Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates

​No Spoiler Book Review

I don’t tend to pay much attention to charities, there are too many stories of corrupt CEOs stealing from their organizations. We still donate, but we give directly to people in need. So, I never really knew what the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation actually did. I knew they were trusted and respected, but not much else. When I learned that the foundation focuses on empowering women, I added Moment of Lift to my list.

This book was always hopeful, but the horrible treatment of women described in this book was upsetting and infuriating. I have seen real poverty when I have traveled. I have seen women and children sleeping on the streets in a rain storm. I have been mobbed by homeless children after giving one child a few coins. After I get back home though, these memories fade and I begin to get wrapped in my own privileged problems. It’s easy to forget that not only poverty, but oppression still affect women and children around the world today.

This book brings to light case studies of oppression and abuse that are much worse than anything I have ever seen. Women are not only banned from education, but often beaten regularly, and sometimes mutilated. The stories in this book are devastating, but Melinda Gates does a good job of framing the problem alongside a solution, so it feels like things are getting better. This is an important book that highlights the necessity of equality for EVERYONE.

Normally, this is where I would write a list of who would like this book. I’m going to do something a little different. I am going to categorize this book as “Adult Required Reading”. I’m not saying everyone will enjoy it, but it’s an important book with a global call to action, that everyone should read. The topics covered in this book affect everyone and nobody should be ignorant of these problems. Let me know if you have read this and what your thoughts were.   

You may also enjoy this No Spoiler Book Review of I Am Malala.  

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