Suzanne Fisher Staples

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Suzanne Fisher Staples
Suzanne Fisher Staples is best known for her novels set in the Middle East and Central Asia which draw
upon her experiences working ten years as a reporter and editor for United Press International in Hong Kong,
India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, New York, and Washington, D.C. She later
worked for The Washington Post as a part-time foreign news editor. Suzanne returned to Pakistan in 1985 to
assess the lives of poor rural women on an assignment with the United States Agency for International
Development.
Suzanne's first novel, Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind (Farrar Straus Giroux, 1989) is a 1990 Newbery Honor
Book. The coming-of-age story centers on a young Pakistani girl who lives in the Cholistan Desert. Suzanne
has been a featured author at USBBY regional conferences and presently serves on the USBBY Board of
Directors.
Selected Bibliography
Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind (1989). Eleven-year old Shabanu, the daughter of a nomad
in the Cholistan Desert, struggles with the decision to either marry a rich, older man to whom
she is pledged, or risk the consequences of defying her father's wishes.
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Haveli (1993). Shabanu, now an eighteen-year-old mother, faces daily challenges to her
position in her husband's household, even as she plans for her young daughter's education
and uncertain future.
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Shiva's Fire (2000). A Hindu girl, known in her village for her dancing, is chosen to study with
a dance guru.
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Under the Persimmon Tree (2005). Najmah, a young Afghan girl, finds herself alone when
her father and older brother are conscripted by the Taliban and her mother and newborn
brother are killed in an air raid.
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The House of the Djinn (2008). In the ten years since Shabanu staged her death to secure
the safety of her daughter, Mumtaz, from her husband’s murderous brother, Mumtaz has
been raised by her father's family with the education and security her mother desired for her,
but with little understanding and love.
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Links of Interest
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http://www.suzannefisherstaples.com/
Suzanne Fisher Staples’ official web site.
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http://www.indiana.edu/~reading/ieo/bibs/staples.html
A collection of educational materials about Suzanne's books.
Suzanne Fisher Staples is a member of USBBY. Why not join her?
This author featured was prepared by Naomi Shihab Nye, January 2010.