Lessons In Fusion

WINNER, McNally Robinson Book for Young People Award
FINALIST, MYRCA Northern Lights Award
Sixteen-year-old Sarah (it’s pronounced SAH-rah, thank you) has a successful blog creating fusion recipes. When Sarah is invited to compete on Cyber Chef, a virtual cooking competition that soars in popularity at the height of the pandemic, her twists on her Baba’s recipes are not enough to pique the palate of the show’s producers. She is pushed to present dishes that represent her Filipinx culture, but these flavours are foreign to her since her parents raised her emphatically Jewish.
To survive Cyber Chef and find her cultural identity, Sarah must discover why her mother turned her back on all things Filipinx, and learn the true meaning of fusion.

“Lessons in Fusion is very modern and includes social media as well as the difficulties of life during a pandemic, yet it is also the timeless story of one young woman who is coming of age as she discovers her familial roots and the much bigger story of the need for diversity and cultural acceptance in all facets of life.” – CM Magazine

AUTHOR

Primrose Madayag Knazan

Playwright and author Primrose Madayag Knazan (she/her) is based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and writes from a Filipinx-Canadian, Jewish, and woman’s perspective. Her work has been featured at Winnipeg Jewish Theatre, Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, the Winnipeg International Writers Festival, CBC Radio, and the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival. She won the Jewish Canadian Playwriting Competition and her plays have been published by Scirocco Drama and Playwrights Canada Press. Her novel, Lessons in Fusion, debuted on McNally Robinson’s Best Seller list and was nominated for the Manitoba Book Awards, the Saskatchewan Young Readers Choice Awards, and the Manitoba Young Readers Choice Awards.

Reviews

“This is a beautiful story that highlights family, traditions, identity and the strength one girl finds to rise above everyone else’s expectations – all while making us hungry for snacks like Furikake Popcorn and White Chocolate Chai Almond Butter Cookies!” – Sidura Ludwig, author of You Are Not What We Expected “Lessons in Fusion … is a timely and nuanced novel that delves into numerous issues around race and culture, especially the pressures faced by young people with blended heritage.” – KidList Special