Sometimes people give me books they've read and don't want to keep so I can register them on BookCrossing and release them. This is one such book.

Hello! BookCrossing is an online community of book lovers dedicated to sharing books with each other and the world at large. We are curious to see where our books will travel and how their readers like them. Kindly make a journal entry to let us know this book has found a new reader.

Feel free to read and keep this book, pass it on to a friend, or leave it back on the shelf or somewhere else for the next reader. If you journal this book as a member, you will hear from future readers as it keeps on travelling the world. Happy reading!

I was delighted to find this book at Scherbe as I'm currently reading The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul by the same author. So I had to take it home - thank you! ;)

All it took to read this book were a few hours on a rainy Monday off. I really enjoyed it, much more than the Little Coffee Shop of Kabul that I had just finished before, even though (or maybe exactly because) it was non-fiction.
I'm not so sure what to think about the author - I've read about all the controversy - but in any way the Kabul Beauty School was a really interesting read.

Surpriiise!!! :) I know there's a good chance that you've already read this book or are simply not interested in it but I still wanted to pass it on to you. I really liked it, so I think it's worth reading.
And if you don't feel like reading it then at least the book travelled a bit hehe.

Huuui! Post von chrissini!

I haven't read this book so far and I am very interested in reading it. Thanks a lot, this really was a very nice surprise!

9.9.2018:
In general I liked the book a lot - I didn't know much about Afghanistan so far and found all the stories heartbreaking. But unfortunately the author is an incompetent, selfish woman who made no effort to even pretend to respect or assimilate into the culture she encountered. She bashed her way into Kabul, first perhaps with good intentions, and then she just proceeded to ignore every cultural more that she could. Her decisions were impetuous and illogical, and this was all explained as Ah! Crazy American!

She married a native with barely any acquaintance, and then proceeded to be upset that she was a second wife. Her first beauty school failed and she pouted and whined until she got a new one. Rather than move WITH the culture she was trying to help, she instead fought it every step of the way.

Obviously I am just as disgusted by the lives of women in Kabul as many other people. Many of these women are treated like trash and sex slaves, and are disrespected by fathers, husbands, and even sons. It is an unbearable situation, and the idea of a beauty school is actually founded in the culture of the attentiveness to beauty in Afghanistan (before the Taliban). But the author's refusal to accept the requirements of her status as a fairly clueless American -she makes ZERO effort to learn the language in the years she lives in Afghanistan!- only ends up endangering the women she has tried to help.

The only good thing I can say about the author - she did not seem afraid to admit to her frequent tantrums, illogical decisions, or cowardice. Perhaps this was just because she was able to explain it away in her own mind and saw no fault of her own, I'm just not sure.

I'm still glad I read the book though. It counts for efells Lesechallenge 2018.

Edit 31.10.2023: I also finished The little Coffee Shop of Kabul now, which I liked maybe a even a little more that this book.

As soon as I'm in Germany again I will send this book off to a fellow bookcrosser, who has it on their wishlist!

Thank you for the surprise RABCK!! I enjoyed Little Coffee Shop of Kabul and I look forward to reading this one. Your generosity is much appreciated.

I enjoyed this one and I liked it a little more than The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul as well. I also knew about the controversy but it did not distract me from the book or affect my enjoyment. And I did not find the claims against the author to be inconsistent with what is portrayed in the book. A good read for me.

To the lucky winner of the non-fiction sweepstakes. Congratulations and enjoy!

What a well-read and travelled book!
Thanks for sending it, mcsar, I am really curious and will look for some info about this writer... :)

Reserved for Diane-Fraser's Shrinking VBB.

Sent today to Alia_rus, who picked it from the INTL Shrinking VBB.
I hope it arrives safely, and you enjoy reading it. :)

Returned to me as Unclaimed. :(

Now reserved for the Women in Fiction VBB.

Sent today to Alia_Rus, who picked it from the Women in Fiction VBB.
Better luck this time! :)

This time book is received successfully 😉