Nearly one-fourth of the world’s children are stunted physically and mentally due to a lack of food or nutrients. The majority do not die but endure a lifetime of diminished potential. Within Our Grasp: Childhood Malnutrition Worldwide and the Revolution Taking Place to End It (Pantheon Books, 2021) details the recent scientific and social advances made in solving childhood malnutrition—all in the 21rst century—and argues that this is an environmental as well as a humanitarian concern.Healthy children require a healthy Earth. A healthy Earth requires healthy children. With a focus on successful programs in Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world, Sharman infuses her subject with hope. Within Our Grasp celebrates the stories of those who work in the field of malnutrition and uses the power of lyrical writing to engage her readers.
“Russell’s passion for citizen science and her jargon-free presentation of information relating to malnutrition will open worlds for most readers, from high school students to sociologists.”
—Library Journal
“A comprehensive survey of recent trends in the fight to end childhood hunger and malnourishment . . . Expansively reported and gracefully written, this cautiously optimistic account brings an important yet underreported issue to the fore.”
—Publishers Weekly
“A heartening survey of what good people are doing to help end childhood hunger . . . Mixing history, nutrition science, interviews with experts, and accounts of her visits to aid organizations and projects (with a focus on Malawi), the author delivers an engrossing, modestly optimistic narrative about a sadly evergreen issue.”
—Kirkus
