from the late 1970s that I had never even heard of. I wonder what the world would be like now if the countries that signed those documents had actually followed through on their vows.

Jimmy Carter's own politics and even religion do come out in the book, but I have to say I was impressed by the telling of why he left the Southern Baptist Convention after 70 years in it, based on their changing policies about women in ministry and church. Actions speak! I don't know all that much about him as a president (mea culpa) but I appreciated his plea for non-violence and abolishment of the death penalty.

Sidenote: There are some horror/dystopian novels out there right now that include tapeworm invaders but they don't have anything on Jimmy Carter's description of guinea worms, which *actually exist* and his organization has been working to eradicate it. For all that is good and holy, do not do a Google image search for them. Yeah, I couldn't help myself either.

[Mikey B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the primary importance of this topic I did find this book floundered in certain aspects. I suppose one cannot expect a book of 200 pages to encompass the totality of this vital subject area. It was in some ways similar to Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide but less emotive. Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide had a far more grass-roots feel to it.

This book discusses what the Carter Center is doing around the world. Credit must be given as their aid is based on giving self-directed autonomy to the local communities they are involved in.

Some parts of the book were positively naive or unnecessary as when Jimmy Carter recounts his visit to Saudi Arabia with his wife. She is placed with the women-folk and Jimmy with the men-folk.

But there are definitely soul-searching topics brought up. Rape, slavery, and genocide of girls – the sex ratio of females to males in India and China is diminishing because of the preference for boys. Given that these two countries have the two largest populations in the world this becomes even more critical.

An interesting issue is brought up in the work of the Carter Center in Africa. They are helping to prevent and cure awful diseases (I will spare you the details). As Mr. Carter points out one reason for large families is that many infants die at an early age. If couples could be assured that their children survive they would be more apt or persuaded to have less.

My main contention with this book is when Jimmy Carter tries to extrapolate texts from the Bible and Quran to ensure that God made woman and men equal. This is essentially cherry picking these ancient words to illustrate whatever subject the author wishes to emphasize. The Taliban (and all those for a caliphate) and evangelical fundamentalists pick other ancient texts to justify male dominance (to justify polygamy, to justify female punishment for adultery, to justify child marriage, to justify slavery, to justify honor killing, to justify female genital cutting...). Using ancient texts lead to looping arguments instead of just resolving the problem.

Far better is when Jimmy Carter brings up the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. The U.S. has not ratified the latter treaty. And also he brings up science for eliminating diseases and helping women during childbirth.

Also birth control is not mentioned in Jimmy Carter’s twenty-three points at the end of his book to enable women to achieve equal status with men. Only when women are given full rights to reproductive control of their bodies can they achieve parity and equality with men.

So I give this book four stars for the good aspects that Jimmy Carter brought up.

[Connie G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Former US President Jimmy Carter did not just sit back in a rocking chair when he retired in 1981. He and his wife, Rosalynn, founded the Carter Center which helps improve the situations of people around the world. As a devote Baptist and Sunday school teacher, he is frustrated by the ways male religious leaders--Christian, Jewish, and Islamic--use sacred texts to justify male dominance of women. Some of Carter's concerns are wage discrimination, sexual abuse in the military, rape, slavery and prostitution, child marriages, spousal abuse, genital mutilation, inadequate health care including prenatal care, and honor killings. In some countries, female babies are selectively aborted or killed at birth. This leads to enslaved girls being brought in from other countries to serve as prostitutes since there are not enough women to serve as mates to the increased percentage of males in the population.

Carter is also a member of The Elders, an international group of former political leaders, peace activists, and human rights advocates. Nelson Mandela formed the group to work on human rights projects, as well as concerns about health, war, and climate change.

Carter also has worked with Bill Gates Sr (who manages the foundation set up by his son) to decrease the transmission of AIDS in Africa. He has used his connections as a former president to influence political leaders around the world, and encourages women to seek political office. The international work of Jimmy Carter, who still tirelessly crusades for human rights at age 90, is truly an inspiration.

Website for The Carter Center: www.cartercenter.org

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

After a lot of books with subtitles like "A call to action" I find myself wondering what marketing genius didn't think I'd mind the complete absence of actionable items. This is not the case here. President Carter goes into the specifics of some important work being done by a lot of people, gives numerous examples of how people have stepped in to help out, and my reaction is -- how the hell does this man have the energy to be involved in all of this? Some might add "at his age" but frankly I haven't been that active at any age.

He speaks frankly about the nature of not only the oppression of women and girls, but also the political realities of how the transition from where we are to a less oppressive reality would have to take place. The work is daunting in the details and always backed with examples of what was tried and a fair assessment of the progress and shortcomings of various attempts.

Trigger warning: President Carter is a devout Baptist and spends a large portion of the early chapters making the religious (and especially Christian) case for why this cause is just. As only a biblical studies teacher with decades of experience can do, he goes on to debunk the claim that Christianity includes a divine imperative to be a sexist douche. Amazingly, he does this while fully acknowledging the presence of sexist douchery throughout Christiandom and perserveres through that reality to try to reform the religious practices from within.

[Vannessa Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the book

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that men and women are equal ratified in 1948 by a vote of 48 to 0 yet it is not honored

Jimmy Carter was the first American president born in a hospital

The first pope, Saint Peter was married, because Jesus healed his mother-in-law

In November 2012 Congolese troops trained by the U.S. Government perpetrated a mass rape of 135 women and girls….

Global Slavery Index report released in October 2013 estimates that 29.8 million people remain enslaved today. …includes those living in bondage as forced laborers, those in marriage against their will, and prostitutes engaged involuntarily in the sexual-trade

….between two hundred and three hundred children are sold in Atlanta alone each month….considered to be one of the preeminent human trafficking center in the United States

An analysis by Atlanta social workers found that 42 percent of the sexual exchanges they investigated were in brothels and hotel rooms in the most affluent areas of the city, while only 9 percent were in the poorer neighborhood…

IVAWA (International Violence Against Women Act) would make America a leader in ending violence against women and girls…lies dormant because not enough voices have yet risen to demand its passage

Further, what irony there was to see how they compose the Koran and virtually took from the Bible word for word.

In the military Women were given equal status in January 2013

Politics and the sexual assault in the military 1995 Study of female veterans of the Gulf and earlier wars, found that 90 percent had been sexually harassed

…some women employees of civilian contractors serving in a war zone must sign an agreement that forbid them from suing if they are reaped by a fellow worker

…the American president and the British prime minister had decided…to find a justification for the invasion of Iraq

Reading that some selected scriptures are interpreted, almost exclusively by powerful male leaders within the Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, and other faiths, to proclaim the lower status of women and girls…. This includes unpunished rape and other sexual abuse, infanticide of newborn girls and abortion of female fetuses, a worldwide trafficking in women and girls, and so called honor killings of innocent women who are raped, as well as the less violent but harmful practices of lower pay and fewer promotions for women and greater political advantages for men. confirms what I already knew.

A Call to Action explained the hateful and manipulative mindset of bigots and how they used the Holy Scriptures to justify their bigotry. A Call to Action also exposed those who could have come forward but wouldn’t because they benefited from the actions of the bigots. Coincidently, these are the same individuals we vote into office to represent us in Washington, D.C. These individuals are responsible for the continued existence of racism, crime, financial inequality, sex slavery trade, sexual abuse, etc., and will continue to exist because these individuals are hoarders of money and power and born to parents who produced defective sperm and defective egg.

Speaking from his personal experiences author Carter exposed the hypocrisy of the believers in his community. He also confirmed what many of us already knew; What surprised me most was that many of these white men prefer black women, when other interracial social contact was completely taboo. I’m sure no one is surprised by this.

Never has an author been so prolific in telling a story that I feel came from the author’s heart.

Mr. Carter, I applaud you for being a man of honor and integrity and for having the courage for saying it like it was and the way it still is.

I rarely read books with references to or from the Bible because those using those references take them out of context to use as manipulation to make people conform but author Carter took nothing out of context!

A Call To Action Women, Religion, Violence, and Power was an easy read with an excellent flow. Not one page was wasted on fluff or filler.

A Call To Action Women, Religion, Violence, and Power can be beneficial in teaching logic and critical thinking.

A Call To Action Women, Religion, Violence, and Power will help readers distinguished between proclaimed Christians who embrace money, power, hatred, racism, violence and criminality from Christians who embrace legal justice, social intelligence, mercy, forgiveness, kindness and love.

Author Carter discussed politics, the handicapped politics, the death penalty, politics, capital punishment politics, and violence against women, girls and children, religious politics, racism, politics and how the media dismantle it all for ratings.

What kept me glued to A Call To Action Women, Religion, Violence, and Power was the truth in what author Carter expounded. Anyone who passes up the opportunity to read A Call To Action Women, Religion, Violence, and Power is missing the opportunity to build upon what you already know or to learn you didn’t know.

Applause! Applause! Applause! Author Carter for putting into words everything people need to know about how the world of politics actually works. Those who, I believe, would appreciate A Call To Action Women, Religion, Violence, and Power would be Christians, women, minorities, the low income, students of political science, economics, mental health, sociology, psychology, social workers, politicians and those who have chosen to serve the people and not themselves.

[jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

president carter himself describes a call to action as the most important book he's ever written (having authored 28). his thesis is lucid:

yet although economic disparity is a great and growing problem, i have become convinced that the most serious and unaddressed worldwide challenge is the deprivation and abuse of women and girls, largely caused by a false interpretation of carefully selected religious texts and a growing tolerance of violence and warfare, unfortunately following the example set during my lifetime by the united states.

one could easily make the case that humanity has a deep hatred, loathing, and contempt for womankind - as evidenced by their treatment across centuries and cultures. a westerner would perhaps be likely to point their accusing finger at third world nations and decry the many abuses suffered by women there, yet industrialized nations often treat their women as degradingly (albeit with less overt barbarity - having long since refined and institutionalized the practice).

carter's book considers many ways in which women (and girls) are systematically abused, neglected, exploited, and debased throughout the world. chapters on prisons, executions, sexual assault and rape, violence and warfare, genocide, slavery, prostitution, spouse abuse, honor killings, genital cutting, child marriage, and healthcare form a troubling portrait of the reprehensible treatment of women the world over. with staggering statistics and disturbing first-hand accounts aplenty, a call to action is at once heartbreaking and infuriating.

carter calls to account religious leaders, politicians, governments, and others for not doing more to oppose the pervasive mistreatment and enforced inequality of women. of particular note is his characterization of the oft-utilized practice of selectively quoting, misinterpreting, and misapplying religious/sacred texts to justify such treatment as divinely inspired. throughout the book, carter highlights groups and individuals leading the efforts to combat inequality and abuse.

patriarchy, quite obviously, has wrought a world wherein women are often considered and treated as second-class citizens (or worse). president carter, rosalynn carter, and the carter center have worked tirelessly on a host of human rights, public policy, and peace issues for over 30 years now. a call to action may well be the summation of a life spent in service of humanity - with its aim of bringing attention to the often horrific treatment endured by half the world's population.

what prevents us from... taking action to secure basic human rights for women? some of us are paralyzed by the extent and complexity of the problems. some of us have become desensitized by societal violence and no longer recognize it when it occurs. some have misinterpreted holy scripture and believe god has ordained a lower status for women. some men are afraid of losing their advantages in a paternalistic society. but these two simple success stories illustrate how the suffering of women and girls can be alleviated by an individual's forceful action and how the benefits of such actions stretch out into the larger society. political and religious leaders share a special responsibility, but the fact is that all of us can act within our own spheres of influence to meet the challenges.

[Tiffany]

This book was a complete surprise. Okay, so everybody has an opinion of Jimmy Carter. He's a former president, ambassador, Nobel prize laureate, world traveler, peanut farmer, millionaire, preacher, writer, builder of homes and communities and world peace ... A gentle and kind-hearted soul. Before starting it I thought (in an inexplicably Irish accent), "Ah the gentle little lamb will say a few nice things about women and be done with it." And yes, he started off gentle and mouthing generalities, and talking a ton about something called the Cauda Senna. (I was listening to this on audio book.) Turns out that's just his accent and actually he was talking about the Carter Center.

He pushed the Carter Center like he was selling a used car. Fortunately, right around the time I began getting irritated he left the promotional aspect of his message and dived hard into those things that no politician wants to talk about: parasites, child marriage, abuse, rape, spousal rape, FGC female genital mutation (although he called it cutting whereas I think it's referred euphemistically as Female Circumcism), the Catholic church, etc. He talked unstintingly and lovingly about the poorest, the lowest, the most despised of all peoples: poor, ill, miserable women all over the world. He revealed how drastically badly the United States of America ranks on almost every level of female advancement--behind Nigaragua in women's health, for goodness sake--and he discussed the many horrid things that are done in the name of religion. He did not point fingers. He only named the names of people working to help women and girls in the world. He talked frequently about religion, doing a very good job of pointing out where evil-minded misogynists derive their juice in the Bible (old testament and new) and he did a great job of reminding us what the origins of Christianity are. He was less convincing when he talked about Islam also holding women in high respect (I suspect that is because he's not as familiar with the Koran as with the Bible) although he talked lengthily about many Islamic community leaders and scholars who are working for equality within religion.

It was actually a remarkable book of scholarship, research and synthesis. It clearly relied on a lifetime of service working for others--during the course of the book he tells personal anecdotes from many of the countries he's traveled to (142, can you imagine Trump traveling to all those places?)

It makes me both happy because men are aware of these issues, and it makes me sad because this is a man who was not reelected, and gave way to presidents like George W. Bush, and to presidential candidates like the Donald.

[Larraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you pay attention to the news at all, there really isn't a lot of "new" here per se. However, former President Carter brings together the various issues that bedevil so many women around the world: forced marriages, genital mutilation, prostitution as slavery, and abuse. He ties it together with his knowledge of Biblical scriptures. He is a man of deep faith who has also made a study of the Bible. In addition, he discusses some of the initiatives that the Carter Center has made around the world in their quest to educate and empower women. He makes his frustration with the male dominated power structure known: not only government but also "some" Evangelical Christians and the Catholic Church. For instance, he is frustrated by the fact that some Evangelical Christians and the Catholic Church have refused to encourage the use of condoms among the AIDS stricken in Africa, relying instead on "abstinence" as their message. He is, however, relentless positive in his belief that we CAN change things as long as we are willing to work within a culture's core belief systems. Two stories stood out in my mind. One was about the government of Ethopia allowing the Carter Center to set up training classes to provide health workers. They are trained to do things like give vaccinations and even minor surgical procedures, one of which will cure a terrible blindness caused by flies. However, the story that sticks out in my mind is the one he tells about his mother, Lillian, who, at the age of 70, joined the Peace Corps. She was in India working as a nurse and taking care of the Untouchable population. One man gave her fresh vegetables and flowers several times. Peace Corps workers are not allowed to accept cash from their families. They are expected to live on the stipend they receive. She wanted to do something to repay his kindness so she offered to teach his daughter to read and write. Years later, President Carter and his wife were visiting the same village as part of their Carter Center outreach. He met the young girl who his mother had taught. She was now the President of the local university! Talk about the power of one person to make a change for the better! This is an excellent book and well worth the time.

[Debbie "DJ" · Rating 5 out of 5]

Won in the Goodreads and Simon & Schuster giveaway. Thank you!
This is possibly one of the most powerful and essential books I have read. In it Carter focuses on the role women have in societies and how discrimination against them leads to devastating effects. I was surprised to learn that this inequality has been increasing and that the U.S. is far behind other industrialized nations in giving women leading roles. Much of this injustice is tied to powerful male leadership in religious faiths who have twisted scriptural readings to proclaim the lower status of women and girls.

Carter states that "the most serious and unaddressed worldwide challenge is the deprivation and abuse of women and girls." He founded The Carter Center which brings together religious leaders and activists to work on this problem. In addition to this he has also been involved in secretly meeting with many world leaders to negotiate peace, and founded Habitat for Humanity, in the hopes to end homelessness.

This book is packed full of important and valuable information. I was shocked to read the rate of sexual assault against women in the U.S. military is 90%, and 95% in our colleges! Women still earn 23% less than men in our workforce dispute being more qualified. Carter even delves into such topics as "honor" killings, genital cutting and child marriage.

It seems that our acceptance of violence leads to war. In his book, Carter shows how women have been the most successful in humanizing societies and preventing disputes which erupt into violence and ultimately war. While this is not easy reading it is essential if we are to survive our current events. I wish everyone could read this book.

[Fran Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

President Jimmy Carter and the Carter Center brought together an international group of people to address important issues affecting women. Issues of sexual slavery and trafficking, discrimination, deadly diseases, infant mortality, the murdering of female babies, child marriage, and genital mutilation are subjects people don't want to think about, much less talk about and try to solve. President Carter discusses these issues, gives examples, documents, and offers suggestions that came out of this meeting. The book is written in a straight forward manner. It shows the work of dedicated people through out the world who have struggled and often righted wrongs. It gives one hope that the world can be made better for struggling women and girls.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read that relates misinterpretation of religious texts to global violence against women. Really made me want to travel to Plains to listen to one of Jimmy's bible studies. Anyone want to do a road trip to south georgia this fall? Serious.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably the most important book I have heard in a long time. I read for fun, so I tend to stick with fiction. But I heard about the premise of this book and listened to the audiobook, read by Jimmy Carter himself. For all of the progress that has been made on human rights, it is alarming to hear so much evidence that leads to the conclusion that the world may be moving in the wrong direction with respect to the treatment of women and girls. I admire Mr. Carter's courage in leaving his church over its refusal to let women serve Christ in the same way men are allowed to. One of the most important themes he conveys is that religious leaders in *all* countries and all religions have a responsibility to promote justice and non-discrimination. But many of them treat women as second-class citizens. Some of them cling to outmoded or incorrect interpretations of holy texts in order to maintain a status quo. Former President Carter believes that this attitude is so pernicious and widespread that it promotes violence against women and girls. I am not a religious scholar, so I will accept his word for it when he states that essentially every major religion in the world includes some version of the "golden rule." Mr. Carter's "call to action" should encourage (or shame) religious leaders at least into living by it.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jimmy Carter must be the best ex-President we have ever had. His work with the Carter Center all over the world is an impressive legacy. In this volume, he tackles the plight of women around the world. Even in first world countries, he points out, women are deprived of equal opportunities every day. But it is in the Third World where the horror really abounds: child marriage, genital mutilation, servitude, casual rape and murder. Carter identifies carefully selected (and often edited) texts used by male religious leaders to exalt the status of men and exclude and diminish women in nearly every religion on the globe. Women around the world, more than half of humanity, are still being denied human rights in the name of religion. What is it these religious hierarchies fear? The devastating effects on economies, education and just plain human suffering are pretty overwhelming.

This is not a warm and fuzzy read, but there are definitely moments of inspiration and enlightenment.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book does a good job describing the crimes against women, the attempts that have been made, the failures and successes at bettering the lives of women.

There was very little I hadn't heard before. "Dowry deaths" (killing a wife because her family didn't provide enough dowry) was a surprise and made me ill. Even more than selling a daughter into slavery and prostitution... That a woman could be killed because a man wasn't paid enough to take her.

Awful.

I appreciated his suggestions, but don't feel like I can do any of them. Who am I to make such big changes? The best I can do is to help bring awareness...

[Cathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sobering overview of the many inequalities in the world today. Carter's strength is his decades of travel and discussion on human rights through the Carter Center, along with his calm Southern demeanor. While he shares a mind-numbing pile of statistics, it is obvious that there is much work to be done, even here in the US, to secure equality for half of the world's inhabitants, and he calls upon any of us, including religious leaders to be part of the solution.

[AnnMarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read but lots of hard information to hear~! I know we often think we have come so far in equality and justice for women but it is staggering to read the statistics. The horrific crimes against young girls and women that take place on a daily basis around the world is heart breaking! We need to make ourselves aware and take action!!

[Steve Smits · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admired Carter’s presidency, particularly his deep commitment to human rights as a cornerstone of foreign affairs policy. In my view, his reputation as a “weak” executive entirely misses the mark. I appreciated his avoidance of conveying overly simplistic messages about complex national and world affairs; this, though, allowed his detractors to suggest he was irresolute. Many will disagree with me but, while there is much about American values that is superior in the world, I think there is, since Carter, a tone of arrogance that does not serve well our moral standing among nations. Carter was one of the few (if only) leaders to demonstrate a bit of humility in regards to our relations with the world.

He is a principled man who invests his energy and influence into practical actions that have improved the lot of people across the globe. He has had a laudable career of public service since the end of his presidency. He founded the Carter Center that has undertaken a wide variety of projects across the world, many related to efforts to eradicate diseases, to monitoring elections in nascent democracies, and advancing human rights.

In this book, Carter addresses issues of abuse and oppression of women. His description of the causes of attitudes about women and the degrading, demeaning and harmful treatment of them is frank and disturbing. One cause of such treatment, he holds, is the misinterpretation and misapplication of scripture by segments of the major faiths of the world. He says such use of scripture is selective and wrong-headed, stemming largely from eons of male domination in many cultures. A man of great faith himself, he describes his alienation from the Southern Baptist Conference as the denomination came to increasingly exclude women from positions of authority in church affairs. He recounts his efforts as president and later to convey to world religious leaders how their doctrinal positions can create harm to women; one example is his frank discussion with Pope John Paul about the ramifications of the Catholic church’s position on contraception.

Carter says that since the end of his presidency incarceration in the US has increased massively, including sharp growth in the number of women in American prisons, many jailed for non-violent crimes. He decries the increasingly retributive focus of the criminal justice system and the much-diminished use of prison as opportunity for rehabilitation. America, of course, stands out among practically all nations in the percentage of its population that is incarcerated and is the only western nation that still employs the death penalty.

Women are also systematically excluded or limited by cultural norms from access to the political process and to education. Many countries far exceed the US in the percentage of women who hold elected office, and the presence of women in legislative bodies in our country is still quite small. Remarkably, some developing nations have a much better record here than does our own. Often girls are denied access to education in comparison to boys as girls are viewed as important to family maintenance or more valuable as marriage prospects.


Girls in many parts of the world are denied the right to select their own husbands; a significant number obliged as children to enter into marriages arranged by their families, often for financial reasons. Much worse still is the existence in many countries (principally Islamic) of so-called “honor” killings where males family members can kill a girl for violating cultural mores regarding sexual behavior, including (fantastically) situations where the girl was raped.

Slavery continues to flourish across the world, including in America, where girls are sold into bondage often involving forced prostitution. He cites cases in Atlanta to show that this is not limited to third world nations. Carter also reviews the effect of the AIDS crisis on women, particularly in Africa, where in some nations the percentage of HIV-positive persons exceeds 25%. Some African leaders have responded to work by the Carter Center and others to adopt measures to lessen transmission risk, but some, including leaders in South Africa and Uganda have openly resisted measures that are proven to reduce incidence.

Carter talks bluntly about the practice of genital cutting of girls in many nations, clearly a horrific abuse and a vivid example of how notions of male dominance has corrupted the behaviors of those who perpetuate such practices. There are several examples of how thoughtful advocacy has begun to turn the tide against genital cutting, but it is still widely done in many parts of the world.

In light of what Carter has described as the state of women’s rights everywhere, there is much about which to be discouraged. Nonetheless, Carter’s focus is important for everyone to heed. He proposes action steps that would alleviate the abuses he reveals. It is probably increased public awareness and determination to speak out against abuse and subjugation that is the most valuable and impactful outcome of Carter’s book.

I was able to see Carter and obtain signed copies of his book while in Raleigh. The experience (Secret Service, police and security measures) was an interesting one. One copy of the book was purchased for my niece, a college student majoring in women’s studies who has an intense interest in women’s rights, particularly those surrounding maternal health. Certainly, committed young persons such as she are our best hope for turning around the deplorable treatment of women in our country and elsewhere.

[Bec · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good and informative read. Some of the info given I already knew, but mainly due to the information/environment I was raised in. All of the chapters kind of just skim some of the major women’s rights issues that are going on all over the world, but for being a relatively short book, it does a good job of giving informative stories and experiences Jimmy Carter had. I also appreciated learning about the extensive work that the Carter Center is doing.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heartfelt call for equal rights for women. I’m proud he was our president, once upon a time. This book is brave and candid. It acknowledges a truth that drove him from his childhood church and we saw violently resisted by our own fellow citizens just this weekend; that the way we treat women is reprehensible and that we must do better. That said, he did not convince me of a major thesis; that violent misogyny is a misreading of sacred texts. But I’m glad he believes that.

Ends with specific suggestions on how to move towards meaningful equality, 196-98, available at http://www.cartercenter.org/news/feat.... Not a bad list:

1. Encourage women and girls, including those not abused, to speak out more forcefully. It is imperative that those who do speak out are protected from retaliation.

2. Remind political and religious leaders of the abuses and what they can do to alleviate them.

3. Encourage these same leaders to become supporters of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and other U.N. agencies that advance human rights and peace.

4. Encourage religious and political leaders to relegate warfare and violence to a last resort as a solution to terrorism and national security challenges.

5. Abandon the death penalty and seek to rehabilitate criminals instead of relying on excessive incarceration, especially for nonviolent offenders.

6. Marshal the efforts of women officeholders and first ladies, and encourage involvement of prominent civilian women in correcting abuses.

7. Induce individual nations to elevate the end of human trafficking to a top priority, as they did to end slavery in the nineteenth century.

8. Help remove commanding officers from control over cases of sexual abuse in the military so that professional prosecutors can take action.

9. Apply title IX protection for women students and evolve laws and procedures in all nations to reduce the plague of sexual abuse on university campuses.

10. Include women's rights specifically in new U.N. Millennium Development Goals.

11. Expose and condemn infanticide of baby girls and selective abortion of female fetuses.

12. Explore alternatives to battered women's shelters, such as installing GPS locators on male abusers, and make police reports of spousal abuse mandatory.

13. Strengthen U.N. and other legal impediments to ending genital mutilation, child marriage, trafficking, and other abuses of girls and women.

14. Increase training of midwives and other health workers to provide care at birth.

15. Help scholars working to clarify religious beliefs on protecting women's rights and nonviolence, and give activists and practitioners access to such training resources.

16. Insist that the U.S. Senate ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

17. Insist that the United States adopt the International Violence Against Women Act.

18. Encourage more qualified women to seek public office, and support them.

19. Recruit influential men to assist in gaining equal rights for women.

20. Adopt the Swedish model by prosecuting pimps, brothel owners, and male customers, not the prostitutes.

21. Publicize and implement U.N. Security Resolution 1325, which encourages the participation of women in peace efforts.

22. Publicize and implement U.N. Security Resolution 1820, which condemns the use of sexual violence as a tool of war.

23. Condemn and outlaw honor killings.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jimmy Carter's latest book is a powerful examination of the ways that our culture, and cultures around the world, subjugate women to a lesser, underpaid, underprivileged, and dangerous position.

Starting with his childhood in the deep South, Carter takes readers through his own spiritual awakening to women's issues in the context of Christianity and other world religions, and then transitions us into political issues of his terms as governor and president. The ongoing global issues facing women comprise the latter half of the book, including disease, abuse, wages, genital mutilation, rape, forced marriage, and just about every human right you can think of. A startling, but necessary read.

I knocked my initial rating down a few stars, because there were a few moments, starting around Chapters 7-8 and continuing through the end of the book, where I feel that Carter loses track of the pertinence of women's issues to instead pat himself on the back for the Carter Center. I agree with Carter that the Carter Center has accomplished some incredible feats, and I am happy to read about them. But, I feel the danger of this focus is to portray an issue as resolved, when in reality, we aren't even close. I finished a few chapters with a greater sense of what the Carter Center is up to than of what is going on in the lives of women globally.

I'm also wary of Carter's Christianity. In general, I can accept his religiosity because I feel that it is nuanced, balanced, and accepting of other cultures and belief systems. However, at times, he seems to purport Christianity as taming the "savage" anti-women notions of African and Islamic cultures, which seems inaccurate and dangerous to me. In describing treatments of disease in Africa, Carter links female doctors to their missionaries and religious backgrounds; it's as if to say, African people are compelled to Christianity because another (female) human has taken an interest in their health, and they will soon embody the power of Christ and gender-balanced Christianity.

I was like, wait, how did we get here?

Why is medical treatment entangled with a religious system? Can we leave that "civilizing" influence out, and instead focus on empowering their women to self-advocate? Such examples do appear later in the book, and suggest that African and Muslim cultures are not inherently misogynistic and needing replacement; why suggest a different idea?

Religious and self-congratulatory suspicions aside, I did greatly enjoy Carter's book. Furthermore, I realized that as much as he advocates his own beliefs, he is equally empowering of other beliefs and people, especially in his later chapters on what he has learned from other human rights leaders and their ongoing work. So, my rating went back up a star. While Carter is firmly seated in his spirituality in approaching women's issues, he is also a partner in a global system of equality and empowerment.

A call to action, indeed.

Buy this title from Powell's Books.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm indecisive on this review because I understand the intent and why the book is styled the way it is; it simply wasn't my preference, and I was more disappointed in the potential I saw for it. First, the pros: it's Jimmy Carter. He writes in a manner accessible to all. He is a veritable wealth of information - from personal anecdotes to access to people, organizations and statistics. I feel like he could have written 20 books on the subject. The book is an excellent survey of a wide range of challenges facing women in the world today. Finally, particularly from a Christian standpoint but with at least adequate service to especially Islam and Judaism, the lens of religion is crucial on this topic, and this conversation is needed. Often, this lens is treated in a very superficial, incomplete, and in my view, incorrect manner, to the point of propagating dangerous theories that are setbacks rather than progress in understanding the issues.

The cons: I found it to be disorganized. Where each topic likely could have discussed from the angle of at least the three major religions, for some topics, it was well covered; for others, nonexistent. Statistics were random, as were anecdotes. Some sections were meaty; others only a few pages. My disappointment with the book wasn't the book per se, but the potential I saw in it. Whereas Half the Sky took on three major issues and provided anecdotes and statistics, I felt this spread itself too thin. Trying to cover a wide range, each differently. Again, had each section included the background and information in a more consistent manner, and then discussed the topic through the lens of religion, as former President Carter is so knowledgeable and eloquent in, I believe the points he had to make would have resounded much more strongly.

In all though, this type of survey is needed; it draws attention to issues and challenges that, while in the news, are often much less than headlines. The quotes by various religious leaders provide a stark contrast to the religious ideologies that often make the news. This book is needed, and I only hope that it is built upon. I have great admiration for former President Carter, and his passionate voice rings through the pages.

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Review of the Audiobook

Published in 2014 by Simon and Schuster (AUDIOWORKS)
Read by the author, Jimmy Carter
Duration: 6 hours, 33 minutes

Jimmy Carter and I have a strange relationship. Don't get me wrong, the 39th President and I have never met and are not likely to. I think that his presidency was, on balance, a well-intentioned mess and his post-Presidential career has been a mix of amazing achievements (Habitat for Humanity, for example) combined with annoying commentary and self-intervention into areas where he was not invited (ask Bill Clinton what he thinks of Carter's self-appointed mission to North Korea during the Clinton Administration).

This book only re-affirms my impressions of Jimmy Carter. I admire his religious faith and his intimate knowledge of the scriptures. I also admire his willingness to learn about other faiths and the fact that he teaches in his church's Sunday school. His work through the Carter Center has also been a mixed bag of amazing work against poverty and disease and less-than-helpful self-insertion into international politics.

As Carter describes it early in his book, A Call to Action was written because so many people asked him to use his position to call attention to the how religion was being used against women around the world.

The book also looks at the economic and political status of women and often ties religious views into how women and doing economically and politically. This is mostly a look at Christianity and Islam with some commentary on Judaism but almost none on Buddhism, Hinduism, Shintoism or any of the other faiths of the world.

Carter is especially critical of...

Read more at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2014/...

[Julie N · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writing
Well done. No complaints with the quality of writing and certainly none with the research and documentation. The Carter Center is well known for its humanitarian work and all of Carter's statistics and research are backed up with their data. This isn't a critique of the writing, but it reads more like a collection of essays and less like a cohesive work, which isn't what I was expecting. That said, it certainly didn't hurt the quality of the writing in the least.

Entertainment Value
I found it fascinating, but I think it's going to be one that you need to come to with an interest in the subject matter. Carter covers all his bases with various world religions, politics, and the violence faced by women at home and around the world. It's incredibly engaging and accessible to the lay person, but if you don't have an interest in current world events and the way they affect women, this may not be something you want to pick up for fun. It's not a difficult read, but it's also not a light read.

Overall
Fascinating, challenging, and very well composed. I have to confess that I'm not very educated on the Carter administration and what was or was not accomplished while he was in office. I will say, however, that I highly respect the opinions he puts forth in this book and his efforts to educate the public on social justice issues while maintaining his faith and respecting the faiths of others. I recommend it if you're interested in women's issues, current events, or social justice issues.

[Mlg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Former President Carter details the use of different religions to hold women back in the world. After showing how most interpretations of scripture are incorrect, he embarks on a journey around the world to highlight different issues that affect women. These include abuses in wartime, rape, honor killing, genital mutilation, female genocide, slavery and prostitution, spousal abuse, child marriage and others. He highlights what the Carter Foundation has done to try to improve conditions for women and discusses his role in "the Elder" a group of former political leaders, peace activists and human rights advocates who were brought together by Nelson Mandela to use their over 1000 years of collective experience to work on solutions for problems involving peace, human rights, climate change and disease. He also shows how conservative Christian organizations intervened in Uganda to convince their citizens to stop using condoms. This caused a country that had the HIV crisis under control, to go backwards. He also takes the US to task for not signing on to the Convention on the Eliminations of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. It has now been ratified by all nations except Iran, Palau, Somalia, Sudan, Tonga and the United States. This book is a worthy companion to Nicholas Kristof's Half the Sky.

[Dan Dinello · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jimmy Carter issues a "call to action" over discrimination and violence against women, focusing on issues from female genital mutilation and rape to child marriage in a new book out in the US this week. Yes, some of it is self-serving in the sense that it promotes The Carter Center. But this is fine because it's doing incredible work to eradicate diseases in the most impoverished areas of the world as well as calling out and fighting global rape culture. I was amazed at this man's energy, optimism and commitment to social progress all over the world. His presidency has been trashed by the GOP and his work marginalized by their constant abuse. He was a better president than Reagan and a better ex-president than anyone including Clinton and Bush.

The 39th US president believes that "the most serious and unaddressed worldwide challenge is the deprivation and abuse of women and girls", which he says is "largely caused by a false interpretation of carefully selected religious texts and a growing tolerance of violence and warfare, unfortunately following the example set during my lifetime by the United States".

Carter argues forcefully that women around the world, more than half of all human beings, are being denied equal rights. His passionate attack on male discrimination shows how it affects us all.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here's the thing - I think this book is incredibly important, because it highlights some of the biggest global abuses against the women that many people aren't aware of and don't get the press they deserve. He takes it from a policy perspective - he discusses a lot of the international treaties that the US, in particular, is bound to, as well as significant policy steps that could be made to address these issues. But because of its size (under 200 pages), a lot of the topics aren't covered in depth and could use a little more nuance. For that reason, I would HIGHLY recommend reading this book in conjunction with Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, which covers these issues in more detail and gives ideas for action on the grassroots level (as well as some policy suggestions).

I appreciate Carter's willingness to tackle the issue of religion as it relates to women, violence, and power, because whether we'd like the issues to be linked, they are. I also appreciated his takes on some ways that religions could step up and be the answer to many of these problems, rather than contributing to them.

Overall, an interesting (albeit sometimes technical and dense) read.