"What happens when you take a Buddhist child, a Hindu child, a Muslim child, a Jewish child, and a Christian child and put them in a gym? You have a basketball team." - Sam Mak
Sam Mak weaves her memories and experiences into a beautiful memoir of her life on two continents, both exploring and explaining her Muslim faith to her readers.
Sam (short for Samarina) was born in Pakistan and her family emigrated to the United States just before she started kindergarten. This America was a strange, beautiful new world to Sam, and her new classmates were just as curious about her. From learning English and navigating customs like McDonald's and Christmas at her new school, to traveling with her family throughout North America, to earning a scholarship to study engineering and later working for "Voice of America," Sam embraced her new country while staying closely connected to her Pakistani family and friends.
As Sam became a wife and then a mother, she traded her engineering career for entrepreneurship, and she launched her business while keeping up with four busy kids. Through the years, Sam's friends and acquaintances were asking questions and seeking to know and understand her, her religion and her culture. After 9/11, Sam was invited to her children's school to teach about Islam, diversity and inclusion, and this has developed into her passion and her career as a Diversity and Inclusion consultant.
Muslim Mythbusting is the story of Sam's life, the faith that shapes her worldview, and a guide for non-Muslims who want to know what Islam is really about. Sam's storytelling and humor shine throughout, reminding us that we have far more in common than we think.