A Different Kind of Daughter Paperback by Maria Toorpakai

Product Details

• Publisher: Viking (2017-08-15)
• Language: English
• Paperback: 384 pages
• ISBN-13: 9780143196921
• Item Weight: 306.18 grams
• Dimensions: 7.98 x 5.15 x 1.02 cm

The incredible story of a girl from tribal Pakistan who risked everything just to play, and ended up taking on the Taliban and inspiring the world.

A Different Kind of Daughter recounts Maria Toorpakai's harrowing journey to play the sport she knew was her destiny. From her early life masquerading as a boy and roaming the violent back alleys of the frontier city of Peshawar, Maria rises to become the number one female squash player in Pakistan. But for Maria, squash is not only liberation -- it is also a death sentence, thrusting her into the national spotlight and the crosshairs of the Taliban, who want Maria and her family dead. Maria knows her only chance of survival was to flee the country.
     Enter Canadian Jonathon Power, the first North American to earn the title of top squash player in the world, and the only person to heed Maria's plea for help. Recognizing her determination and talent, Jonathon invites Maria to train and compete internationally in Canada. After years of living on the run from the Taliban, Maria packs up and leaves the only place she has ever known to move halfway across the globe to pursue her dream in Toronto. Now Maria is well on the way to becoming world champion, and continues to be a voice for oppressed women everywhere.
A Different Kind of Daughter is about equality, courage, determination, parents' love, and the ability to turn to what is best in us to fight against what is worst in the world.

About the Author

MARIA TOORPAKAI is a multiple award-winning professional squash player. As a child growing up in a highly conservative tribal area of Pakistan where girls' involvement in sport was forbidden by the local Islamic culture, Toorpakai trained and competed as a boy in Peshawar. She is member of Women in Sports Commission of the International Olympic Committee. Today, the Maria Toorpakai Foundation supports and promotes young girls through sports by providing equal opportunities to be free, play and explore their full potential. Her documentary Girl Unbound: The War to Be Her premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. She has been featured across the media for her work and spoken on multiple prestigious stages. Toorpakai is the sister of Ayesha Gulalai, who is a former Member of the National Assembly representing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on a reserved seat for women.