Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil

by Deborah Rodriguez, Kristin Ohlson, Bernadette Dunne (Narrated by)

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.

Withwarmth 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.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Book Club, Middle East, Biography, Womens, Biography Memoir

200 pages, Audio CD

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Deborah Rodriguez is a hairdresser, a motivational speaker, and the author of the bestselling memoir Kabul Beauty School.
She spent five years teaching at and later directing the Kabul Beauty School, the first modern beauty academy and training salon in Afghanistan. Rodriguez also owned the Oasis Salon and the Cabul Coffee House.
She currently lives in Mexico.

Reviews

[Tippi · Rating 1 out of 5]

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 of interesting stories. While I was reading, I thought maybe I liked this book a little bit; 3 stars, maybe?

After I finished, I started thinking about the author, and I liked this book less and less. First of all, she seems like the type of loud, obnoxious, ugly American that I would normally like to avoid. Which is ironic, since she did really get into real Afghan life (at least, much more than did the other NGO/non-profit workers who stayed inside their heavily-guarded compounds). My problems with this woman:


- She has so far lived in Afghanistan for five years (at the time of writing this book) and she only has the most basic understanding of the local language. Honestly, woman. Stop relying on translators and learn the language!!!

- She seems to be incredibly dense. She admits that she doesn’t act like local women – she looks men in the eye as she’s walking by, doesn’t have her hair completely covered, is loud, smokes/drinks, etc. – and yet is still surprised when the men treat her with absolutely no respect. Not that she would get that much respect anyway as a woman and an American, but if you exhibit behavior they associate with prostitutes, don’t be surprised if they treat you like one.

- She's insanely naive. Yes, most of these women are victims in some kind of abusive relationship. Yes, having jobs will help them. No, pulling them aside and saying "Stay away from him! Don't let him do that!" will NOT change their lives. Two sentences and a sobfest from a crazy American lady is not going to motivate them to abandon everything they know about their national culture, religion, and family traditions. Get over yourself.

- She cries all. the. time. "As soon as I saw [insert girl/group of women with sob story], I couldn't help myself; I started crying." <-- Most overused sentence in the book.

- She married an Afghan after being there for less than three weeks. I thought the study abroad girls here who get married were crazy - this is a grown woman! She clearly has some issues of her own though; she's always talking about her multiple failed marriages/messed up relationships.

- Also crazy: Her husband already has a wife and seven children in Saudi Arabia. But when he lets it slip that his wife is pregnant again, she flips out. Honestly woman, what did you think you were getting yourself into? Rather reminds me of Kay in The Godfather II.

- She writes like she talks. "blah blah I really liked Kabul - I'd only been there for three days, but still." Who ends a phrase with "BUT STILL"?!?!?! What editor would allow that?



Don't waste your time with this one.

* One star, for having some interesting anecdotes.

[Nadine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was kind of sad to see other reviews about this book. It seemed to me like there was a lot of judgment towards the author and negativity about the book. Some of the points had validity, but I guess as an American living in a foreign country I have more sympathy for the author than a lot of people who wrote reviews seem to have. The one thing I will agree with is that it is not extremely eloquent English. I am sure that this book frequently gets compared to "Reading Lolita in Tehran", which is written in very elegant English. The style of Kabul Beauty school is not poetic, is much simpler, more like a conversation the author might have with a pal over coffee. The criticisms that I disagree with are those which seemed to attack the author as a person, such as "She's crazy, she's a bad example of an American, she's the kind of person I would run away from," etc. She does do some things that seem pretty crazy to me, that I would never do. However, just because I am a very different kind of person, it doesn't mean that I can't enjoy the book and appreciate what Debbie Rodriguez was trying to do for the women in Afghanistan. And as an American woman living in a developing country where women are still considered second class (although not as bad as in Afghanistan)I can attest to the fact that this kind of life DOES make you a little crazy. One criticism was that the author cried too much. When you are living in constant stress, from language barriers, culture differences, no familiar faces, no friends, no American luxuries such as hot water and reliable electricity, EVERYTHING being done in a different way, and most especially constant, daily exposure to tragedy, hardship, poverty, and injustice, most of which you can do nothing to alleviate, your stress level is just under maximum nearly all the time. Add any other stressor and tears easily flow even for things that may not have made you cry back in the comfort of your home country. I think it was brave and honest of the author to include things that make her look a little crazy. So she's not a saint. So what? I haven't yet met anyone who falls in that category. She's just an ordinary woman trying to do something to help make a difference in the lives of a handful of oppressed women. She didn't always make the best choices, but she probably made the best choices she knew how to at the time. I actually found it moving that a regular flawed human was doing the best she could with what she had to try to help others. And I cried, too, when I was telling my boyfriend about the book, both because of the hardship of the women in Afghanistan and also because of the beauty and love in what the author and all the other people involved were trying to do. When someone from one culture goes into another trying to help, probably half of the time the "help" is misguided and /or ineffective. But the intentions and the attempts can still have a nobility and grace in them even in the face of failure. Being honest about the school currently being closed shows us even more the plight of the Afghani women and maybe teaches us something about how careful we need to be to protect the recipients of our "help". I agree that the most gripping parts of the book were the stories of the various Afghani women the author came to know, but the parts about Ms. Rodriguez's personal life give a glimpse of both the good and the bad that can occur when people try to meld two lives that come from very different cultures, and that is also an interesting topic. I probably would have given the book a three star rating due to the writing style, but I bumped it up to a four as my personal way of protesting the negative reviews I read.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[W · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the Taliban regime falls following the US invasion in the aftermath of 9/11,anAmerican woman leaves her first husband,goes to Afghanistan and opens a hair saloon.Soon,rather surprisingly,she marries an Afghan,and becomes his second wife.

She meets many Afghan women,and relates the hardships of their lives,in a conservative and repressive society.I'm surprised by the negative reviews,this book is pretty interesting.

Whether the author made rational decisions,in going to a worn torn country and then marrying an Afghan man,who belonged to a totally different culture,is another matter.

So,if she encountered difficulties,she had herself to blame.

[April · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 author started injecting her own personal trials and tribulations into every page. In some passages where she describes her personal relationships and tendency to be hot-headed and bossy when dealing with locals or a beauty school-related issue (i.e. funding, products, teaching, etc.), she comes off sounding like an idiot. While it was interesting to know the author's background, she spends WAY too much time prattling on about her own personal life stuff and it detracts from the real story: the women of Kabul who dreamed of becoming beauticians and establishing some independent means for themselves in a country torn apart by war and religious / cultural strife.

The story disintegrates towards the end as the author allows her friends to arrange a marriage for her and butts heads with political leaders in Kabul and others in the city. What I found particularly maddening: her outright igornance for personal safety and utter cluelessness about the cultural rules around her is surprising. That she managed to live in Kabul 5 years without injury or severe mishap - even more so. I wish she had focused her story more on the women she tried to help, rather than her own human shortcomings and stubborn resolve.

[suzy · Rating 2 out of 5]

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

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/st...

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.

[Dr.Javed Rasheed · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 4th book by this author that I read about 5 years ago . An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil is Deborah Rodriguez’s firsthand account of how an ordinary hairdresser from Michigan winds up transforming her own life,and the lives of Afghan women in post-Taliban Kabul. The story begins in 2002, shortly after the fall of the Taliban, when Rodriguez travels to Kabul, Afghanistan as part of a humanitarian aid team. 
She expected to be doing medical-style relief work, but soon realizes her training as a hairdresser may be more practical and in demand than she thought. Word spreads that she’s a hairstylist,and both Western workers and Afghan women crowd around for haircuts, since beauty salons had been banned under Taliban rule and local techniques were rudimentary. Realizing the opportunity to empower Afghan women — who rarely have financial independence — Rodriguez helps open the Kabul Beauty School in 2003 with support from international sponsors and beauty companies. These stories bring readers into the private world of Afghan women and show their courage, resilience, and desire for freedom and economic self-sufficiency. Overall Kabul Beauty School can be described as a readable, poignant memoir that offers a vivid look behind the veil into Afghan women’s lives while telling the story of how one woman’s skills helped create a space for growth and independence. For the story I would have given 3 stars, but for the Afghan women who have been subdued by men and above all for their courage, resilience, and desire for freedom and economic self-sufficiency. It’s 4 stars from my side.
Dr. Javed Rasheed

[Lani · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was... conceptually interesting, but poorly written.

-- Edited 08.08.08 --

I can't believe this was all I had to say about this book. First, just after I read it, I was only mildly annoyed. The author is an incompetent, brash, selfish, idiotic woman who made no effort to even pretend to respect or assimilate into the culture she encountered. She bashed her way into Kabul, first perhaps with good intentions, and then she just proceeded to ignore every cultural more that she could. Her decisions were impetuous and illogical, and this was all explained as Ah! Crazy American!

She married a native with barely any acquaintance, and then proceeded to be upset that she was a second wife. Her first beauty school failed and she pouted and whined until she got a new one. Rather than move WITH the culture she was trying to help, she instead fought it every step of the way.

Obviously I am just as disgusted by the lives of women in Kabul as many other people. Many of these women are treated like trash and sex slaves, and are disrespected by fathers, husbands, and even sons. It is an unbearable situation, and the idea of a beauty school is actually founded in the culture of the attentiveness to beauty in Afghanistan (before the Taliban). But the author's refusal to accept the requirements of her status as a fairly clueless American -she makes ZERO effort to learn the language in the years she lives in Afghanistan! - only ends up endangering the women she has tried to help.

As it turns out, many of the women in the book suffered later as the author fled the country. Women she made no effort to disguise in her book were punished by angry and offended family members. Her "friends" and students suffered the consequences of her brash and inconsiderate behavior.

The only good thing I can say about the author - she did not seem afraid to admit to her frequent tantrums, illogical decisions, or cowardice. Perhaps this was just because she was able to explain it away in her own mind and saw no fault of her own, I'm just not sure.

Ugh, this book was just absolutely infuriating, poorly written, and worse and worse the more you read about the situation afterwards.

[Petra last few days in Lisbon then time to go home · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third book I've read in three days and all three were on different views of humanity and improving lives and none were even slightly alike but all were 5-star books. Proper review coming up... sometime.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Again, I'd be a kitten-murdering sadist if I gave this one star, so I'm going with two. I would have loved to read a short article about the Kabul Beauty School and I'm abstractly interested in the project, but the writing made me want to rip out my own fingernails with hedge clippers. Really, it's my own fault--this book is supposed to be accessible because the writing style is conversational and feels like you're just chatting with your hairdresser, and I should have remembered before taking this on a 30-hour plane trip that I hate being chatted with when I get my hair cut and deliberately seek out no-chatting salons.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

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!

[April · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a recommendation from a good friend, I wanted to whole heartedly like this book, but I just couldn't. The writing—as noted by nearly all reviewers—is atrocious. The author is at best obnoxious.

When my mother-in-law noticed this book at my house and asked me about it, I had a hard time putting my finger on exactly what was wrong with it. But, the introduction to Julia Child's My Life in France cleared things up for me. As she professes her love of France and Paris, she says "I devoted myself to learning the language and the customs of my new home." Ms. Rodreiguz never did learn the language, despite having the added advantage of a native husband. Most of what she learns about the culture or the particulars of her friends' lives comes through a translator.

She never seems to really grasp what the Afghan culture is and certainly never gets close to understanding how that culture influences the individuals she meets or the circumstances that she finds herself in. Despite her many good deeds, she seems to be inexcusably self-centered. I found this book to be neither inspiring nor illuminating.

[Kathryn in FL · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this when it was published 14 years ago. Although lots has happened since and at least 1000 books have been read, I do remember a few impressions I was left with.

I really admire Ms. Rodriguez for her efforts to help the Afghan people. She came across as very compassionate and I can see how she would have been quite popular. I found the entire story uplifting and inspirational. I can't add more than that. I wonder what her impressions of her experiences then and today would be considered. Did she remain in contact with any of those she once was neighbor to?

[George (Abandoned Places) · Rating 2 out of 5]

The stories of the women in this book are heartbreaking. My problem is that the author even tells them. What happens if you talk about helping a woman fake her virginity on her wedding night, and the woman's husband finds out? Apparently, word of the book has leaked out in Afghanistan, a place where women can be imprisoned for leaving their husbands. See this link, here - http://www.npr.org/templates/story/st....

I am not going to question the author's motives because I think she is a sincere person. But I don't like the fact that she used these women's stories and made money from it. She says that she will donate part of the book's profits to the women in question, so that is good!

I haven't been posting all that much to Goodreads because I started a blog. It's called Encephalo Ray, and it's a comic book blog! It's big time: Paul Cornell (Captain Britain and MI:13) and Lea Hernandez (Rumble Girls) linked to my entries! So if you want to be part of my audience of literally dozens, go to http://encephalo-ray.blogspot.com/

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 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.

[Práxedes Rivera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Rodriguez presents a 'view from the ground' of Afghanistan in the early 2000s, after the first Taliban occupation. There are valuable insights into a culture vastly different than my own in this novel, and I appreciated Rodriguez's candor (she is painfully honest about some cultural aspects she grappled with during her time there). It reads a little like 'Three Cups of Tea', and like that other book it is not without controversy. But I enjoyed it tremendously and definitely recommend it.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. It was a reading group pick and sparked controversy in the group discussion as it did in the world.

Debbie Rodriguez is the daughter of a hairdresser from Holland, MI. I have spent some time in that town. My Top 40 cover band used to play at the Holiday Inn there in the early 1980s. The first wet burrito I ever ate was at a Mexican Restaurant in Holland. It is a small, mostly blue collar central Michigan town. Debbie is one of those women who do before they think and therefore get a lot done but lead volatile lives.

After a nasty divorce, she leaves her two sons with her mother, gets involved with an NGO and lands in Afghanistan. Within a year, she has a project of her own, backed by Vogue Magazine and Clairol, and starts the first Afghan beauty school in Kabul.

Over the next several years Debbie is either doing total immersion in Afghanistan culture, including marrying a man there, or she is back in the States seeing her sons and drumming up more financial backing for her school.

The book is fast-paced, anecdotal, and entertained me as I learned about the culture, the women, the marriage rites, and the unsettled life of that strange (by American standards) country. Compared to more serious books such as The Bookseller of Kabul or The Swallows of Kabul, Kabul Beauty School made me laugh as well as ponder how women will ever get rights or equality there.

When they do, it will be in part because of women like Rodriguez. She has been criticized both in America and Afghanistan and I don't know how a reader could know for sure if those criticisms are accurate. I believe her when she says that she fell in love with the country and its people. She comes across as having no other agenda than to make the lives of some women better by giving them a skill by which they could make a living. I believe that was her intention.

She made mistakes, she admits it, and finally left because of what she perceived as real threats from the Afghanistan government. I was struck by how much she accomplished precisely because she did not over think things. She just went ahead and got stuff done.

[Lora · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVED this book. It was an easy read with short pieces of her story as a hairdresser trying to empower women in Kabul by training them in her beauty salon with grants from various charitable sources. It was a fascinating read from the American perspective. There were no altruistic answers. It was nice to have a book like this written by a bright blue-collar person instead of the educated graduate degree person. She is down-to-earth and real. It seemed to be delightfully honest. I admire her bravery. I loved this quote that seemed to sum up a very honest picture of the feelings of relief workers fighting against a whole entire culture and hundreds of years of political corruption. "Sometimes I wonder if I'm doing much good at all here. There are many of us Westerners who want to help Afghan women, but our efforts don't always help them in the ways that we hope they will. There are so many ties that bind these women and hold them back, and many of the ties aren't even visible to the Western eye. It takes a long time to understand how the complexities of these women's lives differ from the complexities of ours. Sometimes we can't help, even when we understand these complexities. The culture is changing so much more slowly than their dreams are."

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deborah Rodriguez travels from her home in Holland, Michigan as part of a group offering humanitarian aid in Afghanistan. Not being a medical professional, she was at first a little lost on how she could be of assistance to the people of Afghanistan. Once she realized that her skills as a beautician could be utilized in Afghanistan her idea for Kabul Beauty School was born. I have to give a lot of credit to the author for her courage and tenacity to actually bring the dream of the beauty school to fruition. Rodriguez's story of starting the beauty school and training these women is interesting, but the stories she shares of the Afghan women's lives are fascinating. Ms. Rodriguez's story of her arranged marriage to an Afghanistan man as his #2 wife was a bit puzzling to me. She discusses her jealousy when wife #1 gives birth to a son and other difficulties in the marriage. Despite all of the excellent work she was doing in Afghanistan, I couldn't understand how she could move there when her sons were still young. One of her sons does travel to Afghanistan for a while, but I got the impression that she physically abandoned her sons over her own selfish interests. If I'm mistaken about that it's only because that's the impression I got from the author's writing. If anyone thinks that Afghanistan, and in particular Kabul, is safer since the ousting of the Taliban after 9/11, think again. There's obviously still a long way to go. I highly recommend this book.

[Mish · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friend asked me if I wanted to read this book. We have a book swap going among a few friends, and I haven’t borrowed any books from this particular friend before. I thought I’d be polite and say ‘Yes’ but not really knowing what it’s about. I initially thought it might be about Kabul beauty tips/techniques, and yes part of it was at very start, but it is so much more than that.

Debbie tells her story of when she left her family at Michigan to move permanently to Afghanistan, to give hope and independence to the afghan woman by setting up a Beauty school. There were many hurdles that Debbie had to go though to keep this school running, but her courage and determination was inspiring. But Debbie also tells the stories of the lovely afghan women she befriends, and their day to day struggles and hardship; from living with abusive husband, arrange marriages and living in a country were woman rights are nonexistent.

Debbie is not a writer and some may think that her writing is not as polished. And they’re probably right, but nonetheless I think she did an amazing job. I thought it was honest and fascinating to read.

[N.L. Riviezzo · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would have never picked up this book if it hadn't been for a woman in my book club who insisted that it be our September read. The author of this quick to read but a complete waste of time book is arrogant, naive and full of herself. Yes, every culture has its assholes and yes, at that time, Afghanistan seemed to have more than its fair share but by no means, does that make annoying Americans - with their own issues - more superior. For all the bitching that the author does about Afghani men and the Afghan culture, I can't understand why she would marry into the culture - after a mere 3 weeks in the country - and yet remain resistant to learning more about it. After 5 years and a marriage, you should be at least somewhat versed in the common language and in the culture norms rather than freaking out about men leering at you because you're brash and smoke like chimney.

I spent 6 months living in Yemen at one point in my life. While there, I made attempts to cook even though I didn't know half of what was actually being purchased - the propane stove was also very different from the average camp stove and difficult to use - and I attempted to improve my Arabic. I even dressed in the appropriate modest fashion as one should do when living in another country especially one that has higher modesty standards for women when they are out and about.

It wouldn't have killed this woman to try to acclimate herself to the culture she found herself in. It would have been far better than trying to push her ideals onto Afghani woman. I do applaud her for trying to provide a different educational and professional opportunity for the women but I think she could have done things differently and yielded better results in the long run.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 American hairdresser who went to Afghanistan right after 9/11 and started a beauty school there to give Afghan women some sort of training so that they could make money for their families.

Many of the stories she tells are absolutely heart-wrenching. It certainly underlined for me how lucky I am in my life, and made me realize that I need to be appreciative rather than whine about my little problems. I think one of the most valuable things I got from reading this book was the knowledge that the Afghan people aren't "just like me" in a very important way--yes, they're human too, and they're certainly not all crazed terrorists, but unlike me they've been living under a total reign of fear. I don't think I realized until I read this (and another memoir: Girl on the Other Side of the Sky) just how much the people there are terrorized themselves by the Taliban.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a hairdresser, Deborah Rodriguez, who travels to Kabul, Afghanistan to do volunteer work shortly after 9/11. At first, she feels she doesn't have much to offer as she's grouped together with mostly medical personnel. But she then decides to single-handedly open a beauty school and to fund it entirely on donations from beauty product companies and other charitable organizations.
She runs into several obstacles on the way, but not without training and empowering hundreds of Afghani women to provide for their families and be (somewhat) independent from their husbands.
I really enjoyed the insight the author gave into the lives of several women she trained at the Kabul Beauty School. They all suffered hardships and persecution from their families to attend the school, and several slipped by the wayside. I think everyone knows how different our culture can be from those in the Middle East, but I was surprised by the extent of the mistreatment suffered by the women at the hand of their husbands, fathers, mother-in-laws, and other family members.
The format of the book is a little choppy, tending to jump from one seemingly unrelated story to the other. I think because it was compiled mostly from the author's journals. But it wasn't that difficult to follow. I really liked it and would like to know if the beauty school is still running now.

[karen reyes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Similar to Reading Lolita in Theran, it gives you insight into the complexity of a small country within the Middle East, particularyly in the town of Kabul, Afghanastan. What the women there go through is amazing! Afghan women are subjected to so much oppression and submission it is mind boggling there isn't some kind of uprising against the culture. I am only speaking as an American woman, where my rights and freedoms are truly protected - yet somewhat undervalued. I appreciate the author's ability to see beyond the turmoil and daily fear of living within that society. She directs her attention toward the people she surrounds herself with that make her perception of this country beautiful. It is a scary place to live, whether foreigner or native. It is important that we open our eyes and minds beyond our border, and this author does exactly that. She is a humanitarian, a teacher, a friend and a risk taker. As a mother, I don't know how she was able to leave her children for this journey. I understand why she did, I just can't place myself in her shoes and do the same. I love my children too much. Great book! A must read!

[Artūras Ketlerius|Knygosnugarele.lt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Šią knygą nupirkau žmonai. Kažkas apie grožio mokyklą Afganistano sostinėje, kažkas apie moterų patiriamus sunkumus. Maniau, sudomins. Ir sudomino, bet ne žmoną, o mane.

Deborah Rodriguez ir Kristin Ohlson knyga „Kabulo grožio mokykla“ pasakoja apie pačios autorės D. Rodriguez kelionę į Afganistaną bei kaip po talibų nuvertimo pradėjo mokyti vietines afganes kirpėjos amato.

Iš JAV kilusi kirpėja D. Rodriguez, išvykusi į humanitarinę misiją, nusprendė, kad labiausiai galėtų padėti, mokydama afganes grožio meno ir taip padėti joms geriau uždirbti. Kabule ji, padedama kitų, įkuria grožio mokyklą, surinko klases ir paruošė ne vieną grožio specialistę, nepaisant to, kad Afganistane grožio salonai turi viešnamių reputaciją. Štai ir viskas, apie tai knyga.

Plačiau: http://knygosnugarele.lt/2018/02/debo...

[Veronika Can · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tai autorės atsiminimai, memuarai apie jos kelionę, pirmuosius įspūdžius ir pagalbą Afganistano moterims. Kardinaliai pakeitusi savo gyvenimą (ir vyrą) rado savo pašaukimą. Visiškai kitokia kultūra, kelianti nuostabą ir siaubą. Nors tai tik grožio mokykla, bet Afganistano moterims tai galimybė išgyventi, tiesiogine to žodžio prasme. Stiprūs vyro gniaužtai, pavydas, kitų moterų konkurencija ir tėvų jau iš anksto suplanuotas tavo gyvenimas. Autorės tvirtas charakteris, tikėjimas ir užsispyrimas leido jai įsikurti, susirasti būrį draugų ir rėmėjų bei įvykdyti savo suplanuotą misiją.

[Barbara (The Bibliophage) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was such an enjoyable memoir!

Deborah Rodriguez left a horrid marriage to help women halfway across the globe in Afghanistan. She didn't understand the culture or speak the language. But her heart was deeply committed to the Kabul Beauty School project and the women she trained.

Becoming a beautician offered these Afghan women an opportunity to support their families, often including a large extended family. Many of them spent years away from Kabul while the Taliban was in control. They're immigrants and refugees in their home country.

Having financial power gives the women a chance to change their often abusive marital situation as well. The drive they have to succeed is inspiring, especially when factoring in the massive obstacles.

Debbie is a hot mess, and in that sense she's the perfect person to teach and encourage her students. She gets involved in the NGO and diplomatic communities, bringing fun and relaxation to all kinds of folks.

Her writing style is conversational, perfectly blending rollicking humor with heartbreaking sadness. It's like meeting a girlfriend for pedicures and a catch up!

Debbie includes a multitude of cultural lessons about Afghanistan that illustrate the conservative nature of (mostly) post-Taliban Kabul. Time and again, Debbie has no clue about the actual reality of her students' lives. But her genuine caring and feisty nature overcome a lot!

[Joan · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 some way because they lacked a way to leave their husband or their society.
* Written by an American hairdresser who knows a lot about "product" and (at least before moving to Af.) little about middle east history, current events, or culture. Don't expect the book to teach you much of anything that is on a national or international scale.
* Has some interesting cultural tidbits. Ex: virginity testing a la virginity testing in The Red Tent. Gross!
* Is obviously (at least most of it) a travel journal turned into a memoir by an editor. Several of the sentences glared as having been written by someone else. It is not beautifully written.
* Best book for a day of flying that I could find at the Pensacola airport.
* Easily read in one day of travel.

One additional note is that I really did not like the author (as a person). One reviewer on the back cover wrote "charmingly frank," well, that is a nice way of putting it. The author felt a need to disclose all of her personal faults and life-mishaps toward the front of the book and it made me annoyed with her throughout. She came off as a total flake, whose spontaneity and irrationality and complete lack of foresight, while they helped set up this school and helped many many women, are a physical and emotional danger to herself and others.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 abused wife of a Christian preacher, and the experiences of Afghan women in emotionally and physically abuses homes/culture. She didn't over-emphasize this, but it did prevent the book from falling into easy (false) divisions between an enlightened "liberated" America and fundamentalist sexist Afghanistan. I enjoyed the vivid descriptions of people, clothes, social gatherings. I also enjoyed the paradox that the beauty culture was oppressive (mandatory painful/expensive/protracted "beauty treatments"), yet also gave women a rare opportunity to confide in each other, gain economic power, and be temporarily free of male surveillance.

I read this right after "Eat Pray Love" and enjoyed it much more... found the narrator unpretentious, lively, and generous, if also stupidly bold and oblivious to danger of her own behavior at times.

I didn't find her marriage (the fact of it, or the nature of the relationship) very plausible.

Was surprised and disappointed by some things I read while and after reading this book -- about how the author misrepresented the Beauty School enterprise, gave herself way too much credit, failed to mention co-workers and fellow teachers and instead created a false picture of her plucky little one-woman enterprise. That bummed me out.