Audio book read by Bernadette Dunne
2.5**

Rodriguez impulsively went to Afghanistan while escaping a bad marriage and looking for meaning to her life. Willing and eager to work, she came up with the idea of teaching the oppressed women of Afghanistan skills they could use to support themselves and their families. So, she started a beauty school with a combination of product donations, grants and private funding.

The atrocities to which Afghani women are subject are infuriating to most Westerners, but this isn’t new information any longer. I’m sympathetic to the cause and applaud anyone’s efforts to make a difference. Debbie’s continued inability to understand the cultural differences, however, really irritated me. It’s no surprise that the “authorities” eventually shut her down, though it is definitely a great pity. I certainly hope that the women she encountered have been able to continue use the skills she taught them, for their own sense of self-worth and to engage with other women.

Bernadette Dunne does a pretty good job of the audio. It’s not her fault that the material she has to work with isn’t stellar.