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 around the world 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.   
​​

Goodreads Summary

​For the last twenty years, Melinda Gates has been on a mission. Her goal, as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has been to find solutions for people with the most urgent needs, wherever they live. Throughout this journey, one thing has become increasingly clear to her: If you want to lift a society up, invest in women.

In this candid and inspiring book, Gates traces her awakening to the link between women's empowerment and the health of societies. She shows some of the tremendous opportunities that exist right now to “turbo-charge" change. And she provides simple and effective ways each one of us can make a difference.

Convinced that all women should be free to decide whether and when to have children, Gates took her first step onto the global stage to make a stand for family planning. That step launched her into further efforts: to ensure women everywhere have access to every kind of job; to encourage men around the globe to share equally in the burdens of household work; to advocate for paid family leave for everyone; to eliminate gender bias in all its forms.

Throughout, Gates introduces us to her heroes in the movement towards equality, offers startling data, shares moving conversations she's had with women from all over the world—and shows how we can all get involved.

A personal statement of passionate conviction, this book tells of Gates' journey from a partner working behind the scenes to one of the world's foremost advocates for women, driven by the belief that no one should be excluded, all lives have equal value, and gender equity is the lever that lifts everything.

Share your thoughts on this book. Comment below:

For more Can't Wait Book Lists, No Spoiler Book Reviews and Articles from the Library Life, subscribe below!
​

---