Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil

published	April 10th 2007 by Random House
binding	Hardcover
isbn	1400065593 (isbn13: 9781400065592)
pages	288
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 natio...more [close] 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. [close]
date added	03-12-07 edit book

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Michele rated it:

09/27/07

Read in September, 2007

recommends it for: book clubs

Has Life for Afghani Women Improved Because of Rodriguez?

I have mixed feelings about this book. It's easy to read and provides an interesting and informative portrayal of life for the women of Afghanistan. I'm not sorry I read it, but it did drag on in the end and I started counting pages wondering when it would be over. There is one heartbreaking and shocking story after the next, and too many "characters" to wrap one's mind around. This mélange of stories boils down to: Terrorizing Men and Terrorized Women. I don't believe life for Afghani women has improved because of the Kabul Beauty School, and from what I understand, because of their portrayal in this book, some of the women are in more danger now.

Reading Kabul Beauty School did not elicit the feelings I thought it might. I hoped to meet an extraordinary, selfless woman who achieved a major accomplishment. Throughout the reading, I didn't understand or appreciate the author's motivation. It's good journal material, but does it entertain? Absolutely not. Unfortunately, there's a certain lack of credibility from the merely average writing skills of the author. Deborah Rodriguez often comes across as victim of circumstance. She makes a series of foolish choices particularly when it comes to marriage, acts rashly, and irreverently, probably drinks too much and smokes. Not attractive. For example, it doesn't make her the least bit likeable when she verbally assaults a man at an outdoor market when he follows her around and grabs her backside. Embarrassing and endangering her closest friend (and translator) in the process, the friend tells her outright that she will "never go to the market with her again." Rodriguez brings her strong, independent and liberated American woman traits with her, wears them on her sleeve, and it does not earn her respect from the people around her, or from this reader. It makes her nickname "Crazy Debbie" perfectly understandable. Also, she lets her friends arrange a marriage for her, (and granted the presence of an Afghani husband, "Sam," does help her cause in one dangerous and surprising circumstance after another), but this man already has a wife, and we soon learn, a baby on the way. It's all very bizarre.

It feels as though Rodriguez returned to Afghanistan (after her first genuine venture there to provide aid after the ousting of the Taliban) in search of an extraordinary life rather than because she wanted to be the savior of Afghani women. I'm not saying this is true (I don't know this woman), but if the purpose of this book was to tell the world who she is and why she went to Afghanistan at great personal expense to become the director of a beauty school with the hope of making life better for the women there, she has been successful. The book, published by a major house, and the movie deal also deem her "successful." As for the school and the cause? A failure. She is not, like the book jacket indicates, living in Afghanistan and still running the school. According to an article on NPR, "the subjects of her book say Rodriguez and her newfound fame have put their lives in danger. They say they've seen none of the money or help to get them out of Afghanistan that Rodriguez promised them in exchange for having their stories appear in the book." Rodriguez counters by saying the women misunderstood what she promised them.

In spite of this rather negative review, I do think Kabul Beauty School is an excellent choice for book clubs as it will no doubt, provoke a very interesting and thoughtful discussion about the lives of women living in Afghanistan, and whether or not the outside world should or shouldn't have something to say or do about this culture and the emancipation of women there. ...less

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6 comments

Tippi rated it:

12/06/07

Read in November, 2007

I saw this book and thought immediately of Reading Lolita in Tehran, which I wanted to buy but didn't see during this trip to the bookstore. It's about a hairdresser who opens a beauty school in Afghanistan, which is hugely important for the local women because it gives them independence from their husbands and fathers, as well as a source of income.

It was a ridiculously easy read. I felt like I was browsing through a woman's blog about her stay in Afghanistan. Which is fine - she had tons o...more

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3 comments

Melanie rated it:

(review of isbn 0812976738)

03/04/08

Read in March, 2008

This book was so much better than I thought it would be. When I first picked it up, I thought, "huh? a beauty school in Afghanistan? Don't those poor people need water and electricity more than a mani/pedi?" I was pleasantly surprised to find that the author had a fabulous and unique story to tell in an interesting and well-written way. Like so many people who end up in the "development" world, she simply saw a need and set out to contribute what she could to improve peop...more This book was so much better than I thought it would be. When I first picked it up, I thought, "huh? a beauty school in Afghanistan? Don't those poor people need water and electricity more than a mani/pedi?" I was pleasantly surprised to find that the author had a fabulous and unique story to tell in an interesting and well-written way. Like so many people who end up in the "development" world, she simply saw a need and set out to contribute what she could to improve people's lives. Throughout the book, she weaves her own story among the stories of her students and clients, enabling us to see how much a hairdresser from Michigan and a housewife in Afghanistan have in common, as well as the huge gulf that divides the two.

Trying to escape her own bad marriage and find her own power, the author joins a humanitarian mission to Afghanistan right after the fall of the Taliban. She finds herself in a group of doctors, nurses, and other trained professionals without much to contribute. She's asked to stay in the compound and pray for the others. This is not exactly part of her personality however, and she ends up exploring the streets of Kabul and getting the know people. Despite the language and cultural barrier, she quickly finds herself a part of the inner women's circle and understands what she can do to help--she will build a beauty school, give women a skill and the means to economic empowerment, and provide a service to women for whom the decadent services of a salon were acquired only in secret and hidden under the burqua.

The author has such a unique perspective as a member of the "inner" circle that other aid workers don't have access to. She creates her own "oasis" in the chaos for the women to gather and literally let their hair down. At times I could even forget they were in war-torn Afghanistan as she talked of parties and salon gossip and giggling. At other times I wanted to forget. The story is often sad. How could it not be? Her students and clients lived through decades of war and then the terror of the Taliban. Some of them continue to live in terror at home in a country which affords women no civil liberties or equanimity. As I read, I could hardly believe that I was reading about a place not 100 years ago, but right now. That there are places in the world where women are literally confined to their homes, traded and bartered in marriage, denied any economic or educational opportunity or freedom, beaten and abused with no recourse, and denied a sense of self-worth or destiny. The author gives them a place to gather and find companionship, a profession, and economic empowerment to start their own business. She tells how by making their own money, they begin to take responsibility for their lives and demand empowerment in other aspects of their lives. Like most well-intentioned humanitarian workers, she often commits cultural errors that threaten the viability of her project and the safety of her students. Yet she perseveres. She reminds us that we don't need education, wealth, or connections to truly change someone's life--we simply need passion and dedication to a cause and love for people.
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Emily rated it:

(review of isbn 0812976738)

06/16/08

bookshelves: 2008-journey-to-30, chick-lit, hersday-book-club, lovely-non-fiction

Read in June, 2008

Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez is a memoir of a woman who traveled to Kabul just after 9/11 as a humanitarian aid worker. Her trade is cosmetology and she wasn't sure what she could offer to the people of Afghanistan but she knew she wanted to help. During her first trip, she felt mostly useless but fell in love with the country and people of Afghanistan, and knew she would return. Over the next year, Ms. Rodriguez took the lead and became involved with a project to begin a beauty s...more Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez is a memoir of a woman who traveled to Kabul just after 9/11 as a humanitarian aid worker. Her trade is cosmetology and she wasn't sure what she could offer to the people of Afghanistan but she knew she wanted to help. During her first trip, she felt mostly useless but fell in love with the country and people of Afghanistan, and knew she would return. Over the next year, Ms. Rodriguez took the lead and became involved with a project to begin a beauty school in the city of Kabul to help train the women of Afghanistan in a trade. She gets sponsors, donations, and returns to the country to change women's lives. She slowly adapts to the culture, marries an Afghani man, and ends up staying in Kabul to keep the school running.

Kabul Beauty School is my first nonfiction book of the journey to 30. As I was reading this book, I realized that my usual method of scoring a book is not going to work very well for non-fiction. It's not like I can judge a decision of a character when in reality it's a decision of this woman's life. So ... bare with the kinks of having to review a non-fiction memoir rather than a novel.

** I learned a lot about the Taliban's reign in Afghanistan and the ramifications. I knew they were the bad guys, but it some of the restrictions - like outlawing all beauty salons - I had no idea about. - Plus 3

** I really didn't need the life story of the maid. Call me elitist ... but I didn't really care. - Minus 2

** I've said it a TON ... girl power rules and the fact that this woman left her abusive husband, went to Afghanistan and started making a difference is super duper girl power! - Plus 10

** Long chapters ... I've said my full on this, but it took me about 4 days to read this book from start to finish, so it couldn't have bothered me too much ;) - Neutral

** I loved all the side stories of the women in the school, but they got distracting keeping up with them all. And they were all depressing. - Minus 3

** Total curveball that she became arranged to be married. And then actually got married. (I'm not giving anything away if you read the book cover) - Plus 2

** I love memoirs. They're pretty much the only non-fiction book that I'll regularly read voluntarily. - Plus 3

** I learned something. Learning is good and knowledge is power. - Plus 2

And I'm tapped out. It's a lot more difficult to come up with scoring when you're critiquing someone's life rather than someone's literary decisions.

Final Tally ... 9. I'm sure that's high because I couldn't find the heart to say that I didn't buy that she screamed and yelled and tried to get a guy arrested for grabbing her ass in the market. Cause I'm sure she did do that, and she has my respect for it. I'm pretty sure I would have ignored it and just shot evil eyes.
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suzy rated it:

(review of isbn 0786158980)

02/27/08

Read in February, 2008

I listened to this book on CD and was loving it up to a point then became worried about her informants. I'd read "PRINCES: A TRUE STORY OF LIFE BEHIND THE VEIL IN SAUDI ARABIA" years back and its author was extremely discret, so I compared this book to Rodriguez' and wondered immediately about her telling so much detail that could be harmful to the women of the book. My friend Nancy told me indeed there had been controversy that I'd already wondered about when reading/listening to the ...more I listened to this book on CD and was loving it up to a point then became worried about her informants. I'd read "PRINCES: A TRUE STORY OF LIFE BEHIND THE VEIL IN SAUDI ARABIA" years back and its author was extremely discret, so I compared this book to Rodriguez' and wondered immediately about her telling so much detail that could be harmful to the women of the book. My friend Nancy told me indeed there had been controversy that I'd already wondered about when reading/listening to the book.

NPR has a great recap. of Rodriguez essentially selling out her informants and the alleged betrayal.

http://www.npr.org/templates/s...

This makes me change my opinion of how much I can enjoy this book. The first part was so great it made me think for a few minutes that Afghanistan would be a great place to live! That says a lot! Seems to me that the author was short sighted and selfish for putting these women she professes to care about in such danger by exposing them in her book. And I think the book would have been just as good sans the sexy details. Another troubling aspecct to me was the author seemed to be so pro woman, but sort of pretended to only understand certain parts of the culture when it was convenient to her, e.g. marrying an Afghani man, knowing he already had a wife, and then getting jealous of the fact that he had a wife. She also liked to nearly brag that she was bucking the cultural system in Kabul, like some cool vigilante hipster, which didn't sound too sincere or kind to me, and very unlikable. It's like she turned on and off her cultural understanding when it suited her needs vs. showing true human understanding and compassion. Seems like Rodriguez got off on being outraged and playing the part of some wacky hairdresser. When women want to be treated with equal rights, it's funny to see them suddenly feign ignorance and then act more like a girl when the going gets tough. I hate when women turn on the girl role when they don't want to take responsibility for their actions, and this is what Rodriguez seems to do.

Part of the reason I like the book (on CD) so much is Bernadette Dunne is narrating it and she's got a great voice. I have to rate it low due to the harm done to the Afhgani women, but it was intriguing. I am a hypocrite, loved the book but hated it all at once.

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Kristen rated it:

(review of isbn 0812976738)

04/01/08

Read in April, 2008

recommended to Kristen by: My Mom
recommends it for: EVERY WOMAN!!!!

This book was much more than I thought it would be. I learned so much about daily life for women in Afghanistan. I was horrifed to read of the way they are treated and disvalued. I think every woman in the world should read this book. Wow! What a wake up call. Warning: there is some sexual content in the first chapter as the author describes the traditional marriage consummation ceremony, but I felt (and I'm rather picky) that it was absolutely necessary for the book. There is also one f...more This book was much more than I thought it would be. I learned so much about daily life for women in Afghanistan. I was horrifed to read of the way they are treated and disvalued. I think every woman in the world should read this book. Wow! What a wake up call. Warning: there is some sexual content in the first chapter as the author describes the traditional marriage consummation ceremony, but I felt (and I'm rather picky) that it was absolutely necessary for the book. There is also one f-word, which was absolutely not necessary. I will never be the same. This book changed me and it will change you too. READ IT!!!

I know that many have not liked the book and have suggested that those mentioned in the book were placed in great danger and perhaps that is true, but what if NO ONE ever learned what was going on to women in Afghanistan? Wouldn't that be the greater danger to these women? (She could have, and may have for that matter, changed the names of the girls). Besides, she was trying to raise money to keep the school going.

In my view, the beauty of Debbie's experiences in Afghanistan is that she was crazy, irresponsible, clueless, and dumb enough to get herself into situations that really enrich the story and more accurately show us what these women truly go through. For those who criticize her decision to marry Sam, I wholeheartedly agree with you, but the thing you have realize, is that Debbie, as any of us, was dealing with past hurt and rejection. She was looking for love and companionship which many victims of abuse are very desperate to find. She's not perfect and never claimed to be. I think that she's courageous to share those very personal details with us knowing that many would think she was insane.

I don't like her personality especially, and no, she's not the greatest writer ever, but if we could just stand back and look at what she has really done with this book...for me at least, she created a new and terrifying reality. Thanks Debbie!...less

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Joan rated it:

12/27/07

Read in December, 2007

It is what it is.

* Glimpse into the lives of women in Kabul post-2001, so for that, worth the read. The book states that being a hairdresser is the only profession for women in Kabul acceptable to nearly all husbands, because men aren't allowed in salons, so it's one place where women can be "free" to earn a decent living, despite being frequently accused of being prostitutes at a brothel.
* So sad! All of the women affiliated with the school were abused at home and in public in ...more

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Melissa rated it:

02/07/08

Read in February, 2008

This book is pretty wild. It is about a young American who helps run a beauty school in Afghanistan to empower the women there. Apparently, the Taliban banned a lot of beauty salons and, in doing so, took away one of the larger sources of income for women in the country. As you learn in the book, a salary often affords women a certain amount of freedom from their husbands and family, though the struggle for women's rights in Afghanistan is still enormous and ongoing. I know there is a lot of c...more

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April rated it:

01/02/08

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in December, 2007

I had a hard time giving this book a rating. I give the women of Afghanistan (whose lives and personal stories are the meat of this book) 5*. Their bravery and determination to survive hardship and abuse in one of the cruelest of cultures is inspiring.

I give the actual writing in this book 2*, as well as the American woman who penned it. The language is very simplistic; it reads like a blog actually. I started to lose interest somewhere around the middle of the book, and especially after the...more

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Jennifer rated it:

03/09/08

bookshelves: memoir, non-fiction

Read in November, 2007

recommends it for: interested in women's lives in Afghanistan

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

So last night in one sitting I read Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez; I admit I was really moved at times but also found myself questioning the authors actions. To often I had a sense that Rodriguez was running around and ignoring the consequences, which I can say is irresponsible and deadly in the case of women living Afghanistan. Sadly this was confirmed this morning, because well I had to go with my gut and google it, and immediately up popped NPR's story http://www.npr.org/templates/s... . As f...more

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Heather rated it:

03/12/08

bookshelves: airport-books

Read in April, 2008

Well, this probably should go on the Life Is Too Short shelf, because I didn't really finish it... but then, the book didn't really end, either. It just kind of trailed off. And so did my interest. So, we're even.
It was a very "lite" read (I agree with reviewers who said it was more like a blog on paper than a book) and there were things about it that I liked. I liked how the author brought out certain resonances between her own past experience as the emotionally and physically abuse...more

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Shannan rated it:

(review of isbn 0812976738)

05/17/08

bookshelves: 2008

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in May, 2008

Despite some negative reviews this book has received, I enjoyed this blog-like account of Debbie Rodriguezes expereinces as a hair dresser in Afghanistan. I was in Africa when I read it and had to laugh at the many similarities between Afghanistan and Ghana; the perpetual dust, the insanely fast drivers, vendors on blankets in the street selling all kinds of absurd items (like back scratchers), an overlying cultral morality but many evidences of the sexual promescuity that really goes on.....an...more

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Cindy rated it:

(review of isbn 0812976738)

04/09/08

Read in February, 2008

Many people have found lots of reasons to criticize the author Deborah Rodriguez (from Holland, Michigan land of tulips and more recently audio induction loops for hard of hearing people), whose memoir (written with Kristen Olsen, I believe) is filled with windows upon windows of life of women in Kabul, Afghanistan as well as Deborah's topsy turvy life and great connections to the people she meets. I see no reason to put myself in the position of judge of her life. So putting aside what was &quo...more

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Debra rated it:

03/31/08

Read in March, 2008

This book had lots of interesting anecdotes about Afghanistan, and that's what kept me going. The English teacher in me really hated the structure and the writing style. The book was organized into chapters, and for that reason I guess I was expecting traditional plot arc. Instead, I got a bunch of small details that I suppose were organized chronologically. It read like a diary, with what felt to me like false transitions from one story to another, and I found myself wishing that she hadn't...more

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Jennifer rated it:

(review of isbn 0812976738)

05/06/08

bookshelves: trt-reviews

Reviewed by Steph for TeensReadToo.com

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 ...more

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Mandy rated it:

03/13/08

Read in March, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Megan rated it:

06/16/08

I read this book very quickly, but had some questions about it. There were some specifics I was curious about that didn't quite make it into the narrative, and maybe weren't important to the overall message. I was curious about the actual business of running the beauty school. Since Debbie said she just didn't have time to teach, I wondered what exactly she was working on, and how her goals changed as financial support seemed to wane. The casual violence within the narrative was also a littl...more

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Rachael rated it:

10/31/07

I read this book in my continuing "read more nonfiction" quest. I have to say that it didn't really feel like nonfiction, and I still can't decide whether I liked it or not. I definitely have some different perspectives and values from the author, and at times I would think "Wow, she seems like quite a character!" but I was so impressed by how hard she was working to ensure a future for the Afghan women.

In case you're not familiar with this, it's the story of an America...more

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Renee rated it:

07/05/07

Read in June, 2007

recommends it for: those with an interest in the Middle-East

just months after the Taliban had been driven out of Afghanistan, Rodriguez, a hairdresser from Holland, MI, joined a small nongovernmental aid organization on a mission to the war-torn nation. That visit changed her life. In Kabul, she chronicles her efforts to help establish the country's first modern beauty school and training salon; along with music and kite-flying, hairdressing had been banned under the previous regime. This memoir offers a glimpse into a world Westerners seldom see–life...more

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