by Deborah Rodriguez, Kristin Ohlson
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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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Average Customer Review:
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
 You Can't Do Much If You Never Walk Past Your Front Yard, 2008-12-29
What a gutsy lady and what a thought provoking story. It cannot be easy to uproot yourself and go to another country in which women are treated no better than dogs to teach beauty in a land of war and turmoil. Deborah Rodriguez showed me a world outside my little haven where women are suffering the shocking treatment of the Taliban. I knew very little about them until reading this except what I occasionally see on the news. What a shock. To think that women were arrested for simply doing people's hair? I think Deborah showed much courage to go there and teach the Afghani women the only thing she could to give them pride and independence. And truly, all the women can do without men interfering is hair. I laughed and cried over the women's stories and plights and yes, it is one heartbreaking tale after another, but real life is not always peaches and cream. This is not a novel, but a true story. I notice a lot of people are upset about the two children she left in America under her mother's care and their lack of major roles in this book. I would like to point out, American men and women in the service often must leave their children much longer than Deborah did and in times of war, duty calls and does not restrict itself merely to the men and women in uniform. Sometimes, people like Deborah feel the need to help others (there is also a brief excerpt of the aide she offered firemen during 9/11) and leave the comfort and familiarity of their front yards. I enjoyed her story.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
A unique perspective on a fascinating culture, 2008-12-20
A beautiful book! I absolutely loved this, and couldn't put it down. It's an easy, quick read, with lots of *great* description and a perspective that's mostly missing from this genre. The experiences and perceptions of a beautician are different from those of academics and journalists, and I absolutely loved exploring near-contemporary Kabul through Debbie's eyes and ears.
If, like me, you've become accustomed to the academic voices of ethnographers and world-class journalists describing the contemporary cultures of the Middle East, take the time to share the experiences of a divorced beautician--a strong woman with a passionately held mission--who marries a former Mujahideen and makes a home for herself among the women of Kabul. You'll be glad you did.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
A Fascinating Book, 2008-09-14
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.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Excellent!, 2008-09-02
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.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Almost makes me want to visit , 2008-08-29
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.
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