Susan Muaddi Darraj is the daughter of successful immigrants. They left their home village of Taybeh, near Ramallah in Palestine in 1967 to make a new life in America. There, they worked hard, saved well and put four children through university. But they were in the minority.
“The immigrant success story is more rare than people imagine,” Muaddi Darraj tells The National. “I am interested, in my novel, in the majority of immigrants – those who arrive and continue to struggle.”
That novel is Behind You Is the Sea, a powerful and poignant portrait of three Palestinian immigrant families in Baltimore. It unfolds through linked tales that highlight the trials, upheavals, aspirations and expectations of a wide range of characters.
“I love experimenting with voice,” Muaddi Darraj explains. “The characters in my novel take control of their own chapters, and you get to experience the world through their perspective. This form also allows me to illustrate for the reader just how diverse the Palestinian community really is.”
Characters readers meet include Layla, who takes issue with the representation of Arabs in her high school’s production of Aladdin. Walid tries to mask his disapproval as his son marries a non-Arab woman (who insists on calling him “Ray” instead of Raed), while enduring ignorant remarks from the bride’s father. And Rania learns the hard way that her husband lied about his involvement in a heinous crime.
Older characters regard emigration as a wrong move. “Mama wishes she’d never left Palestine,” says one woman. “She thinks America is one big trick that God played on her.”
At the centre of the book is Marcus Salameh, a police detective investigating a domestic violence case who then picks sides in a family rift. Marcus reappears in the book’s bravura closing chapter. After obtaining permission from the Israeli embassy to bring his father’s body back to Palestine to be buried (“letting a dead Palestinian come home was better than a live one”) he travels there for the first time and discovers a family secret.
Muaddi Darraj had a clear objective for this, her first novel. “For many people in my social circle, I am the only Palestinian they know,” she says. “When I see the ways in which the media regularly dehumanises Palestinians, it’s because most people simply don’t interact with any who might challenge those deeply entrenched stereotypes about them.
“In this novel, I set out to introduce the reader to one particular Palestinian community, and I do so by introducing you to its members one by one. Each person you meet is a bridge to the next person, and so on. And I hope you eventually see that these people actually feel very familiar and that you have a connection.”
Like her characters, Muaddi Darraj lives in Baltimore. But life didn’t start out there. She was born in 1975 in Philadelphia in a working-class area with a melting-pot community.
“I heard a lot of beautiful stories about Palestine and was lucky enough to travel there with my family every few summers to spend time with my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins," she adds. "Later I studied at Birzeit University as a college student for one semester. It’s a beautiful place and its people are hospitable, resilient and generous. It feels like home in the best ways.”
Muaddi Darraj decided to become an English professor but, at the same time, “always tinkered with writing my own stories". Her literary output has been both varied and acclaimed, from the Arab American Book Award-winning short story collection A Curious Land (2016) to a groundbreaking series of children’s books.
“Farah Rocks is the first children’s series in North America to feature a Palestinian character,” she says. “I’m very proud of that, especially because I wrote it for my own daughter to help diversify her own bookshelf, to allow her a mirror in which to see her own life reflected.”
Muaddi Darraj is acutely aware that not enough Palestinian authors’ voices are being heard.
“We are terribly underrepresented,” she acknowledges. “Right now, during the assault on Gaza, Palestine is in the news every day, and yet it would be easier to get an assignment to write an op-ed or think piece if you are not Palestinian than if you are.
“This is very frustrating for me, but I try to mentor young Palestinian writers and help them understand the industry.”
At one point in Behind You Is the Sea, a character who is employed to clean up after wealthy, pampered teenagers, declares: “Arabs are ridiculous; even if they live a dream life, they want to star in some tragedy. If there is no tragedy, they imagine one.” Unfortunately, the tragedy in Muaddi Darraj’s ancestral homeland is all too real. She is appalled at the worsening crisis.
“What we are seeing now is a genocide, an attempted erasure of the Palestinian people,” she says. “It started decades ago and it has now reached a horrifying point. The murders of almost 40,000 people are only possible because of the dehumanising and racist ways in which Palestinians are depicted in the media. This is most obvious when you compare media coverage of Palestine to Ukraine.
“I hope that social media, literature, public demonstrations will do what the news media, at least in the USA, cannot do – present a fuller picture of who the Palestinians truly are.”
Behind You Is the Sea by Susan Muaddi Darraj is available now, published by Swift Press
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
More coverage from the Future Forum
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh135,000
Engine 1.6L turbo
Gearbox Six speed automatic with manual and sports mode
Power 165hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 240Nm @ 1,400rpm 0-100kph: 9.2 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh1,470,000 (est)
Engine 6.9-litre twin-turbo W12
Gearbox eight-speed automatic
Power 626bhp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 900Nm @ 1,350rpm
Fuel economy, combined 14.0L / 100km
Analysis
Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List
James Mustich, Workman
WHAT FANS WILL LOVE ABOUT RUSSIA
FANS WILL LOVE
Uber is ridiculously cheap and, as Diego Saez discovered, mush safer. A 45-minute taxi from Pulova airport to Saint Petersburg’s Nevsky Prospect can cost as little as 500 roubles (Dh30).
FANS WILL LOATHE
Uber policy in Russia is that they can start the fare as soon as they arrive at the pick-up point — and oftentimes they start it even before arriving, or worse never arrive yet charge you anyway.
FANS WILL LOVE
It’s amazing how active Russians are on social media and your accounts will surge should you post while in the country. Throw in a few Cyrillic hashtags and watch your account numbers rocket.
FANS WILL LOATHE
With cold soups, bland dumplings and dried fish, Russian cuisine is not to everybody’s tastebuds. Fortunately, there are plenty Georgian restaurants to choose from, which are both excellent and economical.
FANS WILL LOVE
The World Cup will take place during St Petersburg's White Nights Festival, which means perpetual daylight in a city that genuinely never sleeps. (Think toddlers walking the streets with their grandmothers at 4am.)
FANS WILL LOATHE
The walk from Krestovsky Ostrov metro station to Saint Petersburg Arena on a rainy day makes you wonder why some of the $1.7 billion was not spent on a weather-protected walkway.
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
More from Neighbourhood Watch
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKinetic%207%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202018%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rick%20Parish%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Clean%20cooking%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Self-funded%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More on Quran memorisation:
More from Neighbourhood Watch
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Young women have more “financial grit”, but fall behind on investing
In an October survey of young adults aged 16 to 25, Charles Schwab found young women are more driven to reach financial independence than young men (67 per cent versus. 58 per cent). They are more likely to take on extra work to make ends meet and see more value than men in creating a plan to achieve their financial goals. Yet, despite all these good ‘first’ measures, they are investing and saving less than young men – falling early into the financial gender gap.
While the women surveyed report spending 36 per cent less than men, they have far less savings than men ($1,267 versus $2,000) – a nearly 60 per cent difference.
In addition, twice as many young men as women say they would invest spare cash, and almost twice as many young men as women report having investment accounts (though most young adults do not invest at all).
“Despite their good intentions, young women start to fall behind their male counterparts in savings and investing early on in life,” said Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, senior vice president, Charles Schwab. “They start off showing a strong financial planning mindset, but there is still room for further education when it comes to managing their day-to-day finances.”
Ms Schwab-Pomerantz says parents should be conveying the same messages to boys and girls about money, but should tailor those conversations based on the individual and gender.
"Our study shows that while boys are spending more than girls, they also are saving more. Have open and honest conversations with your daughters about the wage and savings gap," she said. "Teach kids about the importance of investing – especially girls, who as we see in this study, aren’t investing as much. Part of being financially prepared is learning to make the most of your money, and that means investing early and consistently."
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Match info
Liverpool 4
Salah (19'), Mane (45 2', 53'), Sturridge (87')
West Ham United 0
More on animal trafficking
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The years Ramadan fell in May
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
Match info
Liverpool 3
Hoedt (10' og), Matip (21'), Salah (45 3')
Southampton 0
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
More on Palestine-Israeli relations
Most match wins on clay
Guillermo Vilas - 659
Manuel Orantes - 501
Thomas Muster - 422
Rafael Nadal - 399 *
Jose Higueras - 378
Eddie Dibbs - 370
Ilie Nastase - 338
Carlos Moya - 337
Ivan Lendl - 329
Andres Gomez - 322
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
More on animal trafficking
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
The five pillars of Islam
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
The years Ramadan fell in May
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The years Ramadan fell in May
