14 Sep / Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil by Deborah Rodriguez and Kristin Ohlson
Writing a memoir these days is dangerous business: you can be outed on Oprah as the worst liar, along with your publisher (James Frey, A Million Little Pieces), you can become infamous overnight for breaking the hearts of millions who not only trusted you but even gave up their lunch money to fund you (Greg Mortenson, Three Cups of Tea), and most recently, you can face death threats even before your book was released (Mark Owen who is really Matt Bissonnette, No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission that Killed Osama bin Laden, which, incidentally, finally knocked Fifty Shades of Grey off its #1 bestseller perch just yesterday). Certain memoirs (and, of course, other books – Salman Rushdie’s Satanic Verses must be the most-unread-best-known-title in the world!) have two very distinct paths: there’s the story, and then the story about the story.
So here’s Deborah Rodriguez‘s tale, which I both enjoyed (Rodriguez is a larger-than-life nutter, and I mean that with all respect) and shuddered through (she’s writing about Afghanistan, where women have experienced continuing violence almost all their lives). Thanks to Bernadette Dunne (who also expertly reads Amy Waldman’s The Submission), the audible version provides the perfect combination of bemusement and shock.
Escaping a dangerous second marriage to Michigan preacher, Rodriguez travels to Afghanistan in 2002, initially with a Christian NGO of professional volunteers (doctors, dentists, nurses) among whom she feels less than useful, but finds her hairdressing skills are in even greater demand.
She gets the crazy idea to start a beauty school in Kabul – vanity and beauty are indeed universal, even in the most oppressive societies – and finds initial funding from longtime Afghan supporter Mary MacMakin, founder of the decades-old successful NGO PARSA. Brash, feisty, do-before-you-think Rodriguez makes her beauty dreams come true, not only reclaiming her own independence (although she marries hubby #3 – a former mujahideen who already has a wife and seven children! – after 20 days!), but provides many desperate young Afghan women – who are more property than human – marketable skills, a career, and even the courage to break the cycle of isolated abuse all too common in post-Taliban Afghanistan.
Beyond Rodriguez’s story – which quickly became a bestseller, with film rights sold for a substantial enough sum to merit Sandra Bullock allegedly attached as the star (IMDB lists a 2013 release; not to be confused with the documentary, The Beauty Academy of Kabul) – is, of course, the story about her story. Soon after its April 2007 debut, insider naysayers had convincing evidence as to many inaccuracies and inconsistencies on the school’s founding, funding, and success. While some of that grumbling might be ignored, the more serious consequences of the memoir’s publication – and Rodriguez’s tell-all style – is the life-and-death situation it created for some of her Kabul students and friends. Rodriguez and her son had to flee Afghanistan under threat of violence in 2007; meanwhile, a chilling NPR segment reported “Topekai” was expecting to move to Pakistan, “Baseera” expected her own death. Rodriquez has since published a novel, The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul, in March of this year, and is now living in Mexico.
“Afghan women … have been held in the dark for so long, and during the darkest years they suffered more than even I can imagine.” Rodriguez writes at book’s end. “But the darkness has been pulled back a bit. The light is starting to fall on them now. They need the world to look, watch, and make sure nothing puts out that light again.” Here’s hoping, praying, demanding!
Readers: Adult
Published: 2007
Sounds a little sensational and can’t help feeling it’s ok for the adventurous minded who have alternatives and can leave, but for those left behind in their wake, it seems the situation is only made worse.
Reminds me a little in its premise (a somewhat naive outsider entering a completely foreign society) of ‘The White Masai’, an inside look yes, but reading it uncomfortable for all the wrong reasons.
You’re exactly right: “uncomfortable for all the wrong reasons.” Rodriquez says in the NPR piece linked in the post, “I never, never in a million years would abandon them … I had to leave, but I can do more good for them here.” She thought she could get them out, but doesn’t seem to have done any research on actually making that a possibility. A Michigan lawyer finally did, and quickly got to a dead end.
Meanwhile, NPR reports, “back in Afghanistan, the subjects of her book say Rodriguez and her newfound fame have put their lives in danger. They say they’ve seen none of the money or help to get them out of Afghanistan that Rodriguez promised them in exchange for having their stories appear in the book.” Rodriguez “claims the girls misunderstood what she promised them.” Uh-oh.
And then “two Afghan women with a copy of the book arrived in an unmarked car with armed guards and burst into the beauty school. There, they threatened the girls, saying they would pay for defaming Afghanistan.” Now what?
Scary stuff indeed.
Last winter holiday, I saw that book, The White Masai, and the two subsequent sequels, IN THE NATIONAL PARK (tourist) SHOPS in Tanazania! As well as the the airport in Kilamanjaro! The third in the series, Reunion in Basaloi, had just come out, so some even had a three-book gift pack, egads! The film version of The White Masai was also readily available right alongside. I leafed through the books, and was so disturbed by the exaggerations and just plain idiocy of some of the writing. So I can’t say I read them, but I shuddered through an introduction of them.
Once is sufficient to indulge these kinds of adventures, I prefer the words and experiences of Vaddey Ratner, Duong Thu Huong, Aminatta Forma, Wangari Maathai . But so feel for those left behind, naively used and subsequently abused.
Amen to that!!!
P.S. I finally finished the BBC doc, Beauty Academy of Kabul (available on Netflix for instant viewing). Interestingly, Rodriguez appears in the credits as “Debbie Turner” (her unmarried name). While she’s definitely the most flamboyant character on screen, she certainly isn’t, by any stretch of the imagination, the most prominent, and is one of the later-appearing teachers … Hmmmmm ….!!
As one of the girls in the book, I condemn supporting Kabul Beauty School ‘ s writer, buying the book, and believing her story. Stop publishing it !
Thanks so much for commenting here.
I’m not involved at all in the process of publishing this book. Merely a reader and reviewer.
I do invite you to share your story here, if you so wish. I’m sure readers will be fascinated to learn of your experiences!!
Has this book become a film with starring Sandra Bullock. if yes, please let me know the film’s name.
Thank You
I just did a quick Google search … doesn’t look like the film ever happened. I’d venture to say that too much controversy about the ‘truth’ of the memoir made it too much of a risk to sink Hollywood mega-dollars into the project.
I still have The kabul Beauty School book with me which was bought and signed by the writer ” Deborah Rodriguez” when I was in India. She said she cannot rest until she is going to save my sister’a ” Robina in the book” and my life due to the hazardous was occurred to us because of publishing her book. Big promise and no little performance. She abandoned us with no support and she put all responsibility on my shoulder while she put us in danger. I remember she refused the US embassy advice to stay two weeks longer in India to save our lives. It is so unfortunate, she as a writer still stating she is supporting the girls. That is just a big lie!
I’m so sorry to hear about your and your sister’s experiences. I hope you find safety and peace as soon as possible.
I appreciate it ….I am in California now but she did
Not help me to get here……even when I contacted her she hanged up on me….. I wish the readers of this book would get to know about the fact what was really happened…
Thank you so very much for sharing your story! Again, I’m so sorry to hear about what happened. What a relief to know that you are safe in Calfironia. I hope your sister is, too.
I hope many other readers will read about your experience here. Take very good care. And all good wishes, always.