Maria Toorpakai hails from Pakistan's violently oppressive northwest
tribal region, where the idea of women playing sports is considered
haram-un-Islamic--forbidden--and girls rarely leave their homes. But
she did, passing as a boy in order to play the sports she loved, thus
becoming a lightning rod of freedom in her country's fierce battle over
women's rights.
"Maria Toorpakai is a true inspiration, a pioneer for millions of
other women struggling to pave their own paths to autonomy, fulfillment,
and genuine personhood." --Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner,
A Thousand Splendid Suns, and And the Mountains Echoed
A Different Kind of Daughter tells of Maria's harrowing journey to
play the sport she knew was her destiny, first living as a boy and
roaming the violent back alleys of the frontier city of Peshawar, rising
to become the number one female squash player in Pakistan. For Maria,
squash was more than liberation-it was salvation. But it was also a
death sentence, thrusting her into the national spotlight and the
crosshairs of the Taliban, who wanted Maria and her family dead. Maria
knew her only chance of survival was to flee the country.
Enter 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 invited Maria
to train and compete internationally in Canada. After years of living on
the run from the Taliban, Maria packed up and left the only place she
had ever known to move halfway across the globe and pursue her dream.
Now Maria is well on the way to becoming a world champion as she
continues to be a voice for oppressed women everywhere.
