Congratulations, Kabul Beauty School reader! By now you should have completed your reading of the memoir. If you are done and your wiki is up-to-date (seeGoSkateboarding May 15 for a complete list), you may complete the following two tasks:
In the comment box below, write a response (1-2 thoughtful paragraphs) to the memoir as a whole. You might consider the following questions:
- What did you find most intriguing about the memoir?
- What (if anything) didn't work for you?
- What did you think about the way the author told her story? Was it effective? Confusing? Both?
- Did you learn anything new because you read this book?
- If you could meet Debbie Rodriguez, what questions might you ask her?
- Would you recommend this book to future seniors (or anyone else)? Why or why not?
Finally, look through the student pages for all of the books. Choose four to comment on, in addition to the two you completed last week. Your comments should be as specific and thorough as possible, and be at least two to three sentences in length.
Leftover time? Here are some things you can/should consider before you do anything else:
- Check out the extra credit film project.
- Go to www.freerice.com , work on your vocabulary skills, and donate rice to the UN World Food Bank!
- Work on your zine (create an outline, develop ideas, gather visuals, type journal entries, etc.)
Comments (8)
student seven said
at 11:02 am on May 19, 2008
One of the most intersting things that I read about this book was when they were explaining everything about the wedding. The celebration lasted forever, and everything that had to be done for it and what the women had to go through to get ready for it. I had a bit of a hard time sometimes understanding everything that they were saying, and what some of the words meant when they were talking about stuff. It was sometimes hard to follow when they were discussing her being in america.
I think the author was pretty effective in the way she told her story. It give good background and explained the importent stuff pretty well. It also was a little confusing at times just understand the culturl in general. I did learn a lot new when reading this book, in the way women are treated almost like slaves and how many limations they have. I would recommend this book to future seniors because it was pretty easy ready for them to understand.
student4thirteen said
at 1:56 pm on May 19, 2008
The book" Kabul Beauty School" was a very good book i thought. I think the way she explains this huge chunk of her life in a very amazing way. The way she explains things makes you want to read more. I actually do like this book alot. Everything worked for me in this book. Nothing really threw me off. I was a little confused at first trying to picture their lifestyle down in afganistan and all the traditions. It takes a little while throught the book where you actually know what they are talking about. So my personal opinion about the book is that i like it alot and reccommend it to any high school class.
So, I also have learned alot about the culture and how things are in Afghanistan and how they are so different from other things in society. Like alot differnet. i do not think i could ever live like they do there. It is horrible. Women are treated so unfairly and poorly, and i hate that here. If i could meet Debbie Rodriguez, i might ask her how things were down there and why it is all allowed.
student 4four said
at 1:57 pm on May 19, 2008
The most intriguing parts of this memoir for me, are the stories behind all of the women that are described. I liked hearing about where they came from and their stories because it gave me a better idea of why they felt the way they did. MY personal favorite was the new bride who lied about being a virgin to her new husband. Where she {they} came from, that wasn't acceptable. You were to remain a virgin until you were married, and if you didn't, and someone found out, a lot of horrible things could happen to you.Although, the most gripping story i thought, was the little girl who was 12 years old and married. She was sold to an older man to marry to pay off her family's debt. Her story made me feel really sad, because i know what happened on her wedding night, and i just can't see it as being right or moral.
Something that didn't particularly work for me was that sometimes i felt like i couldn't understand what the women were saying, or what some of the words that they said were confusing because i didn't exactly know what they meant
I did learn a lot from reading this book because i feel that the things the women went through, were things that i never knew happened to women
If i could meet Debbie Rodriguez, i would want to ask her which womens story was the most gripping for her. and if there was a lot of stuff that she didn't put into the story because it might be too hard for the reader to understand. I would also want to ask her if she still talks to these women, and if they are in the same place they were when she befriended them.
I would recomment this book to future seniors, because i feel that they too could learn a lot from reading it. It's an easy read, and very easy to get into. The way she describes her experiences makes it very easy for the reader to visualize what's happening, which obviously makes it a lot easier to read about a time and place that none of us have ever seen before. I think overall, it's a great book for any senior to read.
student 4seven said
at 2:03 pm on May 19, 2008
The thing I found most interesting about this book is the fact that she, on a whim, took off for the middle east (Afghanistan) to help women survive in there newly recovered lives, without any regard to what this might mean to her own life here in the states. The thing that didn't really work for me was the fact that she was willing to marry a complete stranger with whom she couldn't even converse because neither could speak the others language, and to me that is not something a person that is mentally sane would do.
I liked the way that the author told her story, I found it interesting to hear her story of what transpired in Afghanistan told from her own perspective and in her own voice. I don't think the book would have been as good had it not been told in the way it was.
I learned something when reading this book that I didn't previously know, and it was that a lot of Afghan's are willing to change and give women more rights-freedoms-ect....or so I gathered from the book.
If I could ever meet Debbie Rodriguez I'm not entirely sher what I would ask her. I would probably ask her something along the lines of--If you had to would you do it again? If so what would you do differently? Or do you wish you had never done it? and If this is the case, Why do you wish you had never done it?
Overall I think this was a good book to read and it was also an easy read, so if I had to I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to experience a life changing event through someone else or to someone who thoroughly enjoys a good book.
student 4two said
at 2:24 pm on May 27, 2008
I thought that this book was really good. i would reccommend it to more of female readers because i think that females could really relate to some of the ways these girls felt.
Some times through out the book it got really slow but when the girls tell there storys to debbie and the other girls it gets really interesting and you just want to know more. For the most part the author told the story really good and i understood everything from their feelings to there action. you could feel the more time debbie spent with the girls, the more the girls seemed to get stronger.
If i would every met Debbie, the first question would be how can somebody be so strong when even they got hurt in the past? I would have many questions to ask her but that would be my first.
I have learned alot since i read this book, i found out that us young teenage girls have it pretty easy over in america. We are not forced into married and we have freedom to express ourselves in many ways, so we should be thankful for that and not take it for granted!!!
student 10 said
at 10:42 am on May 30, 2008
“Kabul Beauty School” was really interesting book. It described completely different culture and relationships than we have in the U.S. The picture of mistreated women will stay in my mind for a long time.
I feel that our generation is narrow-minded, that is why I strongly recommend this book to read to everyone.
student 4two said
at 1:54 pm on Jun 2, 2008
I think the book "Kabul Beauty School" was a very interesting book. I think it was a very good topic to do with us seniors and I loved doing the wiki. At first I was very frustrated with it all but then I got used to it and I recommend doing it more often. If I were to meet Debbie, I would ask; Why are you so involved with Cosmetology? What made you choose that for a career? I think the activities and movies we watched were an eye opener to what we have and take advantage of. This unit was very useful and helpful.
student 4eleven said
at 2:02 pm on Jun 2, 2008
i thought the book was very interesting. at first i had a hard time reading it but i got used to it and i got a very good look on how afghanistan women live there lives. there culture is very differnt then are's and this book cleary shows it. this wiki project taught me alot and i believe this should be used at schools all over and i reccomend that this book is read by whoever wants to get a better understanding of what life is like in afghanistan.
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