Zeyn Joukhadar Books in Order

This reading order guide provides the complete list of Zeyn Joukhadar books in order, from the very first to the latest, and is always updated so you won’t miss anything!

Zeyn Joukhadar is a writer whose words feel like poetry on the page, yet his stories carry the weight of deep history, identity, and human emotion. Best known for his breathtaking novels The Map of Salt and Stars and The Thirty Names of Night, Joukhadar has quickly become one of the most compelling voices in contemporary literary fiction. Born in New York City, he brings a unique blend of personal experience, cultural depth, and artistic vision to everything he writes. His work is rich with emotion, but also filled with important questions about who we are, where we come from, and where we are going.

Joukhadar’s writing style is known for its lyrical beauty and powerful storytelling. His debut novel, The Map of Salt and Stars, was released in 2018 and received international acclaim. It has already been translated into six languages, which speaks to how strongly readers around the world connect with his work. In this novel, Joukhadar tells the story of Nour, a young girl who journeys from New York to Syria with her family, only to be forced into a refugee journey across the Middle East and North Africa. At the same time, the book introduces us to Rawiya, a girl from 800 years earlier, who disguises herself as a boy and joins a mapmaker’s journey across the same lands. These two stories mirror each other in beautiful, heartbreaking ways, reminding readers how much courage it takes to search for safety and a place to call home.

One of the things that makes Zeyn Joukhadar’s work so unforgettable is how he writes about identity. His second novel, The Thirty Names of Night, explores themes of gender, art, memory, and belonging through the eyes of a young trans boy mourning his mother’s death. The story weaves past and present together, uncovering the hidden lives of Syrian-American artists, family secrets, and the power of self-discovery. Through mysterious journals, ghostly visits, and a search for a rare bird, Joukhadar builds a story that is both intimate and expansive. The book won the Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Fiction, and it’s easy to see why—it’s raw, honest, and deeply moving.

But Joukhadar’s talent doesn’t stop with novels. His shorter works have appeared in respected publications like PANK Magazine, The Saturday Evening Post, and The Kenyon Review. Whether writing fiction or essays, he always manages to blend emotion and meaning in a way that touches the reader’s heart. He is a storyteller who understands the power of words to heal, to remember, and to transform.

As a Syrian-American and a trans writer, Joukhadar offers readers a rare and important perspective. His stories speak to people who have ever felt displaced, misunderstood, or unseen. But they also offer hope—hope that we can find ourselves, even when the world tries to erase us. His books are about survival, but also about beauty and love. They are about the maps we carry inside us and the ones we must create for ourselves.

If you’re looking for stories that combine art, culture, history, and identity in powerful ways, Zeyn Joukhadar is an author you need to read. His books are more than stories—they are journeys. With every page, he invites you to walk alongside his characters, feel their emotions, and see the world through their eyes. Whether you’re discovering him for the first time or returning to his work again, Joukhadar’s writing will leave a lasting impression on your heart and your mind.