Kabul Beauty School - Deborah Rodriquez

Deborah Rodriquez is a hair cutting nut. I mean that in the kindest way possible. To escape a not so nice husband she decides to do humanitarian aid. She ends up helping rescue workers at the twin towers and after that decides to join a trip to Afghanistan. Once there she finds that her skills as a beautician are much in need by the NGOs as well as a training tool that can better the lives of the women of Afghanistan. She decides to start a beauty school and amazingly is able to pull it off. What follows is an interesting tale of her accomplishments, the lives of the women she meets, and her take on the culture.

On the Four Star Scale

Sap Factor (***) - The women of her school have heartbreaking stories. War and poverty have made them desperate to make a better life for their families. Some find success. Some are pulled down into darkness.

Naughty Bits (***) - Oh my, Mrs. Rodriquez. She brings out the beauty parlor talk in everything. I learned that Afghan weddings can be fairly racy. Wow! She also marries some Afghan guy for love although seeing as originally they can't even speak to each other I think she was just lonely and that was the best she could do. But she doesn't tell her family about it and in several other cases encourages lying from her students. I know it's all in the name of a good cause, but it still makes me sad. There are probably some potty words as well.

Readability (****) - Very much so. 320 pages of sadness and heart break but with a fun edge and a beauty parlor finish.

Final note - I see these stories on the news all the time. They are presented by reporters, they are recorded by aid workers, but there is something about this crass lady and her take on things. She points out stuff that no aid worker would report. She is willing to do things no reporter would dare. She gives you another take.