~ Short Bio ~

Credit: QZB Photography

Saadia Faruqi is a Pakistani American author and interfaith activist. She writes the popular children’s early reader series “Yasmin” and other books for children, including chapter books, graphic novels, and picture books. Her middle grade novels include “A Place At The Table” co-written with Laura Shovan (a Sydney Taylor Notable 2021), “A Thousand Questions” (a South Asia Book Award Honor 2021) and “Yusuf Azeem Is Not A Hero”. Her first graphic novel “Saving Sunshine” was a Kirkus Best Book in 2023. Saadia is editor-in-chief of Blue Minaret, a magazine for Muslim art, poetry and prose, and was featured in Oprah Magazine in 2017 as a woman making a difference in her community. She lives in Houston, TX with her husband and children. 

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~ Ten Interesting Facts About Me ~

1. I was born in Pakistan in the city of lights, the city that never sleeps, Karachi. It was the decade of the seventies and eighties, and Karachi was a great place to grow up. 

2. I have a Bachelor in Business Administration from the University of Central Florida and a Masters in Liberal Arts with a concentration in Sociology from Baker University in Kansas.

3. Travel is my middle name. I’ve stayed awhile in Ohio, Florida and Tennessee before finally settling in Houston, Texas, which is as close to Pakistan as I could possibly find within the U.S. I mean, when there’s a Hunan Chef serving a halal buffet, you’re pretty much in heaven!

4. I am a self-taught “interfaith activist” which means I strongly believe that the path to peace in this world is to understand and accept other religions and ways of life as valid and valuable. Sometimes I write about that as well.

At my grandma’s house in Pakistan

5. I have a husband who works with computers, two children, and a gaggle of in-laws close by – the typical Pakistani American family.

6. I like “back home” food most days, but my favorite things to eat are cheeseburgers and pizza, which make me an international citizen of some sort, if you think about it.

7. My bookshelves are filled with a hundred random titles, ranging from religion to fantasy to cookbooks. But in a perfect world I’d have an endless supply of mystery romance novels. I’m still waiting for someone to write that perfect Pakistani or Muslim romance story, preferably with a heroine named Saadia.

8. I may be well-known for my children’s book, but I actually started my writing career with books for adults. Boring, I know!

9. My favorite color is blue but sometimes it is also green. And my favorite thing to do is to read books. Or take a nap. Either is fine with me.

10. As editor-in-chief of Blue Minaret, I get to meet an awesome and uber-interesting array of authors, poets and artists dedicated to chronicling the Muslim experience. Some of my best friends are those I have never met in real life!

Click below to listen to the pronunciation of my name: