In Half the Sky, Pulitzer Prize winning husband and wife team take us on a journey around the world to uncover wide-spread and shocking issues related to gender inequality. They tell us that more girls were killed (only because they were girls) in the last 50 years than ALL men that died in ALL wars of the twentieth century. Shocking!  And in any decade there are more girls killed in what they call a "gender-cide" than all genocides of the twentieth century. This book is an eye-opener to so many issues that kill women and girls in our world today. It is a snapshot of all that is evil in our world, peppered with inspiring stories of the strongest members of the weaker sex. A testament to weaknesses of humanity and to the power of the human spirit to overcome adversity.

There is an ancient Haitian proverb, loosely translated "Mountains beyond Mountains", means that once you overcome one challenge (a mountain) there is always another, and another, such is life. This universal truism is clearly represented in the life of Dr. Paul Farmer a Harvard Professor, infectious disease specialist and anthropologist who has made world-changing efforts to provide medical care in the poorest of countries in the direst of circumstances.  This book is a powerful and moving story of Dr. Farmer's time in Haiti, Peru, Cuba and Russia, one man's dedication to making a difference in a broken world that he is in love with.

Since the beginning of our world, wars have been fought and lives have been lost over differences of opinions about which flavor of God you believe in. Still today, someone died because they believed in the wrong God (at least according to the guy holding the gun). No one knows this better than His Holiness the 14th Dali Lama having been in exile from his homeland for many decades. In his new book he engagingly presents the worlds religions through a textured lens of commonality, stressing the fundamental "sameness" in spiritual beliefs. His deeply personal understanding of and respect for the great religions, led him to know that compassion is at the heart of all of them. He says that it is a fundamental conviction that the natural capacity of the human heart is to feel concern for and connection with others, and that this constitutes a basic aspect of our nature that is shared by all human beings and a foundation for our happiness. In this respect, he says, "..there is no iota of difference between believer an unbeliever, nor between people of one race or another". He goes on to say that all theological teachings whether religious or nonreligious aim to nurture this innate and precious quality of compassion, to develop it and perfect it. Read more.

Sold into prostitution as a young child, Somaly Mam overcame unimaginable adversity (to put it very mildly) her story is difficult to read in parts and so undeniably tragic...but she comes out the other side of this as a crusader and has saved countless girls from a life (and death) of sexual slavery. Her story offers some upsetting insights into the nature of humanity, but in the end leaves the reader with a motivation that anything (really..anything) can be overcome.

Founded by sexual slavery survivor, Somaly Mam, the foundation works to eradicate human trafficking, liberate its victims, and empower survivors so they can create and sustain lives of dignity. The foundation supports survivor rescue, shelter and rehabilitation programs globally with a special focus on Southeast Asia, where the trafficking of women and girls, some as young as five, is a widespread practice. The Somaly Mam Foundation also runs awareness and advocacy campaigns in North American and around the world. Join her cause to end slavery and read her book.

In Bill Clinton's book: Giving, How each of us can change the world we take an inspiring look at how individual endeavors can save lives and solve problems. Through the stories of amazing people with unique ideas and through dedicated organizations and networks, President Clinton delivers compelling and neatly organized stories and examples of activism, large and small. Bill Clinton notes that everyone has the ability, regardless of age or income to do something useful for others. This book challenges each of us to look at what we are doing to strengthen our humanity by helping others.

Banker to the Poor tells the revolutionary story of Muhammad Yunus and his quest to help millions of people worldwide to uplift themselves from poverty through the creation of micro-finance (loaning small amounts of money for local business projects). In this motivational autobiography, Yunus outlines his plans for what has grown into a world wide movement toward ending poverty. Giving people money, it seems, isn't the solution to ending poverty. But giving people an opportunity to earn their own money has great potential.  Among his long list of awards he has received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009 both for his work to end global poverty.

An ordinary man's quest to change the world through building schools for girls in the wildest and roughest parts of the most oppressive societies in the world. Greg Mortenson is the author of several books related to global women's issues and the director of non-profit Central Asia Institute. By promoting peace with books (not bombs) Greg's story is about successfully bringing education and hope to remote countries in Asia. This book reads like fiction, an unforgettable adventure.