Book Review: Girl Rising

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About a year ago I came across a book on my library shelf that I knew I wanted to read.  I have had it on my TBR ("to be read") stack for quite some time before this summer, when I finally turned my full attention to it.

Girl Rising: Changing the World One Girl at a Time by Tanya Lee Stone was a powerful read and an especially poignant reminder at back to school time that education is not a universal right.  62 million girls around the world are not in school.  While their individual circumstances vary, the contributing factor in all of their stories is poverty.

This book builds on the documentary Girl Rising that told the stories of individual girls around the world - girls who had not been in school, but through different opportunities were now pursuing an education.  I loved getting to know specific girls and their stories - it personalizes a very BIG problem and puts a face to a complicated issue.  It dives into the issues of gender discrimination, modern day slavery, and child marriage.

I will be recommending this book to EVERY girl that comes through my high school library this year.  I feel that it is so important to understand the opportunities we have that others may not.  I also believe that my students will see themselves in the faces of these girls, which I hope will ignite a fire to get involved and fight for education for girls.  

The book does a great job of offering resources such as Girl Up, a global leadership development initiative that works with teenage girls in becoming leaders in the movement for gender equality.  

So for now, on my own little girl's very first day of school (Pre-K), I leave you with these facts about education from the book.