Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil
DEBORAH RODRIGUEZ. Random, $24.95 (288p) ISBN 978-1-4000-6559-3
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. (Apr. 10)