Reaching for The Sky – Empowering Girls Through Education (Hardcover)  | Released: 01-Jan-2017

In a world rife with gender inequalities, Urvashi Sahni offers a riveting, evocative example from India of how the most vulnerable young women in that society develop their voices, their sense of agency and self, and their abilities to influence their futures. This happens through the support of a remarkable school, steeped in feminist principles and grounded in reflection and action. Sahni's book is a tour de force that shows us how injustice can indeed be challenged and life worlds can be transformed. It presents the best writing about education in a generation.--Glynda A. Hull, Professor, Elizabeth H. and Eugene A. Shurtleff Chair in Undergraduate Education, University of California, Berkeley Urvashi Sahni captures the spirit of the girls who face challenges in India today and efforts to surmount them in a real meaningful way. Empowerment of girls and women has been Urvashi's enduring goal for many decades, and the success stories that have emerged would encourage everyone who shares this spirit, not only on the topic of "development," but all those who want a gender-just society.--Vrinda Sarup, Secretary School Education and Literacy, Government of India, and retired Senior Officer in the Indian Administrative Service This volume provides a timely reminder that while statistics matter, ultimately education speaks to the spirit and the soul. Here is an encounter with real people: with girls from the lowest caste and the poorest families, with teachers who care deeply about every student, and with Urvashi herself, who has worked hard to overcome gender prisons, including the one in her own mind. This book will captivate everyone who wants to see a better future for the hundreds of millions of girls who are at risk of being denied equality, opportunity, and a pathway out of poverty.--Julia Gillard, former Prime Minister of Australia; Distinguished Fellow, Center for Universal Education at Brookings; and Chair, Global Partnership for Education Reaching for the Sky