KABUL BEAUTY SCHOOL An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil

Debbie Rodriguez is a new kind of secular missionary. She went to Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban, planning to work as a nurse’s aide. But when her skills as a hairdresser were discovered, she found herself training young Afghan women in the trade. By learning a marketable skill, the women gained security, autonomy, and dignity. It’s difficult for Westerners to understand the culture in which women live in Kabul, and Rodriguez provides plenty of shocking details. Listeners are aided in their sojourn to this land by the clear and confident narration of Bernadette Dunne. Her delivery will make listeners feel it’s the author herself telling them about her students, love life, and political problems. Rodriquez’s experiences are fascinating, and Dunne makes them more so. D.L.G. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 08]