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An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil
Random House
April 2007
On Sale: April 10, 2007
288 pages
ISBN: 1400065593
EAN: 9781400065592
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction
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 the
idea for
the Kabul Beauty School was born.
With
the help of corporate and international sponsors, Rodriguez
founded the
Kabul Beauty School and welcomed the first class in 2003.
Well meaning
but sometimes brazen, she 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.
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