Publisher's Weekly Review
Following her forced evacuation from Afghanistan in 2007, Rodriguez (Kabul Beauty School) found herself unmoored and without a life plan. Initially she landed in Napa, Calif., moving to a secluded mountaintop with a male friend. The once exuberant, outspoken middle-aged, adventure-seeking hairdresser found herself unable to settle down and find work: "I was an unemployed drama queen without a script. What I needed was to feel alive. I probably should have been on meds." Instead, following a cruise to Mexico, she purchased a small house in the Mexican resort city of Mazatlan and began rebuilding her life. Her once wayward son came to live with her, and there he met a local woman, married her, and had a child. Rodriguez opened a salon providing manicures and pedicures and soon found herself again immersed in the hair business as she did in Kabul. Seeking a way to help young women become independent and self-supporting, Rodriguez established Project Mariposa, providing funding for girls to attend beauty school. Fans of Rodriguez's brash and honest tone will thoroughly enjoy this next installment in her remarkable story. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
After being forced to flee Afghanistan, Rodriguez (co-author: Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil, 2007) initially settled on an isolated mountaintop in Northern California. Here, she recounts her rocky readjustment to American life and eventual relocation to Mexico.Back in the States, the once-confident, outgoing businesswoman found life in California unsettling, and she could not find suitable work or make friends. Eventually diagnosed with PTSD, the author received little substantive help for her problem. "I felt everything, all right," she writes, "but wallowing in all that loss, grief, and loneliness left me exhausted, and even more depressed." Always an adventure seeker and traveler, Rodriguez opted for a cruise to Mazatlan, Mexico, with a male friend. Beguiled by the sun, sand and ocean, she returned to the resort community and purchased a tiny bungalow. "So finally, I did what I should have done much, much earlier," she writes. "I gave myself permission to leave." The author packed her cat and her belongings into her car and headed south to her new home, where she slowly began rebuilding her life. She found a counselor who understood PTSD, and she surrounded herself with a vibrant group of new friends. Eventually, Rodriguez's son relocated from the States and quickly married a local woman. Soon enough, the author became a grandmother. "And as horrified as some people my age might have been hearing news like that, I, on the other hand, was struck with wonder," she writes. Business blossomed when Rodriguez opened a salon featuring pedicures and manicures. Realizing local girls needed help securing their futures, the author established Project Mariposa, which provides funds for girls to attend beauty school.Readers who fell in love with Rodriguez's chronicle of life in Afghanistan will surely revel in this candid, intimate tale of starting over in middle age in a new country. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
The author of Kabul Beauty School (2007) recounts what happened after she was forced to flee Afghanistan following a kidnapping threat targeting her youngest son. Rodriguez leaves behind both her beloved salon and her coffee shop, as well as her increasingly unstable warlord husband. Back in the States, Rodriguez lands in California, where she falls into an unfulfilling relationship. A cruise to Mexico proves to be an eye-opening experience, and Rodriguez decides to buy a colorful old house in the town of Mazatlan. Upon relocating, Rodriguez experiences some initial culture shock: she doesn't speak any Spanish, and she's horrified to find sewage coming up through the drains of her new house. But soon she amasses a group of friends, both Mexicans and expats, and even meets a man. Though she's certain she's left hairdressing behind, Rodriguez opts to open a salon to offer manicures and pedicures allowing her to employ several of the women with whom she's grown close. This inspirational read is bound to appeal to anyone contemplating their second or third act.--Huntley, Kristine Copyright 2014 Booklist