Kabul Beauty School

I just noticed that I am reading lots of memoirs based on authors' experiences in the Middle East as of late. Hm. In choosing my next book I looked at books I have on hand: Reading Lolita in Tehran, Three Cups of Tea; books I have recently read: Thousand Splendid Suns, Kabul Beauty School. I don't really know what my fascination is with the Middle East and memoirs right now. But I'm planning to take a break and read an actual novel next. Anywho...

I enjoyed this book, although it wasn't exactly what I hoped for. I read about this book and heard it was wonderful--about a hairdresser from Michigan who, post-divorce/semi-mid-life crisis, decides she wants to move to Afghanistan and help Afghan women become more self-sufficient or at least garner skills valuable in their culture (to women at least). She starts small--gathering donations of product and supplies and finally has enough to start a beauty school but finds she has no way to ship them there. (we're talking a full shipping container of stuff). Long story short, she spearheads an operation already underway with an American NGO on the same cause and ends up loving Afghanistan.

This book was more a collection of her stories from her 5 years in Afghanistan and provide real insight into the experience of Afghan women there. For that, I thought it was lovely and valuable. I guess I just hoped that it would be more novel-like with flow and chapters and stuff. Not so much. But I realize that might have been too high of a bar for a memoir.

Overall, I did enjoy this book and it was a quick read. I'd recommend it just for the experiences of the author and the women whose lives she undoubtedly touched and changed. As well as the lives of her Afghan husband and her two sons.