{"product_id":"ballet-is-not-for-muslim-girls-9781990086205","title":"Ballet Is Not for Muslim Girls","description":"\u003cp\u003eFrom biryani to borscht, the food was always fabulous in Canada's only Polish-Pakistani family. Mariam S. Pal's memoir, \u003ci\u003eBallet is not for Muslim Girls\u003c\/i\u003e, 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. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMariam wanted to be a Canadian girl.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA \"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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMariam 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003ci\u003eBallet Is Not For Muslim Girls\u003c\/i\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003ci\u003eBallet is not for Muslim Girls\u003c\/i\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Renaissance Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50911415370002,"sku":"9781990086205","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_7bce7066-5514-478d-8f55-cbc0f0f26bfe.jpg?v=1738740417","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/ballet-is-not-for-muslim-girls-9781990086205","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}