Book Review: A Call to Action

Last month, I finished reading A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power by former President Jimmy Carter. It was definitely an interesting book, and it was good to read some of his views.

The opening of the introduction delineates the purpose of the book. The first sentence reads,

“All the elements in this book concerning prejudice, discrimination, war, violence, distorted interpretation of religious texts, physical and mental abuse, poverty, and disease fall disproportionately on women and girls” (p. 1).

A few lines later, he writes, 

“I saw the ravages of racial prejudice as I grew up in the Deep South, when for a century the U.S. Supreme Court and all other political and social authorities accepted the premise that black people were, in some basic ways, inferior to white people… carefully selected Holy Scriptures were quoted to justify this discrimination in the name of God. There is a similar system of discrimination, extending far beyond a small geographical region to the entire globe; it touches every nation, perpetuating and expanding the trafficking in human slaves, body mutilation, and even legitimized murder on a massive scale. This system is based on the presumption that men and boys are superior to women and girls, and it is supported by some male religious leaders who distort the Holy Bible, the Koran, and other sacred texts to perpetuate their claim that females are, in some basic ways, inferior to them, unqualified to serve God on equal terms. Many men disagree but remain quiet in order to enjoy the benefits of their dominant status. This false premise provides a justification for sexual discrimination in almost every realm of secular and religious life. Some men even cite this premise to justify the physical punishment of women and girls” (p. 1-2).

Now, that is a powerful way to start a book that focuses on discrimination and abuse against women. What I really appreciate about the way he started this subject is that he immediately pinpointed the cause of the problem: us, men.

I just finished another book on the challenges facing men in our culture, which identifies our current economic and educational systems as the main causes of the apparent gap between men and women, where women are far ahead of us. However, I like how Jimmy Carter, in a simpler way, identifies men as the main cause, and I completely agree with his assessment. We must remember that for centuries, men have dominated every aspect of our society, and every problem that we are facing now is our own fault. I have much to say about this, but let me get back to the book review.

The book is divided into 18 short chapters, starting with his experiences growing up in Georgia and then discussing his observations on different subjects such as the Bible and gender equality, legal killing, sexual assault and rape, violence and war (He sees the normalization of violence and war as one of the reasons for women’s abuse), genocide of girls, slavery and prostitution, spouse abuse, among others, as he develops the theme throughout the chapters. He finishes the book with “the road to progress,” where he lays out what needs to be done to improve women’s conditions. I really appreciated the 23 actions that the Carter Center is monitoring and supporting, particularly action number 15, which states:

“Help scholars working to clarify religious beliefs on protecting women’s rights and nonviolence, and give activists and practitioners access to such training resources” (p. 197).

Here are some highlights from the book:

“Some devout Christians have been at the forefront of advocating warfare even when the choice was hotly debated among the general public. ‘An eye for an eye’ has become more important to them than the teaching of Jesus as the Prince of Peace” (p. 17).

“’Moral crimes,’ such as sex outside of marriage, are additional reasons for incarcerating women that do not affect men, and they face stringent evidentiary rules that even result in the punishment of rape victims” (p. 36).

“A woman can be targeted by individuals within her family for a variety of reasons, including: refusing to enter into an arranged marriage, being the victim of a sexual assault, seeking a divorce—even from an abusive husband—or for allegedly committing adultery. The mere perception that a woman has behaved in a way that ‘dishonors’ her family is sufficient to trigger an attack on her life” (p. 151-152).

“Another serious and pervasive example of gender abuse is the marriage of young girls, often without their consent and contrary to their best interests. An estimated 14 million girls are married every year before they reach the age of eighteen, and 1 in 9 of these are younger than fifteen” (p. 158).

“Many fervent pro-life activists do not extend their concern to the baby after it is born, ignoring the fact that two-thirds of women who interrupt their pregnancies assert that their primary reason is an inability to pay the costs of raising the child” (p. 183).

“What prevents us from… taking action to secure basic human rights for women? Some of us are paralyzed by the extent and complexity of the problem. Some of us have become desensitized to societal violence and no longer recognize it when it occurs. Some have misinterpreted Holy Scripture and believe God has ordained a lower status for women. Some men are afraid of losing their advantages in a paternalistic society” (p. 195-196).

As I said at the beginning, the book was a very interesting read, and it gives the reader a good idea of Jimmy Carter’s personal views and philosophies. There were a few areas of the book that I didn’t like, but they didn’t detract from enjoying it.

One of these areas was on page 61 when he says,

“Although I teach Bible lessons regularly, there are some parts of the New Testament and Hebrew texts that I avoid, especially those that can be interpreted as promoting unnecessary violence or violating the basic standards of justice.”

To me, this is contrary to his call to action number 15: “Help scholars working to clarify religious beliefs on protecting women’s rights and nonviolence, and give activists and practitioners access to such training resources.” In my opinion, a Christian Bible teacher cannot avoid certain passages; the teacher needs to wrestle with those and find the answers (or possible explanations). I would think that an important figure like Jimmy Carter would solicit the expertise of scholars studying those particular passages so he can get an explanation of them, and then President Carter can teach them to his students. Religion is one of the main sources of women’s rights violations, so we men need to wrestle with that and find answers, not avoid them if we really want to eradicate discrimination and violence against women.

With all that said, would I recommend this book? Absolutely! It is valuable to read about what a former U.S. president has to say regarding important issues, regardless of people’s political perspectives.

About the Author:

James Earl Carter Jr. is an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the 76th governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975, and a Georgia state senator from 1963 to 1967. Carter is the longest-lived president in U.S. history and the first to live to 100 years of age.1

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Carter ↩︎

52 thoughts on “Book Review: A Call to Action”

  1. This is a really good review..I’m gonna get this book today as I love reading biographies and or books written by senior global statesmen. Always nice to hear their thoughts on issues that affect everyone.

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    1. He is amazing and continues to walk the walk, not just talk. He sets an example for many and has incredible concerns about the country. He even cast his vote this week. As for me, thank you for your kindness, Michele. I’m just a simple guy trying to find ways to continue serving my country and supporting the causes dear to my heart. 🙏🏼

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  6. Carter is a remarkable man and I so appreciate your endorsement of his book, Edward. Leaders who lean into complex political, social and human rights issues are heroes. Especially today and some of us are old enough to remember Carter leading with grace. ❤️ It can be done!

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    1. Thank you, Vicki. It can definitely be done. We just need to keep pushing back on those who want to roll back time and continue the abuse. It’s ridiculous that there are people endorsing toxic politicians, sadly, some are women, which is painful to watch.

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      2. While no one is more appreciative than I that you as a man take up cudgels for our defense, let me observe in return that men do not shoulder the blame alone. Brutal as it is I’d almost rather face a male enemy than a female ~ in body or spirit. The male might be violent. The female will be insidious, sneaky, false, thorough, and tireless. My present stalker is a female in a male body, and he has my daughter and a jealous ex roommate to help him. Macbeth’s trio, right there.

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        1. Wow, Ana, that’s a lot. There are definitely some women who are complicit in and endorsing this kind of behavior, Ghislaine Maxwell comes to mind, as she assisted Jeffrey Epstein, but I’m focusing on the guys because they are the ones committing most of the abuse.

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          1. You’re right, it is a lot, and I apologize for having exceeded the bounds of commentary propriety 😊

            One of the problems of extended isolation is that one grows apart and other, eventually losing even the desire for reintegration, through repeated misperformances of this very nature.

            We do agree that in the past few millenia men have indeed committed most abuses ~ they’ve been the only ones in a position to do so! Haha! I don’t remember reading that the senators’ wives felt any repugnance about enthusiastic attendance at the arenas.

            And I know that I speak for millions of unrepresented and repressed women worldwide for whom it still necessary that men such as yourself must speak! I mean, in Bangladesh we’re sent to menstruate in back sheds so small we can’t even stand up in them, and I understand food and water is in question there as well. The abuses are worldwide and horrific ~ all of that we agree upon.

            I have only felt sympathy, also, for well meaning modern males who are castigated for so much as holding a door open for a lady, much less appreciated for their dedication at the end of a day ~ I thought I’d just put a balancing word in on your own behalf. It wasn’t an accusation of you, but a misplaced, thoughtlessly written and unsuccessful defense, instead!

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            1. Ana, you are good, and you are absolutely right about your comment. By the way, I don’t have any limits, so your long comments are always welcome, my friend. My blog is open to all comments, and I only block those trying to sell something or using hate speech. I encounter both on a daily basis. I thank you for bringing up the other side of the issue, which is extremely important.

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  7. Edward, thank you for introducing me to this book! I’m old enough to remember him as President of the USA and knew about some of his humanitarian work. However, this review of his book opens a much bigger view but especially on a subject that we men MUST face up to. This is not necessarily a book for women to read, they already know what goes on, it is a book that every man should read. 🙋‍♂️

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    1. You’re very welcome. It was refreshing to read Carter’s views and his openness to these issues. It’s definitely a big contrast to what we hear from current male political leaders. I agree with you that this book is more for men and really should be a call to action for us to push back on some of the toxic rhetoric we’ve been hearing lately. Thank you for reading.

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  8. Segregation and abuse are definitely not part of an elevated society or of God’s ways. This point in particular caught my attention and is by itself a call for awareness and change: “Carefully selected Holy Scriptures were quoted to justify this discrimination in the name of God.” Informing people is half way toward change! Thank you for letting us know! Sending you lots of light and blessings, my friend*

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  9. I love how you’re getting so much deeper into this cause Edward. And I’m sure a lot of past / family history as well plays a role just as being passionate about a really important topic to bring awareness about is so much needed 🙏 thanks for the review. It definitely sounds interesting and like a good read. 😊

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    1. Thank you, Laura. It’s definitely a subject that preoccupies my mind because, apart from my family history, we have a few close friends who are dealing with this right now or recovering from it, and it’s just painful to witness all of this unfolding. Of course, we are helping in any way we can, but still.

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      1. Wow! I will be following you closely, Edward. Very cool. There was a few PBS specials on presidents, one of which was Lyndon Johnson. I was surprised by his amount of concern for equality and how fighting for it literally broke him.

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        1. I read George W. Bush’s Decision Points and Obama’s A Promised Land, and they were good. I might write reviews at some point. I’m planning to read Page Smith’s biography of John Adams next year. That’s going to be interesting. I saw a similar documentary about LBJ, probably the same one, and I was also surprised by what he did.

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  11. Well, Edward. You sure don’t shy from heavy hitting topics. That’s a plus. As more people work to improve the lives of girls and women, we can make real progress. Whenever we educate a girl, we educate a whole family and help them rise from poverty. I admire President Carter’s service to humanity. Wish we had more former presidents like him.

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    1. Thank you, Rebecca. There are some topics we can’t ignore, and this is one of them. We can win if we do it together. He has done a lot for humanity. I think timing affected his presidency, and he would have been an excellent president in the 2000s or even today.

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    1. You’re absolutely right if you look at it from that point of view. But for Christians who study the different doctrines, they must try to understand all parts in the right context, especially if they are using it to advance a particular viewpoint.

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