Wednesday is an important day of the week. Unlike many of those who trudge through a 9-5, Wednesday is one of my days off; a good day to run leisurely errands or visit nice eating establishments without the added bother of teenagers and their harried parents. It's a good day for lounging on the (truly spectacular) couch in quiet repose while blithely enjoying reruns of House or Big Love. These are all things I would gladly do more of on this blessed middle child of days if I didn’t have a two-year-old. C’est la vie.
But while I may spend hump day in Mommy-mode, the Mayor and his band of merry bookworms will be brunching on banter at the Library. As part of the continuing Read Your Way Around the World Series at the Louisville Free Public Library, the Mayor’s Book Club will be diving into Deborah Rodriguez’s memoir Kabul Beauty School this upcoming Weds. Jan. 18.
Published in 2007 and currently on its way to the silver screen, Kabul Beauty School follows the real-life story of Rodriguez as she uproots from her native Michigan in 2002 and reestablishes in Afghanistan, opening a beauty school that changes both the lives of her Afghan students and her own. Originally embarking for the worn-torn country to volunteer as a nurse’s aid during a humanitarian effort, Rodriguez would find that her talents as a hairdresser would be the true key to empowering the lives of women in a strictly patriarchal society. In the same tradition as Reading Lolita in Tehran, Kabul Beauty School offers a glimpse beyond the veil and into the vibrant stories of Afghan women.
Take a break from work (or from your day off) and get cultured this Wednesday. The Mayor’s Book Club meets at noon at the Library’s Main branch; new members are always encouraged, and, yes, you can bring your lunch.
The Library’s Main branch is located at 301 York St.
For more information about the Mayor’s Book Club, or for a list of future titles, visit the Read Your Way Around the World webpage
Image: Courtesy of Louisville Free Public Library’s website www.lfpl.org
