August's Multicultural book, Kabul Beauty School, by Deborah Rodriguez, is the memoir of an American beautitian who traveled to Afghanistan with a non-profit organization in 2001. The hope was to train Afghani women in skills that would allow them to earn income.

More on Deborah Rodriguez:

Interview on Fora.tv

Kabul Beauty School Dropout Daily Mail (son kidnap threat)

Kabul Beauty School (25 min.) Mary MacMakin and her non-profit project

This month's Multicultural Book Group book is a challenging title from Norway and the first novel in a trilogy by Sigrid Undset, Kirsten Lavransdatter. First published in 1921 to critical acclaim, the book is noted for its historic accuracy in portraying life in 14th century Norway. It has become a classic and Sigrid Undset went on to win a Nobel Prize in 1928. The trilogy was originally translated into English by Charles Archer using archaic English words in an effort to capture the flavor of Medieval Norwegian. A more recent translation by Tiina Nunnally has been widely praised and is much easier to read. Nunnally grew up in Milwaukee and earned her MA at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and later studied in Seattle Washington.

Check out the film:

Download the ebook

"In 1551, King Joao III of Portugal gave Archduke Maximilian an unusual wedding present: an elephant named Solomon. The elephant's journey from Lisbon to Vienna was witnessed and remarked upon by scholars, historians, and ordinary people--and serves as the foundation for this witty tale of friendship and adventure. Jose Saramago's "The Elephant's Journey" tells the story of Solomon. The elephant's journey from Lisbon to Vienna was witnessed and remarked upon by scholars, historians, and ordinary people--and serves as the foundation for this witty tale of friendship and adventure."

 "The Elephant's Journey" book review by Ursula LeGuin in The Guardian

Jose Sarmago on video:

UCLA From Memory to Fiction through History with Jose Saramago

Jose e Pilar

Nobel Prize video

Saudi Arabia is a mysterious and fascinating country. How do women and men co-exist in a country where the genders are segregated? American, Zoe Ferraris, who lived for a year in Jeddah, satisfies our craving to know more about the life and culture of the Middle East with a lively murder/mystery novel, Finding Nouf.

Zoe Farraris on Facebook

Talkback with C. E. Moore, an interview with Zoe Ferraris (podcast)

Commonwealth Club (Fora TV video)

A conversation with Zoe Ferraris - haaretz.com

Why do you dress like that? by Al-Muhajabah