A Different Kind of Daughter

WHAT IF YOUR DESTINY WAS ALSO A DEATH SENTENCE?
Maria Toorpakai grew up in a violently oppressive tribal region of Pakistan, where girls rarely leave their homes and are forbidden from playing sport. But Maria did, passing as a boy in order to compete.
For Maria, playing squash was more than just a game - it was her salvation. But when her gender was revealed, Maria's sporting prowess became a death sentence, thrusting her into the national spotlight and exposing her to the Taliban, who wanted Maria and her family dead. So began Maria's long road to freedom as, alone, she moved halfway across the globe to pursue her dream, ultimately rising to become Pakistan's number one female squash player.
Heart-stopping and profoundly moving, A Different Kind of Daughter tells of Maria's harrowing journey to play the sport she knew was her destiny.
'Maria Toorpakai has risen from the turmoil of tribal life in Pakistan to become not only a world class athlete, but a true inspiration, a pioneer for millions of other women struggling to pave their own paths to autonomy, fulfilment and genuine personhood' Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner
'An intimate look into the lives of women in one of the most hostile places on earth . . . A testimony to the resilience of the human spirit' Marina Nemat, author of Prisoner of Tehran
'Beyond brave' Sunday Express

Born in 1990 to a Pashtun family in South Waziristan, a tribal region bordering Afghanistan, Maria is Pakistan's greatest ever female squash player. The only way Maria could play sport as a girl was to disguise herself as a boy. When her gender was eventually revealed in order for her to train professionally in squash, Maria and her family received death and kidnap threats, as her actions were perceived as 'un-Islamic'. The Pakistani national squash federation provided security for her home and training venue, but Maria decided it was a safer option to seek an opportunity to train internationally. Maria lives and trains in Toronto, Canada, under former professional squash player Jonathon Power. A Different Kind of Daughter is her memoir.