Suzanne Fisher Staples

Suzanne Fisher Staples was an American writer of children's books.

Early life and education Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on August 27, 1945, Suzanne Staples was a daughter of Robert Charles Fisher and Helen (Brittain) Fisher. She grew up in northeastern Pennsylvania with her sister and two brothers.

Staples graduated from Lakeland High School in Jermyn, Pennsylvania and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Cedar Crest College in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Career Staples worked in Asia as a correspondent and editor at United Press International for 13 years during the 1970s and 1980s and then for two years at The Washington Post. While in Pakistan, Staples learned to speak Urdu, which she credited with helping her to develop relationships with people, listen to their stories, and understand nuance. These experiences enriched her writing, providing the geographical and cultural details that made her settings integral to the novels she eventually wrote. She covered events in Afghanistan from 1979 to 1982, noting later that it was the most important period of her reporting.

Staples's first two novels, Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind (1989) and its sequel Haveli (1993) are set in Pakistan and explore the life of a young woman facing an arranged marriage. Shabanu, a Newbery Honor book in 1990, is a story about a girl who longs for the freedom to shape her own destiny in a society where women face arranged marriages and have minimal autonomy.

Books