Bullies and Borscht
by M.P. Fedunkiw

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In 1934, just after Mary Bendiak finishes Grade 3, her father dies. After the funeral, her mother Hanya, a Ukrainian immigrant, moves the family from Windsor to Toronto where Mary and her younger sisters must deal with poverty, making new friends, and being bullied by kids who call the Bendiak sisters ‘dirty honkys’ as they walk to school. Growing up, each sister must face her own challenges. At fifteen, Mary leaves school to support the family after her mother becomes ill. And later, Mary is forced to choose between her family and the man she loves. Teenaged Julia is ashamed about being Ukrainian and rebels. And Lily, the youngest, endures an unimaginable assault at the hands of a lodger. As a series of tragedies strike, will the sisters come together to save their mother and themselves? Inspired by true events, Bullies and Borscht is a historical young adult novel following the adventures, sorrows, and triumphs of growing up Ukrainian in Toronto during the Great Depression and World War II. Rich with historical and cultural details, this coming-of-age story is perfect for fans of Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch and Ruta Sepetys.

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M. P. Fedunkiw is the author of the novel A Degree of Futility (FriesenPress, 2014), the children’s book Inventing the Radio (Crabtree Publishing, 2007), and the academic book Rockefeller Foundation Funding and Medical Education in Toronto, Montreal, and Halifax (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2005). A former journalist who wrote for The Globe and Mail and produced segments for Discovery Channel Canada, she also worked as a communications consultant and university lecturer. She’s a member of the Writers Union of Canada, the Playwrights Guild of Canada, and the Arts and Letters Club of Toronto. She also serves as the president of the Arts and Letters Club of Toronto Foundation which supports emerging Canadian artists. When she’s not writing, she enjoys playing tennis and pickleball, directing plays, and leading creative writing workshops on cruise ships with her ‘Scribes at Sea’ program. She lives in Toronto with her husband. Interested in learning more about her writing projects? Check out her website: www.mpfedunkiw.com.

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M.P. Fedunkiw