“Half the Sky,” a new book by New York Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof and his wife Sheryl WuDunn draws its name from a Chinese proverb, “women hold up half the sky.” This sympathetic and powerful compilation tells the stories of women around the globe, from Congo to Pakistan to Cambodia, who have been ravaged and degraded by their societies. The couple gives voice to the terrible pain and horror that these women have suffered and illuminates how they have overcome it.

Along with the personal stories, Kristof and WuDunn provide heartbreaking statistics illustrating worldwide female abuse.

“Thirty-nine thousand baby girls die annually in China every year because parents don’t give them the same medical treatment that boys receive – and that is just in the first year of life,” the couple writes.

“Half the Sky” takes an academic approach, citing studies and quoting experts on all the topics raised. The horrifying list of crimes can make the book difficult to read and process at times. Take for example bride burning, which takes place in India roughly once every two hours. “Half the Sky” questions why the world accepts such attitudes towards women. Kristof and WuDunn relate women’s personal stories with grace and feeling, giving a face to the statistics.

Woineshet Zebene, a young girl from Ethiopia, shared her heartbreaking yet inspiring story. When young men cannot afford the bride price of their desired wife, they often kidnap and rape the woman, so they are “ruined and will have difficulty marrying anyone else.” Kristof and WuDunn tell us, “the risks to the boy are minimal, since the girl’s parents never prosecute the rapist…” When Woineshet’s family refused to marry her off to her rapist, she was kidnapped again, raped and beaten. Her village defended her abuser when she tried to take her rapist to trial. “He wants to marry you,” the judge told Woineshet. “Why are you refusing?”

Woineshet left her rural village for Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, where she is planning to become a lawyer to protect women. When her story spread to the United States, American women wrote letters to the Ethiopian government demanding a change in their legal system. These same women provide financial support for Woineshet to pursue her dream of becoming a lawyer. The mobilization of American women worked; today in Ethiopia, a man can be charged with rape even if the victim later agrees to marry him. Kristof and WuDunn do have a hopeful message, and show how action can help mitigate sexist attitudes.

“Half the Sky” is a shocking portrayal of widespread, violent crimes that have gone unchecked. I was alarmed, and then spurred to try to help in some way. The compilation of horrifying, yet deeply moving stories is a compelling read that lingers in readers’ hearts and minds.