A Thousand Sisters: My Journey into the Worst Place on Earth to Be a Woman

Product Details

Lisa J. Shannon had a good life—a successful business, a fiancé, a home, and security. Then, one day in 2005, an episode of Oprah changed all that. The show focused on women in Congo, the worst place on earth to be a woman. She was awakened to the atrocities there—millions dead, women raped and tortured daily, and children dying in shocking numbers. Shannon felt called to do something. And she did. A Thousand Sisters is her inspiring memoir. She raised money to sponsor Congolese women, beginning with one solo 30-mile run, and then founded a national organization, Run for Congo Women. The book chronicles her journey to the Congo to meet the women her run sponsored, and shares their incredible stories. What begins as grassroots activism forces Shannon to confront herself and her life, and learn lessons of survival, fear, gratitude, and immense love from the women of Africa.

• ISBN13: 9781580052962
• Condition: New
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Customer Reviews ::

A difficult but touching (and inspirational) read - Alexis Coxon - Holt, MI, USA
In "A Thousand Sisters," Lisa Shannon chronicles her growing interest in the plight of women in war-torn Congo, followed by her efforts to raise money to help her sponsored "sisters" ... and then (for most of the book), her journey to the Congo itself, to meet these same sisters. Many have lost their husbands, their children, their neighbors, and suffered horrible physical torments themselves.

I won't mince words -- some (OK, all) of the women's stories are horrific. Frankly, some are so awful they're almost unbelievable, except that I've read about the atrocities in the Congo before, and I know that these stories are undoubtedly true. But if you are very sensitive or have trouble erasing upsetting images from your head, then you might want to approach this book with a great deal of caution.

Overall, though, this book was surprisingly inspirational. Lisa's journey to a very, very dangerous country, and most of all the Congolese women themselves, were incredible. As soon as I finished it, I looked up information on Women for Women International and how to sponsor a sister of my own.

I found Lisa's writing straightforward and readable, without being at all dumbed-down. Since she is a photographer, I would have liked to have seen some of the pictures she took on the trip, though perhaps those will be in the final copy (I have an advance review copy).