Susan Muaddi Darraj
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Behind You Is The Sea
Named one of the most anticipated books of 2024 by Apple Books, LitHub, Electric Literature, and the San Francisco Chronicle.
Funny and touching, Behind You Is the Sea brings us into the homes and lives of three main families—the Baladis, the Salamehs, and the Ammars—Palestinian immigrants who’ve all found a different welcome in America.
Their various fates and struggles cause their community dynamic to sizzle and sometimes explode: The wealthy Ammar family employs young Maysoon Baladi, whose own family struggles financially, to clean up after their spoiled teenagers. Meanwhile, Marcus Salameh confronts his father in an effort to protect his younger sister for “dishonoring” their name. Only a trip to Palestine, where Marcus experiences an unexpected and dramatic transformation, can bridge this seemingly unbridgeable divide between the two generations.
Behind You Is the Sea faces stereotypes about Palestinian culture head-on and, shifting perspectives to weave a complex social fabric replete with weddings, funerals, broken hearts, and devastating secrets.
Publisher: HarperVia
Publication Date: January 16, 2024
Type: Hardcover
ISBN: 978-0063324237
Preorder on Bookshop
Named one of the most anticipated books of 2024 by Apple Books, LitHub, Electric Literature, and the San Francisco Chronicle.
Funny and touching, Behind You Is the Sea brings us into the homes and lives of three main families—the Baladis, the Salamehs, and the Ammars—Palestinian immigrants who’ve all found a different welcome in America.
Their various fates and struggles cause their community dynamic to sizzle and sometimes explode: The wealthy Ammar family employs young Maysoon Baladi, whose own family struggles financially, to clean up after their spoiled teenagers. Meanwhile, Marcus Salameh confronts his father in an effort to protect his younger sister for “dishonoring” their name. Only a trip to Palestine, where Marcus experiences an unexpected and dramatic transformation, can bridge this seemingly unbridgeable divide between the two generations.
Behind You Is the Sea faces stereotypes about Palestinian culture head-on and, shifting perspectives to weave a complex social fabric replete with weddings, funerals, broken hearts, and devastating secrets.
Publisher: HarperVia
Publication Date: January 16, 2024
Type: Hardcover
ISBN: 978-0063324237
Preorder on Bookshop
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Calling The Moon: 16 Period Stories from BIPOC Authors
An essential, highly relatable collection of short fiction and poems around the topic of menstruation, written exclusively by authors who are Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color For Angela, it came on the basketball court—while playing on the boys’ team. For Penny, it came on a lakeside field trip, inspiring some cringeworthy moments of humor. And to Layla’s disappointment, it came at the start of her first fasting Ramadan, mandating that she take a “holiday.” Whether their period’s coming spurs silence or celebration, whether they are well prepared for it or totally in the dark, the young people in these sixteen stories find that getting a period brings not only changes to their bodies, but also joy, sorrow, and self-discovery. Featuring BIPOC contributors who are some of today’s most talented authors in middle-grade fiction, Calling the Moon offers coming-of-age stories and poetry as varied as the phases of the moon, from funny to heartbreaking to powerful, all of them reassuring readers that they are not alone in their period journey. Type: Hardcover Publisher: Candlewick Publication Date: Mar 28, 2023 Type: Hardcover ISBN: 9781536216349 Order on Bookshop |
Farah Rocks Florida
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Farah's little brother is in the hospital with a heart problem that needs surgery, so her parents send sixth-grader Farah off to stay with her grandmother in a retirement condo in Florida; Sitti Fayrouz does not speak much English, has a lot of rules, and does not understand Farah's interest in geology, so Farah is not happy with the move--but despite being the only child in the community, Farah finds that the people are nice, and despite getting off to a bad start (she accidentally dumped a soda on his lap) she forms a friendship with Dr. Fisher, who shares her interest in science.
Publisher: Capstone Books Publication Date: August 1, 2021 Type: Hardcover ISBN: 9781496583420 Buy on Bookshop |
Farah Rocks New Beginnings
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Farah Hajjar is just starting sixth grade at the Magnet Academy when something terrible happens—her house burns down. Even worse, the house fire may be her fault. When her family moves to temporary housing, Farah feels the guilt piling up. Luckily Farah finds comfort in writing, and she channels her energy into starting a creative writing club at her new school. But can Farah convince her new science-focused school to support it?
Publisher: Capstone Books Publication Date: January 1, 2021 Type: Hardcover ISBN: 9781496583413 Buy on Bookshop |
Farah Rocks Summer Break
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It's summer break, and Farah is eager to attend an enrichment camp at her new school. But with car trouble and other family expenses, Farah's parents won't be able to pay for the camp this year. Taking matters into her own hands, Farah takes various odd jobs, including selling items at a yard sale, mowing neighbors' lawns, and finally starting her own tutoring business. When Farah discovers that someone is sabotaging her business by taking down her fliers, she's shocked. Can Farah find the culprit, continue her business success, and earn enough money in time to go to the camp of her dreams?
STARRED REVIEW: “Darraj shines a light on sibling relationships, and the malicious, repetitive behaviors of bullies that often go unchecked. […] Farah is a well-rounded character with ambitions and struggles; readers will identify with her challenges and root for her to succeed. A first purchase for upper elementary readers.” — School Library Journal “Darraj writes a strong character who must take on a lot as a fifth grader. Intimate cultural details [...] add to the authenticity of the portrayal of the family’s Palestinian ethnicity.” — Kirkus Reviews “A useful window for early chapter book readers and a precious mirror for Arab American kids.” — Booklist Publisher: Capstone Books Publication Date: July 1, 2020 Type: Hardcover ISBN: 978-1496583406 Buy on Bookshop |
Farah Rocks Fifth Grade
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Farah and her best friend, Allie Liu, are getting excited to turn in their applications to the Magnet Academy, where they both hope to attend sixth grade. But when new girl Dana Denver shows up, Farah's world is turned upside down. As Dana starts bullying Farah's little brother, Samir, Farah begins to second-guess her choice to leave him behind at Harbortown Elementary/Middle School. Determined to handle it on her own, Farah comes up with a plan--a plan that involves lying to those closest to her. Will her lies catch up with her, or can Farah find a way to defeat the bully and rock fifth grade?
Publisher: Capstone Books Publication Date: January 1, 2020 Type: Hardcover ISBN: 9781496583390 Buy on Bookshop |
About Susan
Susan Muaddi Darraj is an award-winning writer of books for adults and children. She won an American Book Award, two Arab American Book Awards, and a Maryland State Arts Council Independent Artists Award. In 2018, she was named a USA Artists Ford Fellow.
Susan Muaddi Darraj’s short story collection, A Curious Land: Stories from Home, was named the winner of the AWP Grace Paley Prize for Short Fiction, judged by Jaime Manrique. Her previous short story collection, The Inheritance of Exile, was published in 2007 by University of Notre Dame Press. For children, she has written numerous YA biographies, as well as the Farah Rocks chapter book series, the first to feature an Arab American protagonist.
Susan lives in Baltimore, Maryland, and teaches creative writing at the Johns Hopkins University.
You can learn more about Susan at SusanMDBooks.com.
@SusanDarraj on Instagram and Twitter
Susan Muaddi Darraj’s short story collection, A Curious Land: Stories from Home, was named the winner of the AWP Grace Paley Prize for Short Fiction, judged by Jaime Manrique. Her previous short story collection, The Inheritance of Exile, was published in 2007 by University of Notre Dame Press. For children, she has written numerous YA biographies, as well as the Farah Rocks chapter book series, the first to feature an Arab American protagonist.
Susan lives in Baltimore, Maryland, and teaches creative writing at the Johns Hopkins University.
You can learn more about Susan at SusanMDBooks.com.
@SusanDarraj on Instagram and Twitter
