Monday, November 08, 2010

How the Other Half Live... Women, that is,

This month we have two displays dedicated to women. One is called “Women Who Rock,” while the second shows “How the Other Half Lives.” Books displayed on the “other half” cover women and women’s issues in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries. The timeliness of our display was evidenced when we open this morning’s New York Times and learned from the front page that Afghan wives are turning more and more often to suicide to escape their “abuse and despondency.”

Alissa J. Rubin reports that burning is a commonly sought way to escape the horrors of these women’s lives. They have little chance to get help for their depression when even admitting to mental difficulties is considered shameful. Sadly, their mental traumas are often inflicted on them by spouses or other members of their families. If you’d like more information on the lives of Afghan women, check out one of the books in our display or read today’s New York Times.

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