I had the opportunity to listen to the presentation by Nicholas Kristof at the Rice University in Houston, Texas. Being born and raised in India, returning to India after 38 years in the US and spending about 40 % of time in India for the last 4 years, building a real estate project, I was not aware of the extent of abuse of women, still in existence today. Although we operate a real estate construction company with 70 staff, 40% of them are women with equl opportunity and pay, we do not have a program to protect the women from abuse.

This is not just a womens' issue, it is a human issue. I strongly feel that by making the people become aware of this could build a broad based support to eradicate this abuse. There is a lot of work to do and I have not yet formulated a strategy to make the difference, but I will, in the course of time.

Drops of water quickly makes a bucket full of water. It is going to take a large number of buckets of water to put out the fire that has been simmering for generations. Revolution can not make the differnce, even though many of us would like to find a quick solution. Only the evolution is going to make a lasting difference.

Raj Natarajan

I have decided that I am going to not only make women aware of Half the Sky but also all the men around me. So today starts my new effort to reach out to all you guys out there. And I thank my husband Raj for posting his comment. He did it without any encouragement from me!! So I am excited about all the possibilities for promoting Half the Sky.

I, too, had the pleasure of joining my wife, Judith, and three other couples at the presentation that Nicholas Kristof gave at Rice University. While I was familiar with some of the content of his talk, I was distressed to learn of the full scope of the challenges facing women around the world. I am proud of the fact that my wife had already taken action on the first suggestion on page 251 of the book by making a donation on kiva.org to fund some projects. Every journey starts with small steps.

I am reminded of the Margaret Mead quote "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

Hopefully, by spreading the word of the global plight of women described in Kristof and WuDunn's book, their presentations, and mobilizing the collective energy of those who read the book and attend their presentations, we can make a difference in the lives of women and their families all over the world.

Mike Peterson

Kristof' and WuDunn sound a deafening alarm with powerful stories of women's abuses, which starts for many even prior to their birth and continues throughout their lives. The stories succeed in building awareness of the horrors and the remarkable courage of the survivors. Additionally, the stories identify imaginative and spirited helpers who have answered the call to change the shocking situation.

Even though a focus was on individuals, the authors should have included an overall map highlighting where the 4 key abuses are occurring throughout the world along with another layer showing where the most productive aid providers are working, as this would have helped me to make my decision on how to help.

Although the work seems insurmountable, Half the Sky offers hope and enlightenment and needs to be read.

I am one of the women who read Half the Sky because of Rufi Natarajan, and I could not keep the book to myself. And then after hearing Mr. Kristof recently in Houston, I became even more committed to making a difference. One of my other book clubs will read the book in January; a friend has committed to having her book club read the book. Additionally, I have contacted TV stations and print media for the purpose of increasing knowledge about the oppression of women and the opportunities that are really quite accessible for those of us who are determined to make a difference. In December, I will speak to a group of teens about the importance of giving from our abundance to make a difference in the world. If we women and the men in our lives will join together in a grass roots effort, we can make a difference. We have no magic wand, but if even if we change only a few lives that will make a difference. I think of the old illustration of the boy throwing starfish found on the beach into the ocean. When asked if he were really making a difference by his efforts, the boy threw one more starfish into the ocean and told the person who questioned his efforts that at least for that starfish and all the others he threw back, he was making a differ