[.ca] Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil (ISBN 0812976738)

A WORTHY LISTEN:
Few books have created as great a furor as did the Kabul School of Beauty. Penned by a Michigan hairdresser then living in Afghanistan with her Afghan husband it is the story of how she opened the first modern beauty school and training salon in a country that would surely not welcome her efforts. Although the Taliban had fallen, dictates of this severe regime remained. However, more than politics the book hinges on the individual lives of those who come to the school, women who have been oppressed, are uneducated, and virtual prisoners in their own homes. Ms. Rodriguez's story is filled with pathos and humor, it's a look at a world Western women surely cannot understand and find difficult to imagine, a fascinating account. Ms. Rodriguez writes with verve and color. Few will be able to stop listening after hearing the story of Roshanna who has come to the beauty school before eight in the morning to prepare for her wedding. We hear, "She has left her parents' house under cover of burqa and will emerge six hours later wearing her body weight in eye shadow, false eyelashes the size of sparrows, monumentally big hair, and clothes with more bling than a Ferris wheel. In America, most people would associate this look with drag queens sashaying off to a party with a 1950s prom theme. Here in Afghanistan, for reasons I still don't understand, this look conveys the mystique of the virgin." And, there are others - a girl not yet in her teens who is sold by her debt ridden family, a naif who must be taught how to fake virginity on her wedding night, and a woman dreadfully physically abused. Since penning her book Ms. Rodriguez has returned to the States, and sold rights for a film which will star Sandra Bullock. A June NPR program notes that publication of the book has placed the lives of women mentioned in jeopardy. Hence the question for many is whether Ms. Rodriquez is a true friend to these women or an entrepeneur. Questions of ethics aside the audio edition it is a penetrating insight into the lives these women endure and ably performed by actress Bernadette Dunne. The winner of six AudieFile Earphones Awards and twice nominated for an Audie, Ms. Dunne studied at the Royal National Theatre in London and The Studio Theatre in Washington, D.C. She easily captures the author's self-confident voice as well as the diffident, sometimes frightened tones of the women. A worthy listen! - Gail Cooke

Kabul Beauty School:
"Kabul Beauty School" was a conflicting book to read. I felt like the author was trying to make a difference in the lives of the Afghanistan women, but then she goes and puts their lives in danger by her ignorance to their culture and also obviously by publishing great detail about their lives in her book. I did enjoy learning a bit more about the aspects of an Afghanistan's life, but I believe "Reading Lolita in Tehran" is definitely a better pick. It was unsettling to read about Deborah marrying an Afghanistan man. The marriage is arranged by her friends and Deborah seems to just go along with it without realizing that throughout her book she condemns these arranged marriages. It just seems weird, but then is life in Kabul ever normal when we compare it to North America?

Excellent Read:
I loved this book! A real insight, often humourous, often sad, into the real life of the women in Kabul. Some of the tales she recounts seem like fiction, but they are not! This is not a political book, just a real entertaining read!

Courtesy of Teens Read Too:
Deborah Rodriguez is a beautician from Michigan who went over to Afghanistan after September 11th to help in any way she could. She quickly fell in love with the country and wanted to reestablish the Afghan beauticians who went out of existence when the Taliban took over. Along with help from others, she opened a beauty school where she trained Afghan women to become beauticians who could then open up their own beauty salons. This amazing true story is heartwarming yet incredibly sad at the same time. The reader learns the personal and tragic story of the many Afghan women that Rodriguez befriends. We learn of their arranged marriages to men twice their age, abusive husbands who will divorce them if the women can't bear a son, and monetary struggles and desperate attempts to find that money. It is also wonderful to read about these same women becoming independent and happy due to their education from the beauty school and their friendship with Ms. Rodriguez. This book is truly inspiring and educational. The reader learns about many customs and misconceptions about Afghanistan and its people through the real life experiences of Rodriguez. Her desire to help the kind Afghan people can inspire anyone to do the same. KABUL BEAUTY SCHOOL is sure to please all readers who are open to learning about a foreign people, their customs, and an American woman who felt the need to dedicate her life to those less fortunate. Reviewed by: Steph