Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil | 
 enlarge | Authors: Deborah Rodriguez, Kristin Ohlson
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  102 reviews
Sales Rank: 4275
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.8
ISBN: 0812976738
Dewey Decimal Number: 305.4869709581090511
EAN: 9780812976731
ASIN: 0812976738
Publication Date: December 18, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Soon after the fall of the Taliban, in 2001, Deborah Rodriguez went to Afghanistan as part of a group offering humanitarian aid to this war-torn nation. Surrounded by men and women whose skills–as doctors, nurses, and therapists–seemed eminently more practical than her own, Rodriguez, a hairdresser and mother of two from Michigan, despaired of being of any real use. Yet she soon found she had a gift for befriending Afghans, and once her profession became known she was eagerly sought out by Westerners desperate for a good haircut and by Afghan women, who have a long and proud tradition of running their own beauty salons. Thus an idea was born.
With the help of corporate and international sponsors, the Kabul Beauty School welcomed its first class in 2003. Well meaning but sometimes brazen, Rodriguez stumbled through language barriers, overstepped cultural customs, and constantly juggled the challenges of a postwar nation even as she learned how to empower her students to become their families’ breadwinners by learning the fundamentals of coloring techniques, haircutting, and makeup.
Yet within the small haven of the beauty school, the line between teacher and student quickly blurred as these vibrant women shared with Rodriguez their stories and their hearts: the newlywed who faked her virginity on her wedding night, the twelve-year-old bride sold into marriage to pay her family’s debts, the Taliban member’s wife who pursued her training despite her husband’s constant beatings. Through these and other stories, Rodriguez found the strength to leave her own unhealthy marriage and allow herself to love again, Afghan style.
With warmth and humor, Rodriguez details the lushness of a seemingly desolate region and reveals the magnificence behind the burqa. Kabul Beauty School is a remarkable tale of an extraordinary community of women who come together and learn the arts of perms, friendship, and freedom.
From the Hardcover edition.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 97 more reviews...
Interesting September 29, 2008
The bood was interesting with some humor added. However, Deb exposed the woman to danger while in and after leaving Afghanistan. Telling some of these stories, whether true or not has put the women in a place to be further persecuted. I feel she has used her 'western-ness' to the extreme in some cases that could have caused casualties. One can not go into another persons country (especially one you are clueless about) and start standing your ground on things most women would be beaten for. What saved her was the fact that she towered over everyone there. Having said that, I have a few questions. Why in the world would she refer to Afganistan as 'home'? As well as leave her kids to do hair in support of disaster relief? What is she really running from in the states? I feel she had low self esteem under that huge bleeding heart of hers. After everything witnessed, she goes and marries an Afghan? Lucky for her, he was nice. But did she ever question or suspect abuse of his other (Afghan) wives? She did not know this man, she did not know his family. Wow, unbelievable. I can go on and on, but I have one final question? Where are all of these women today? How many did she really help? Or will this become a meer memory of what it could be like for women over there.
A Fascinating Book September 14, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
In 2002, Deborah Rodriguez ventured off to Afghanistan with Care for All Foundation, an emergency and disaster relief organization. She knew nothing really about emergency and disaster relief--she is a hairdresser by trade. But she had a generous and brave spirit. When all the doctors and nurses had gone, she stayed behind to to build a beauty school and salon (something the Taliban had outlawed). She encountered the Taliban, women in arranged marriages, bombings, cultural divides--and all with great humor and grace. This was not only enlightening, but fun to read.
 Excellent! September 2, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I highly recommend this book. Some may say that Rodrigues gave herself too much credit for what others have done. But I have to admit, that I for one would never go to Kabul. So regardless of how much she did, or did not achieve, she was there, and we weren't. To be a woman in a repressive society is beyond difficult, it's torturous. I applaud her courage, and her determination to initiate change in a world where women's voices are meaningless. I wish the best for the women of Kabul, and for the few good men there who help them in their way.
Almost makes me want to visit August 29, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
TV and news reviews make war feel distant, un-human and entirely male-centered. This book beautifully captures a glimpse of Afghan life. Every page was enlightening and touching in the same way. Written in a refreshingly simple way, this book allowed me to think about complex issues in a digestible (and dare I say, whimsical) manner.
 Informative and inspiring. August 28, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I enjoyed this book very much. It gave a look into the lives of Afghan women trying to make a positive step in their lives, sometimes when their husbands couldn't provide. They took it upon them selves to take a step toward financial independance for themselves and their families.
What was a bit contradictory, perhaps, was how Debbie Rodriguez mentions a few times that the Afghan people were the warmest and most endearing people, however, it seems like most of her students and women there in general were being beaten by their husbands. It seemed every time she brought it up, somebody was getting beaten. So what's the deal?? Are the people only nice to women outside their families, or did she miss something in her writing to differenciate the two.
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