Unfinished: Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez

Book Info:

Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil by Deborah Rodriguez

Paperback: 320 pages

Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks (December 18, 2007) 

ISBN-13: 9780812976731

Genre: Non-Fiction

Source: My Shelves

Rating: 0/5

Soon after the fall of the Taliban, in 2001, Deborah Rodriguez went to Afghanistan as part of a group offering humanitarian aid to this war-torn nation. Surrounded by men and women whose skills–as doctors, nurses, and therapists–seemed eminently more practical than her own, Rodriguez, a hairdresser and mother of two from Michigan, despaired of being of any real use. Yet she soon found she had a gift for befriending Afghans, and once her profession became known she was eagerly sought out by Westerners desperate for a good haircut and by Afghan women, who have a long and proud tradition of running their own beauty salons. Thus an idea was born.

With the help of corporate and international sponsors, the Kabul Beauty School welcomed its first class in 2003. Well meaning but sometimes brazen, Rodriguez stumbled through language barriers, overstepped cultural customs, and constantly juggled the challenges of a postwar nation even as she learned how to empower her students to become their families’ breadwinners by learning the fundamentals of coloring techniques, haircutting, and makeup.




Sometimes an unfinished book is the victim of circumstances, and that was the case with this one.  I was about halfway through Kabul Beauty School when Claire was born.  The book up to that point was good, but it wasn't one I was telling every one about. I thought that Rodriguez had a wonderful program that empowered Afghan women, but I had a hard time matching her enthusiasm for hair color and makeup.

Once Claire arrived my reading time dwindled to nothing and I never picked this one back up.  About two months later it was requested on Paperback Swap and I mailed it out without finishing it.  If you've read this one, did I miss out on a wonderful ending, or was reading half the book sufficient?  0 stars

Unfinished: The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman

Book Info:
The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story

by Diane Ackerman
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (September 17, 2008)
ISBN-13: 9780393333060
Genre: Non-fiction
Source: My Shelves
Rating: 0/5

When Germany invaded Poland, Stuka bombers devastated Warsaw—and the city's zoo along with it. With most of their animals dead, zookeepers Jan and Antonina Zabinski began smuggling Jews into empty cages. Another dozen "guests" hid inside the Zabinskis' villa, emerging after dark for dinner, socializing, and, during rare moments of calm, piano concerts. Jan, active in the Polish resistance, kept ammunition buried in the elephant enclosure and stashed explosives in the animal hospital. Meanwhile, Antonina kept her unusual household afloat, caring for both its human and its animal inhabitants—otters, a badger, hyena pups, lynxes.

When I read (or listen to) a book about WWII or the Holocaust the one thing I expect in the book is emotion. How can you tell a story about such a devastating time and not have the emotions come through loud and clear? I didn't think it was possible until I started reading The Zookeeper's Wife.

I made it about 100 pages into the book and the story was terribly dry. I know that a story needs to be set up and explained, but those 100 pages were pretty much background info. I was a third of the way through the book and these still wasn't any mention of helping to smuggle Jews out of the country.

Since I left this one unfinished, that means my WWII Challenge was left one book short of completion. If any of you have read this one, does it get better? 0 stars

3 Recent DNF Books...

It's been a while since I last set a book aside, but in the last month or so I've had 3 unfinished books. None of them were terrible, they just weren't really holding my attention.


A Disobedient Girl by Ru Freeman
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Atria (July 21, 2009)
ISBN-13: 9781439101957
Genre: Multicultural Fiction
Source: Publisher/Book Tour

I really wanted to like this book. I enjoy multicultural fiction and it had been a while since I'd read any. I read between a third and a half of A Disobedient Girl and had a hard time staying engaged. The story and the characters were interesting, but didn't keep me drawn into the book. I found that I kept putting it aside to read other things.


Heat Wave by Richard Castle
Hardcover: 208 pages
Publisher: Hyperion (September 29, 2009)
ISBN-13: 9781401323820
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Source: Publisher

I have a friend who loves the show Castle. When this book arrived she snapped it up and quickly read it. I, on the other hand, have never watched the show and had no connection to the characters. I read 50 of the books 200 pages, and while it was a quick read and would have been easy to finish, there just wasn't anything special about the book for me.

Becoming Jane Eyre by Sheila Kohler
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Penguin (December 29, 2009)
ISBN-13: 9780143115977

Genre: Historical Fiction

Source: Publisher

I didn't get very far in this book, only about 25 pages, before I set it aside. Usually I read more of a book before I quit, but those 25 pages took me a long time to get through. I haven't read anything by any of the Bronte sisters, and maybe I would be more drawn into the story if I had, but right now this one isn't working for me.

My first unfinished book of the year...

I've read a lot of great books so far this year, but I finally found one that wasn't holding my attention. Since I received the book for review, I did want to mention it and link to other reviews.

The Four Corners of the Sky by Michael Malone

Description:

On her seventh birthday, Annie's con artist father left her behind at his boyhood home, then he raced out of her life. Years later, Annie, now a top Navy jet pilot, returns home on her 26 birthday. But everything changes when Jack calls to say he is dying, and needs her to fly to St. Louis to bring him the airplane he gave her the day he left. And if she does, he will give her the one thing she always wanted, that he always lied to her about the name of her mother.

The Four Corners of the Sky is a novel of love, sacrifice, and the inexplicable bonds that hold families together. Michael Malone brings these rich characters to life as only he can, evoking the unspoken motivations that drive people to define who they are and break out of those bonds when the call of love comes.

This is a large book (560 pages) and the amount of detail just overwhelmed me. I felt like the story just wasn't moving forward as it was bogged down in background info and details. I made it about 200 pages in before I set aside, and almost all 200 of these pages were about one afternoon. I think the story would have worked better for me if the book was about half the size.

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