What is the author's tone in the nonfiction book, Half the Sky?

Kristof and DuWunn are two award-winning journalists who have dedicated many years to learn first-hand about the pain and misery that the majority of women in some developing nations must endure. They have made numerous trips to the regions of the world where women, in many cases, are treated no better than animals. The journalists have tried in gentle, non-confrontational ways to inform these women that there are other ways to live.

The journalists show great respect for these women and for the cultures they are part of. In their writing the authors portray the understanding that they gained from their travels. And while they want nothing more than to eradicate the suffering that women in these regions are made to endure, they understand that the process of transition will take education, the availability of health centers and, most of all, time. Much of the pain and anguish that these women suffer are tangled in the mores of the villages and in the very fabric of tradition.

Kristof and DuWunn do their part by helping women they meet in small personal ways like donating blood and helping pay for tuition or hospital stays of destitute women. Kristof and DuWunn also have helped by spreading the word through their books and featured articles in the New York Times and other high profile venues. Through their experiences Kristof and DuWunn have been able to determine the resources and kind of aid that will be most beneficial to these women. They share this information with the reader in hopes of recruiting more help.