Laughing All the Way to the Mosque: The Misadventures of a Muslim Woman

In this entertaining memoir, Nawaz, creator of the hit sitcom Little Mosque on the Prairie, writes about her life as a Canadian Muslim woman of Pakistani origin. She addresses serious social issues—suspicion of Muslims after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, gender relations in Islam, the struggle to fit in as an immigrant child—but always with a humorous and light touch, deftly balancing obvious commitments to her religion, her country, and her family with an irreverent approach to the status quo. Nawaz’s stories are sometimes specific to her Muslim life: she describes going on the hajj and wearing the hijab, as well as her parents trying to arrange her marriage. But non-Muslim readers will relate to many of the stories, such as those about being a self-conscious preteen or dealing with work/life balance as the mother of four children. Nawaz’s self-deprecating wit is endearing, and her simple, factual tone provides education without ever being boring. This memoir provides an important glimpse into the everyday life of a Western Muslim family, but, even better, it is a laugh-out-loud story that everyone can enjoy. (May)