Weekend Book Review: Kabul Beauty School

These weekend book reviews have really made me feel quite good about myself, for the record. I'm an avid reader but put me in a room with other adults who define themselves as avid readers and suddenly I become this kid. I've never read books like Anna Karenina - I claim it's too long for someone like me, with the attention span of a goldfish. If you wanted to retort back how ironic that you didn't have that problem with the seven Harry Potter books you'd have a point. But the reality is reading relaxes me, it decompresses me after a long day, and it's rare that I want something that interactive [I'd basically need to sit next to the dictionary] and serious. However as I continue to add to my [ever-growing] list of books to review I've realized that every blue moon or so I do read a book of historic and otherwise worldly topics. The Secrets of Mary Browser is the most recent such book and a review is coming soon but one of my favorites this summer has been Kabul Beauty School.

It came recommended to me by my grandmother, who read it in her book club over the winter. Her book club tore it apart [although her book club is actually reading Anna Karenina this month...so what does that tell you?] and Deborah Rodriguez has been involved in a number of controversy rumors since the books publication in 2007. Regardless, the beauty school is real, the women portrayed in the book are real [although their names are not] and the obstacles and heart-wrenching situations they face every day are real. And if the rumors are true, and Rodriguez has not delivered on her promises to give a portion of the royalties back to the beauty school, then it is all the more reason to read the book, hear the message, and help these women in our own way*.


*Kate Spade's hand in hand collection was created in a partnership with Women for Women International to support women in war-torn countries. Please support these women in countries like Afghanistan as they learn the skills necessary to provide for their families and maintain independence.