Search Results: Returned 3 Results, Displaying Titles 1 - 3
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2022., Renaissance Press Call No: NEW QWF Bio P153b Availability:1 of 1 At Your Library Summary Note: From biryani to borscht, the food was always fabulous in Canada''s only Polish-Pakistani family. Mariam S. Pal''s memoir, Ballet is not for Muslim Girls, is set in this remarkable Victoria B.C. household in the 60s and 70s. Growing up, Mariam struggled to navigate three cultures: her Pakistani father''s, her Polish-Canadian mother''s and Canada''s, where Mariam was born and raised. Mariam wanted to be a Canadian girl. A "normal" first name would have been a good start. At school they called her Marilyn, Marian - anything but Mariam. Hers was the only house for miles that didn''t hand out Halloween candy or put up Christmas lights. When Mariam came home from Grade 1 bawling because she was the only kid who didn''t have a turkey sandwich the day after Thanksgiving, her parents started a roasting a bird each year. Mariam was determined to be Canadian, fighting hard to attend high school dances or act in a drama class play. Ballet, Brownies forget it. Sleepovers were not allowed. Her martini-loving Muslim father fretted that a bacon and eggs breakfast might be on the menu the morning after. Ballet Is Not For Muslim Girls is an engaging, fascinating account of Mariam''s search for identity and belonging. Though her journey is sometimes painful, it is always thought provoking. Each chapter begins with an evocative and often hilarious photograph from Mariam''s family album. Ballet is not for Muslim Girls raises, with humour and affection, the fundamental issues of integration and cultural adaptation that all immigrants, from Adelaide to Quebec to Yonkers, grapple with. Ballet is not for Muslim Girls'' poignant yet uplifting story will appeal to a broad spectrum of readers, regardless of their origin.
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By Nawaz, Zarqa2014., Adult, HarperCollins Canada Call No: Bio N238l Edition: First edition. Availability:1 of 1 At Your Library Summary Note: "Zarqa Nawaz has always straddled two cultures. She's just as likely to be agonizing over which sparkly earrings will 'pimp out' her hijab as to be flirting with the Walmart meat manager in a futile attempt to secure halal chicken the day before Eid. Little Mosque on the Prairie brought Zarqa's own laugh-out-loud take on her everyday culture clash to viewers around the world. Now she tells the sometimes absurd, sometimes challenging, always funny stories of being Zarqa in a western society. From explaining to the plumber why the toilet must be within sitting arm's reach of the water tap (hint: it involves a watering can and a Muslim obsession with cleanliness 'down there') to urging the electrician to place an eye-height electrical socket for her father-in-law's epilepsy-inducing light-up picture of the Kaaba, Zarqa paints a hilarious portrait of growing up in a household where, according to her father, the Quran says it's okay to eat at McDonald's -- but only if you order the McFish. Zarqa Nawaz created Little Mosque on the Prairie, which premiered on the CBC in 2007. It ran for six seasons, was watched in over sixty countries. She lives in Regina with her family"--Provided by publisher.
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By Ali, Anar2019., Adult, Viking, an imprint of Penguin Canada Call No: Fic Ali Availability:1 of 1 At Your Library Summary Note: "As the heir to a successful business empire in Uganda, Mansoor Visram had everything a man could want: money, power, influence, a beautiful wife, and a baby son. But when Idi Amin's regime begins its crackdown on its South Asian population, Mansoor and his family are forced to flee, leaving behind everything. As refugees, they arrive in Canada, settling in Calgary, but the strain of what the family has been through begins to show. Years later, Mansoor's son, Ashif, is a rising star in a multinational firm. He has spent years distancing himself from his overbearing father but finds himself continuously drawn back to the family he left behind. Now, his father claims he has a plan for a dry cleaning franchise that will raise the Visrams back into their old position of prominence. But after so many failed attempts to succeed, one more pipe dream may be too many for the family to bear. Night of Power examines the psychological and emotional burdens placed on a family of refugees. What they leave behind and what they hope to gain in the future are all carefully weighed in Anar Ali's beautifully crafted prose that reflects the dream-like quality of past triumphs and the vivid realism of today."--.
