At our June meeting, we will discuss The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World by Melinda Gates. Physical copies are available to pick up at the Reference Desk and on Hoopla with a Merrimack Library card as an audiobook read by the author.
A debut from Melinda Gates, a timely and necessary call to action for women's empowerment. "How can we summon a moment of lift for human beings – and especially for women? Because when you lift up women, you lift up humanity."
For the last twenty years, Melinda Gates has been on a mission to find solutions for people with the most urgent needs, wherever they live. Throughout this journey, one thing has become increasingly clear to her: If you want to lift a society up, you need to stop keeping women down.
In this moving and compelling book, Melinda shares lessons she's learned from the inspiring people she's met during her work and travels around the world. As she writes in the introduction, "That is why I had to write this book-to share the stories of people who have given focus and urgency to my life. I want all of us to see ways we can lift women up where we live."
Melinda's unforgettable narrative is backed by startling data as she presents the issues that most need our attention-from child marriage to lack of access to contraceptives to gender inequity in the workplace. And, for the first time, she writes about her personal life and the road to equality in her own marriage. Throughout, she shows how there has never been more opportunity to change the world-and ourselves.
Writing with emotion, candor, and grace, she introduces us to remarkable women and shows the power of connecting with one another. When we lift others up, they lift us up, too.
Consider a few of these discussion questions to help shape our discussion.
Our June meeting will be conducted over Zoom; if the weather is nice we will meet outside under the canopy in the parking lot and provide a hybrid in-person/online experience. Please e-mail Library Director Yvette Couser at ycouser@merrimacklibrary.org (link sends e-mail) for the meeting ID number and password.