Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil
by Deborah Rodriguez, Kristin Ohlson
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Book Summary Information
Author: Deborah Rodriguez, Kristin OhlsonEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2007-12-18
ISBN: 0812976738
Number of pages: 320
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Book Reviews of Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil
Book Review: Eye-opening, Heart-breaking, Amazing
Summary: 5 Stars
Kabul Beauty School is just an amazing book - really powerful and heart-breaking. I've read a couple of other books that take place in Afghanistan - "Three Cups of Tea" - which is a wonderful true story - and "The Kite Runner" - also a great read - but both of those books were written by men, and it's really interesting to read a book written from a woman's perspective. The author introduces us to these amazing Afghan women - strong, amazingly courageous women who are willing to risk their very lives to find freedom and dignity in a culture that would hold them back and hold them down.
Kabul Beauty School inspired me and informed me and touched my heart.
Karen Molenaar Terrell
Summary of Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil
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.
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