A review by elizabethlk
Girl Rising: Changing the World One Girl at a Time by Tanya Lee Stone
3.0
Overall, Girl Rising serves as a solid introduction to education issues for girls in developing countries. This is an important matter that desperately needs more discussion, and more work done.
I appreciated that the contextual information was shared, stories about real girls fighting for their education was shared, and in the end they provided more information about what people reading the book could do to help contribute to solutions for the issues in a meaningful way. The writing isn't always consistent, and a couple of the sections were divided strangely at times, but the writing quality is mostly positive.
The tone was occasionally on the uncomfortable side, and made it hard for me to appreciate at times. Many of the stories are phrased in such a way that it feels as though we are supposed to be in awe of anyone who is capable of any sort of happiness after going through tragedy. The same sort of dialog often happens around people who have experienced circumstances outside the "standard" in developed countries, and it's always uncomfortable to read. While the personality of the girls is a vital part of the story, I just wish it weren't so "how could anyone ever be happy again, isn't this amazing." I also wish some of the stories had gone more in depth.
This is a decent starting place for anyone looking to learn about barriers to education for girls around the world. It doesn't cover everything (how could it?) but it serves as a good basis. Don't read it uncritically, but still give it a read. I haven't seen the documentary that inspired it, but I have put it on hold with my local library.
I appreciated that the contextual information was shared, stories about real girls fighting for their education was shared, and in the end they provided more information about what people reading the book could do to help contribute to solutions for the issues in a meaningful way. The writing isn't always consistent, and a couple of the sections were divided strangely at times, but the writing quality is mostly positive.
The tone was occasionally on the uncomfortable side, and made it hard for me to appreciate at times. Many of the stories are phrased in such a way that it feels as though we are supposed to be in awe of anyone who is capable of any sort of happiness after going through tragedy. The same sort of dialog often happens around people who have experienced circumstances outside the "standard" in developed countries, and it's always uncomfortable to read. While the personality of the girls is a vital part of the story, I just wish it weren't so "how could anyone ever be happy again, isn't this amazing." I also wish some of the stories had gone more in depth.
This is a decent starting place for anyone looking to learn about barriers to education for girls around the world. It doesn't cover everything (how could it?) but it serves as a good basis. Don't read it uncritically, but still give it a read. I haven't seen the documentary that inspired it, but I have put it on hold with my local library.