Kabul Beauty School

KABUL BEAUTY SCHOOL: AN AMERICAN WOMAN GOES BEHIND THE VEIL: Deborah Rodriguez: Random House: Nonfiction: 275 pages

Deborah Rodriguez, a hairdresser from Holland, Michigan, joined a humanitarian mission to Afghanistan in 2002. Initially, no one knew how her skills as a hairdresser could benefit a war-torn country, but she soon discovered that the beauty industry was one of the few professions open and empowering to Afghan women. After her initial trip to Afghanistan, Rodriguez returned with the help of corporate sponsors to assist in running a beauty school and became the close friend and confidante of the women in her classes. She tells her own story and the story of Afghan women in this fascinating book.

This is such an interesting look at modern life in Afghanistan. I especially enjoyed it because I recently read A Thousand Splendid Suns and recognized a lot of the history and geography Hosseini introduces in the novel. The two books make wonderful companions.

MBC