Susan Muaddi Darraj Books In Order

Publication Order of Farah Rocks Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Story Collections

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Susan Muaddi Darraj is one of the most popular Palestinian-American authors who doubles up as an educator and editor. Over the years, she has made many contributions to modern literature that explore complex themes of the immigrant experience, heritage, and identity. Darraj was born to Palestinian immigrants in Philadelphia who moved to the United States in 1967. As such, her upbringing was colored by the rich narratives from her cultural heritage, which her parents did their best to instill in her. The foundation would become a significant influence on Muaddi Darraj’s literary voice. From this, she has been able to weave stories that resonate with depth and authenticity. Outside of her writing, her academic journey took her to Baltimore, where she became a pillar of the educational and literary community. She nurtures the next generation of writers whom she teaches creative writing at Johns Hopkins University and Hartford Community College. Her commitment to education is only paralleled by her work as an editor, where she is the editor of the national literary journal The Baltimore Review, which is known for showcasing diverse voices.

Darraj has an impactful and diverse literary repertoire that includes everything from short stories to collections and long-form novels. A Curious Land is a short story collection that provides an insightful portrayal of Palestinian villagers and their children over the years. The work would become one of her most successful as it won two Arab American Book Awards and an American Book Award. The work showcased her ability to combine broader socio-political contexts with personal narratives, offering readers intimate insights into the lives of her characters. Darraj would then become the author of the Farah Rocks series, which was a young children’s fiction set of novels. She made history by writing the first ever Palestinian American protagonist. Susan Muaddi Darraj published Behind You Is the Sea, her debut novel in 2024. The work delved into the intricacies of the immigrant experience, the nuances of cultural identity, and intergenerational dynamics. It would become a critically acclaimed work that was praised for its evocative prose and rich character development.

In her personal life, Susan Muaddi Darraj combines her role as a mother of three with her professional commitments. She loves to discuss the strategies and challenges of managing family responsibilities and a writing career as she provides some interesting perspectives into how she manages it all. She usually takes early mornings to write her novels before she turns to the needs of her family. Besides authorship, Darraj has been involved in the #TweetYourThobe campaign. The campaign was a response to Rashida Tlaib’s decision to attend her swearing-in ceremony in traditional Palestinian dress. The campaign encouraged people of Palestinian origin to share photographs of themselves wearing traditional attire to affirm and celebrate their cultural identity. Her dedication to her community and her craft have won her several accolades, including a 2018 USA Artists Ford Fellowship. She continues to provide some profound insights into the Palestinian American experiences as she provides narratives that enrich the tapestry of American literature and challenge stereotypes.

Susan Darraj’s novel Farah Rocks Fifth Grade is a realistic middle-grade fiction novel with a perfect story. It introduces the lead as a Palestinian American girl named Farah who could not be any more brilliant. Even though she is only 10 years old, she can read entire chapter books in a single day and solves math problems by simply picturing numbers in her head. Her family is having financial troubles, and she takes it upon herself to care for her little brother, who was born prematurely and has some type of developmental disability. She goes to a predominantly white school, and along with her brother, she is a victim of constant bullying. As a goal-oriented, strong, and independent young woman, she decides that it would be best if she forged, lied, and flunked her way to losing her chance at a prestigious academy so that she can protect her brother from the bullies. It is a cute novel that comes with great lessons and conversations on bullying, racism, and disabilities kids might encounter or have at that age.

Darraj continues from where she left off in the debut of the series as she tells the story of fifth-grade graduate Farah Hajjar in the novel Farah Rocks Summer Break. Starting in the fall, she will be attending Magnet Academy Middle School, but first, she heads to an exciting summer camp known as Camp Crystal. All her friends seemed to be heading there too, and she was interested in going too until she learned that it would cost $1,000. Even with the PTA offering her a $400 scholarship, her family cannot afford the camp. She is initially disappointed, but she gets an idea to start working odd jobs and selling things at a garage sale to make the difference. But even better is the idea of starting a tutoring business. But the more appointments she gets, the more things begin to go wrong as there is a rival taking away her clients and some unknown person has been taking down her advertising. She may also have to step in to help get the family car back into condition, as it is barely chugging along. Can she earn enough cash to attend the camp despite all the challenges?
Farah Rocks New Beginnings is the third novel of the Farah Rocks series that she published in 2021. Farah Hajjar is not only new at her school, but things are made even worse by the fact that she is feeling a lot of guilt. She would do anything to feel excited about her new school, but instead, she cannot stop thinking of the house fire her family had to deal with. She is feeling guilty as she thinks she may have caused the fire, which means her family now has to live in a temporary abode while hoping to get the insurance money. Friends, both old and new, are helping her deal with the guilt of having to take handouts from one of the meanest girls ever.