Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil

Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil (by Deborah Rodriguez(Author), Kristin Ohlson (Author) is a look behind at the women of Kabul. I checked this book out from our books on cassette collection and was very intrigued by the life that Debbie Rodriguez portrayed. And this book has been getting alot of press from National Public Radio. This book has pictures of the girls without their headcoverings. The book is tells secrets of the women and although the names have been changed the same women are at the school and could be killed for what Rodrigues has revealed. Rodrigues has left Kabul in fear for her life, but she leaves the school, the husband and the women behind. The book has been on the bestsellers list for months and a movie is being planned based on the book.

A terrific opening chapter—colorful, suspenseful, funny—ushers readers into the curious closed world of Afghan women. A wedding is about to take place, arranged, of course, but there is a potentially dire secret—the bride is not technically a virgin. How Rodriguez, an admirably resourceful and dynamic woman, set to marry a nice Afghan man, solves this problem makes a great story, embellished as it is with all the traditional wedding preparations. Rodriguez went to Afghanistan in 2002, just after the fall of the Taliban, volunteering as a nurse's aide, but soon found that her skills as a trained hairdresser were far more in demand, both for the Western workers and, as word got out, Afghans. On a trip back to the U.S., she persuaded companies in the beauty industry to donate 10,000 boxes of products and supplies to ship to Kabul, and instantly she started a training school. Political problems ensued ("too much laughing within the school"), financial problems, cultural misunderstandings and finally the government closed the school and salon—though the reader will suspect that the endlessly ingenious Rodriguez, using her book as a wedge against authority, will triumph in the end. This witty and insightful (if light) memoir will be perfect for women's reading groups and daytime talk shows.

Rodriguez says she will do more for the girls if she stays in America and sends them a small amount of royalties from the book and the movie.

What do you think? Should Rodrigues have written a book that could harm the women and men mentioned in her writings? We have the book and the book on tape at the library. Read it or listen to the tapes and tell me what you think.

Sue

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time

Some failures lead to phenomenal successes, and this American nurse's unsuccessful attempt to climb K2, the world's second tallest mountain, is one of them. Dangerously ill when he finished his climb in 1993, Mortenson was sheltered for seven weeks by the small Pakistani village of Korphe; in return, he promised to build the impoverished town's first school, a project that grew into the Central Asia Institute, which has since constructed more than 50 schools across rural Pakistan and Afghanistan. Coauthor Relin recounts Mortenson's efforts in fascinating detail, presenting compelling portraits of the village elders, con artists, philanthropists, mujahideen, Taliban officials, ambitious school girls and upright Muslims Mortenson met along the way. As the book moves into the post-9/11 world, Mortenson and Relin argue that the United States must fight Islamic extremism in the region through collaborative efforts to alleviate poverty and improve access to education, especially for girls. Captivating and suspenseful, with engrossing accounts of both hostilities and unlikely friendships, this book will win many readers' hearts.

This book is available for check out at the Brigham City Library.

sue hill