Deborah Rodriguez, a hairdresser from the Midwest, traveled to the Middle East with a humanitarian group to aid the people of the war-torn region.

Doctors, nurses, therapists – and a hairdresser? In 2001, Deborah Rodriguez, a mother of two from Holland, Michigan, traveled to Afghanistan with Care for All Foundation, a Christian humanitarian organization, to aid the war-torn region. While the men and women of her humanitarian group brought with them essential and practical skills for the ravaged city, she struggled to find a place for herself. The group would ask her to pray for them in her hotel room while they worked, but she was anxious to dig in and help the people.

Behind the Veil

One day, she decided to leave the confines of her hotel room and venture into the crowded streets of Kabul, where vendors sold anything from kitchen sinks and copper pipes to traditional Afghani hand crafted scarves and rugs. She soon discovered that she had a knack for befriending Afghans, and became known as “Miss Debbie” to the locals.

Her people skills helped her fumble her way through language and cultural barriers, even when her somewhat brazen personality got in the way.

Finding a Role for Herself

Rodriguez was finally able to find a place for herself one day when she was attending a meeting with her group and other foreigners living in Afghanistan. Chagrined to find herself among the doctors and other health professionals who planned to open a clinic in the city, she nervously waited to be introduced. When she was, thunderous applause rang out. She learned that the Taliban had eliminated the beauty salons, and both Afghanis and foreigners were desperate for a decent haircut. Men and women both mobbed her with request for appointments, and, every time she went out, she would return home to find her door littered with post-it notes from people begging for an appointment.

A Better Life

Soon Rodriguez found a new life not only for herself, but for several women in Kabul. She decided to open a beauty school for the women of Kabul, where women could learn the basic skills that would enable them to open their own salons and become their family’s breadwinner. With the assistance of corporate and international sponsors, the Kabul Beauty School welcomed its first class in 2003. Both a learning center and a retreat, the beauty school was a place for the women to hang up their burqas and revel in each other's strength. It was also where Rodriguez learned the most about Afghanistan and the women she sought to help.

Kabul Beauty School tells the story not only of Rodriguez' work in Afghanistan, but also the stories of several women who lived there -- their struggles, their heartbreak, and their success. It's a candid look at a different culture from a woman's perspective, and a fascinating story.

About the Authors

Deborah Rodriguez has been as a hairdresser since 1979. She spent five years teaching and later directing the Kabul Beauty School, the first modern beauty academy and training salon in Afghanistan. Rodriguez also owned the Oasis Salon and the Cabul Coffee House. She currently lives in California.

Kristin Ohlson is a freelance journalist, essayist and fiction writer based in Cleveland. She traveled to Kabul to experience the beauty school first hand. Her work has been published in articles and essays in the New York Times, Salon.com, Ms, the Oprah Magazine, Discover, New Scientist, Gourmet, Vegetarian Times, More, Food & Wine, Tin House, Poets & Writers, Sojourners, Industry Week, and more.

Rodriguez, Deborah

Kabul Beauty School

New York, Random House, April 10, 2007