Author Susan Muaddi Durraj
The Bookplate is continuing their 2024 season of author events on October 2nd with Susan Muaddi Darraj and her novel, “Behind You Is The Sea”. Guests are welcome to join Susan and the Bookplate staff for a Wednesday evening at The Kitchen & Pub at The Imperial for a presentation and book signing.
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.
“Draws a composite portrait of Palestinian American families with sensitivity and humor … breaking down stereotypes and embracing complexity.” — New York Times
“A beautiful portrait of a family reaching for their dreams while holding onto their roots.” — Publishers Weekly
“Neither angels nor devils, these characters are portrayed in all their complicated, charming, aggravating, bewitching glory. They are human, and as such, they are us.” — Washington Post
“Darraj writes with great emotional resonance about hope and disappointment.” — New Yorker
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. It also won the 2016 Arab American Book Award, a 2016 American Book Award, and was shortlisted for a Palestine Book Award. 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. She was also head writer of the Spotify Original podcast, Arabian Nights, for young listeners.
Her new novel, Behind You Is The Sea, was published in January 2024 by HarperVia. It received praise from The New York Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, and Ms Magazine, and it was named a Best Book of 2024 by The New Yorker and Apple Books.
Susan lives in Baltimore, Maryland, and teaches English and creative writing at Harford Community College and Johns Hopkins University.
For more event details, or to reserve your seats, contact The Bookplate at 410-778-4167 or [email protected]. These events are free and open to the public, but reservations are recommended. The Bookplate will continue their event series with local artist Marcy Dunn Ramsey on Wednesday, October 4th for a 6pm party and event at the store. The Kitchen is located at 208 High Street, while The Bookplate is located at 112 S. Cross Street, both in Chestertown.
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