Fear and Trembling...

Say to those who are fearful-hearted, "Be strong, do not fear!"
Isaiah 35:4

Review of Half the Sky, Chapter 3: Learning to Speak Up

By: Shannon Walls

Fear. It is a powerful enemy to our souls that can cause paralysis, loss of hope, and capitulation. Victims of sex slavery are well acquainted with the tactic of fear used by their perpetrators. In the scope of this chapter, the concept of empowerment offers a possible solution to minimize victimization.  A delicate line separates the reality of two opposing harmful practices young girls/women are subjected to in this business. In one sense, complete surrender to the brothel manager’s instructions reaps repeated involuntary sexual acts with paying customers and the physical/emotional/mental damage that accompanies such acts. On the other hand, continual defiance leads to brutal repercussions in the form of beatings, mutilation, and other physical torture. What, if anything, can these victims do to break the chains of bondage?

Usha, a resident of one of India’s slum areas, offers one such solution: standing up to the bully. Instead of cowering, she reacts to the terrorists in such a radical way, which results in a small victory over victimization. The beautiful thing produced by this act of courage comes in the form of hope. Her bravery stirs something in the fearful hearts of her neighbors which leads to unity. They began to come out from the woodwork, so to speak, in order to rally behind Usha. I wonder if their thinking went something like this, “If Usha can stand up to the bully and make a difference, then I will stand with her. After all, there is safety in numbers.”

I am hard-pressed to think of many things that trump unity, especially if forged on the “rock of God.” Just like fear, it possesses much power. However, instead of negative impacts, it can release hope, courage, strength, and change. And, it begins with one. One person courageous enough to believe in the possibility of victory over the darkness. One person brave enough to take that first step of faith towards liberation for those enslaved and pray others follow.  One person like Zach Hunter, Sunitha, or the late Martin Luther King Jr. Sunitha, a petite woman in India, attacks sex trafficking fearlessly. And, because she has, others have joined her. By providing rehabilitation to rescued and former slaves, women are able to learn new skills that will empower and enable them to earn a living with dignity and freedom. So far, “85% of the women have been able to stay out of prostitution, while 15% have returned” (pg. 59). What an amazing number representing women’s lives changed. And, it began with one.

Questions to ponder:

1. In light of Akku Yadav’s repeat offenses towards those living in Usha’s district, do you believe it was justifiable for the women to attack and murder him in the courtroom? (detailed account found on pgs 51-52)

2. Imagine yourself in Usha’s shoes? What might you have done if Akku Yadav and his cohorts threatened you from the other side of your front door? (pgs 50-51)

3. Since this can be considered a war of sorts, do you feel that the casualties of war eliminate the necessity to engage in battle?

Note to My Readers:  It tickles me considerably to be able to introduce to all of you, the author of today's review, my friend, Shannon Walls.  Shannon is a gifted writer who hopes to write professionally someday after she completes her studies for her Bachelor's Degree in English.  Shannon and I met while we were attending church together in the Chicago area, some years ago.  But it was only recently that I discovered what a gifted writer she is.  I decided to invite her to "guest blog" for me and she so generously agreed!  Shannon will be reviewing every third chapter of the book, Half the Sky, so you will get a good introduction to this aspiring author.  Remember her name.  You just might see her on the New York Times Best Seller list sometime in the future! You can follow Shannon on her blog "The Main Thing" at http://shannonwalls.blogspot.com

"Strengthen the weak hands,

And make firm the feeble knees.

Say to; those who are fearful-hearted,

"Be strong, do not fear!"

Behold, your God will come with vengeance,

With the recompense of God;

He will come and save you."  Isaiah 35: 3.4

Book Review: Half the Sky - Intro and Chapter One

"You may choose to look the other way

but you can never say again that you did not know."

                                                       William Wilberforce

The authors don't waste any time attempting to soft-peddle the subject of their book: the brutalization of women around the globe. They take the reader immediately to the story of a young Cambodian teenager, tricked into sexual slavery with the promise of a good job to help her family who were struggling to survive. They present her story in gruesome detail as an example of what is happening to young girls and women who are sold into sexual slavery. The horrors faced by this segment of the population, simply because of their gender, are outlined briefly as a springboard for understanding the reason this book was so important to the authors to write and so important for us to read.

From the first page on, the reader is introduced to the harsh realities of life, and, all too often, the premature death, of these women and girls. I definitely found myself hesitating to want to go past the first page. One example that I found stunning, and that I had never heard before, was that “five thousand women and girls have been doused in kerosene and set alight by family members...for perceived disobedience, just in the past nine years.” p. xiv The authors maintain that there would be an enormous protest if the governments were involved in this type of crimes against women. But, since they are not “directly involved, people shrug.” p. xiv

The authors describe this book as their own awakening to the issues of oppression of women. They didn't start out there, but, once confronted with the evidence before their own eyes, they found they could not turn away. Their book details the harrowing and life threatening conditions of women and girls trapped in a culture that takes away their dignity and reduces them to chattel to be used and abused at the whim of their captors. The positive part of the book is the dawning awareness, in the global community, of the epidemic proportions of the problem and, with that awareness, the development of opportunities to help rescue these women and restore them to dignity and a future. The book is a call to arms for the rest of the world to wake up and care enough to do something about the problem, instead of choosing to pretend it doesn't exist.

Some Questions for Discussion:

What surprised you the most about the stories in the Intro and Chapter One?

What was the most positive thing you took away from reading through Chapter One?

Do you find the material so disturbing that you would prefer not to read it? Did you have an emotional response to what the authors describe?

The authors mention the fight to free African slaves, led by William Wilberforce. What do you think of this comparison – is it valid? Should the Church become more actively involved in this battle, just as Wilberforce did in the eighteenth century? Or is this a “political hot potato” that the Church should stay out of?

The authors state that: “...at any one time there are over 12.3 million people engaged in forced labor of all kinds, not just sexual servitude... And, The Lancet, a prominent medical journal in Britain, calculated that 'one million children are forced into prostitution every year and the total number of prostituted children could be as high as 10 million.” Do you wonder why, as I do, if the problem has reached these proportions, we hear so little about it from the press? I can't remember the last time I heard a news story about this issue...

Note to the Reader: Please feel free to comment on any of the questions above, or, offer your own question or comment on this material.

We will cover Chapter Two next Friday. Hope you can join us.

Book Club Read: Half the Sky

"Women Hold Up Half the Sky" Chinese Proverb

We will delve into this highly acclaimed, New York Times Bestseller, authored by Nicholas D. Kristof and his wife, Sheryl Wudunn, beginning on Friday, 3/9/12.  This is not an easy read, by any means.  It is challenging, shocking and heartbreaking at the same time.  The authors give us an unblinking and deeply compassionate look at the subject of the brutalization and oppression of women throughout the world and the international community's disinterest in doing anything about it, for the most part.  


I believe this is an important topic for all of us to become informed about, particularly as Christians. 


As difficult as it is to face the nightmare that so many women today are living through, we, as mothers, daughters, sisters, and grandmothers, as well as the men who love them, have a responsibility to look into the faces of the women who are being neglected, abused, forgotten and left to die and ask ourselves what can we do about it?  It could be our daughter, our sister, our granddaughter, who becomes the next victim.  We might like to live under the illusion that this is not a problem that is happening in America, but that would be a mistake. The sexual exploitation of women and young girls in America is growing...

We will cover the Introduction and Chapter One next Friday.  I don't want anyone to feel too overwhelmed either with the subject matter or the amount of reading to do in a week!    



I will do a short review and then invite reader's comments from all who want to participate.  All comments are welcome, with the caveat that, of course, we will treat each other with respect, even if and when we may strongly disagree with another's point of view.  Insults or slurs, so common on the Internet today, will not be allowed and will be deleted promptly, should they occur.  This is a blog that is dedicated to the Lord, and as such, please remember to "speak the truth, in LOVE"!


The plan is to cover a new chapter or two each week, on Fridays, unless something comes up that interferes.  Your input, comments, suggestions, ideas are all welcome.  Hope you can join us!