Susan Muaddi Darraj: "Behind You is the Sea"

An exciting debut novel that gives voice to the diverse residents of a Palestinian American community in Baltimore—from young activists in conflict with their traditional parents to the poor who clean for the rich—lives which intersect across divides of class, generation, and religion.

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.

Susan Muaddi Darraj will be joined in conversastion by author and journalist Baynard Woods.

About the Author:

Susan Muaddi Darraj is the author of American Book Award–winner A Curious Land and was a finalist for a Palestine Book Award. A United States Artists’ Ford Fellow and past winner of the Maryland State Arts Council’s Independent Artist Award, she is also the author of Farah Rocks, the first children’s book series to feature a Palestinian American character. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland, and teaches at Harford Community College and Johns Hopkins University.

About the Moderator:

Baynard Woods is a writer and journalist living in Baltimore. He is the author of Inheritance: An Autobiography of Whiteness and the co-author of I Got a Monster: The Rise and Fall of America's Most Corrupt Police Squad. His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Guardian, Oxford American Magazine and many other publications. He also writes opera libretti and songs with his band The Barnyard Sharks.

About the Program:

• Doors will open to registered attendees at 2 pm.
• A local bookseller will be on-site and have books available for purchase.
• ADA accessible parking spot, free street parking, bike parking, and electric car charging station available.

Host or Publisher Enoch Pratt Free Library