A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power

Marc Notes: Includes index.; The world's discrimination and violence against women and girls is the most serious, pervasive, and ignored violation of basic human rights: This is President Jimmy Carter's call to action. President Carter was encouraged to write this book by a wide coalition of leaders of all faiths. His urgent report covers a system of discrimination that extends to every nation. Women are deprived of equal opportunity in wealthier nations and owned by men in others, forced to suffer servitude, child marriage, and genital cutting. The most vulnerable, along with their children, are trapped in war and violence. A Call to Action addresses the suffering inflicted upon women by a false interpretation of carefully selected religious texts and a growing tolerance of violence and warfare. Key verses are often omitted or quoted out of context by male religious leaders to exalt the status of men and exclude women. And in nations that accept or even glorify violence, this perceived inequality becomes the basis for abuse. President Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, have visited 145 countries, and The Carter Center has had active projects in more than half of them. Around the world, they have seen inequality rising rapidly with each passing decade. This is true in both rich and poor countries, and among the citizens within them. Carter draws upon his own experiences and the testimony of courageous women from all regions and all major religions to demonstrate that women around the world, more than half of all human beings, are being denied equal rights. This is an informed and passionate charge about a devastating effect on economic prosperity and unconscionable human suffering. It affects us all--; Provided by publisher. Table of Contents: Introduction -- 1. My Childhood -- 2. Commitment to Peace and Women's Rights -- 3. The Bible and Gender Equality -- 4. Full Prisons and Legal Killing -- 5. Sexual Assault and Rape -- 6. Violence and War -- 7. Observations as a Traveler -- 8. Women and the Carter Center -- 9. Learning from Human Rights Heroes -- 10. The Genocide of Girls -- 11. Rape -- 12. Slavery and Prostitution -- 13. Spouse Abuse -- 14. Honor Killings -- 15. Genital Cutting -- 16. Child Marriage and Dowry Deaths -- 17. Politics, Pay, and Maternal Health -- 18. The Road to Progress -- Acknowledgments -- Index. Publisher Marketing: In the highly acclaimed bestselling "A Call to Action," President Jimmy Carter addresses the world's most serious, pervasive, and ignored violation of basic human rights: the ongoing discrimination and violence against women and girls. President Carter was encouraged to write this book by a wide coalition of leaders of all faiths. His urgent report covers a system of discrimination that extends to every nation. Women are deprived of equal opportunity in wealthier nations and "owned" by men in others, forced to suffer servitude, child marriage, and genital cutting. The most vulnerable and their children are trapped in war and violence. "A Call to Action" addresses the suffering inflicted upon women by a false interpretation of carefully selected religious texts and a growing tolerance of violence and warfare. Key verses are often omitted or quoted out of context by male religious leaders to exalt the status of men and exclude women. And in nations that accept or even glorify violence, this perceived inequality becomes the basis for abuse. Carter draws upon his own experiences and the testimony of courageous women from all regions and all major religions to demonstrate that women around the world, more than half of all human beings, are being denied equal rights. This is an informed and passionate charge about a devastating effect on economic prosperity and unconscionable human suffering. It affects us all. Review Citations: Kirkus Reviews 03/15/2014 (EAN 9781476773957, Hardcover) Entertainment Weekly 04/18/2014 pg. 117 (EAN 9781476773957, Hardcover) Library Journal 06/15/2014 pg. 109 (EAN 9781476773957, Hardcover) New York Times Book Review 06/08/2014 pg. 22 (EAN 9781476773957, Hardcover) Publishers Weekly 05/26/2014 (EAN 9781442372641, Compact Disc) Library Journal 08/01/2014 pg. 49 (EAN 9781442372641, Compact Disc) - *Starred Review Audio File 08/01/2014 pg. 56 (EAN 9781442372641, Compact Disc) Contributor Bio:  Carter, Jimmy Jimmy Carter was the thirty-ninth President of the United States, serving from 1977 to 1981. In 1982, he and his wife founded The Carter Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of people around the world. Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. He is the author of over two-dozen books, including "An Hour Before Daylight"; "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid" and "Our Endangered Values". He lives in Plains, Georgia.