Book Review
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 her moving and compelling book, The Moment of Lift, Melinda shares lessons she’s learned from the inspiring people she’s met during her work and travels around the world.
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.
Through Melinda’s travel across the world over the past two decades, doing the work of the foundation she founded with husband Bill, she has often wondered, “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.”
Author quotes
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.
This is not about bringing women in and leaving others out. It’s about bringing women in as a way to bring everyone in.
Equality can empower women, and empowered women will change the world. But I have to confess that, for me, equality is a milestone; it is not the summit.
About the Author
Melinda Gates is a philanthropist, businesswoman, and global advocate for women and girls. As the co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Melinda sets the direction and priorities of the world's largest philanthropy. She is also the founder of Pivotal Ventures, an investment and incubation company working to drive social progress for women and families in the United States. Melinda grew up in Dallas, Texas. She received a bachelor's degree in computer science from Duke University and an MBA from Duke's Fuqua School. Melinda spent the first decade of her career developing multimedia products at Microsoft before leaving the company to focus on her family and philanthropic work. She lives in Seattle, Washington with her husband, Bill. They have three children, Jenn, Rory, and Phoebe.
Why LoA loves it….
When you support and invest in a woman, you invest in society, in a country’s socioeconomic future, in education, and in the very fabric of what makes communities work. Women are the key, but they need to be empowered to fully realize their potential, and importantly, their impact. In Melinda Gates’ book, she takes us on a very personal journey to understanding this fact. She shares lessons learned and insights gleaned from the extraordinary women she has met over the years around the world. Melinda says she wrote this book to share the stories of those who have given focus and urgency to her life. In doing so, she advocates for everyone to come to the table, to play their parts, and to ensure every woman is lifted up. This is a call to action for us all to be the lift that the world needs. — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo, Lionesses of Africa