Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, are a Pulitzer Prize winning husband and wife team who, in addition to writing for the New York Times, have written a number of fantastic books. Two of my favorites are Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide and A Path Appears: Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunity. Both are FANTASTIC resources for the global ed classroom. The entire text or just excerpts of relevant chapters can be used with high school students and more advanced middle school readers.
Working with Independent Lens and PBS, Kristof and WuDunn filmed two documentaries that provide an unforgettable look at the extraordinary people they met and places they traveled while researching the books. Both the books and the documentaries slap you in the face with significant and seemingly unsolvable problems of gender inequality, human trafficking, child slavery, violence, and poverty. In the midst of these horrific situations, you will meet exceptional individuals who resiliently maintain hope and care for themselves and each other while taking massive steps to make the world a better place.
Half the Sky Trailer
A Path Appears Trailer
Teacher’s Guides