Dr. Rajia Hassib (born in Alexandria, Egypt, March 30, 1975) has authored two novels and other works. She grew up in Egypt, attending a school managed by German nuns from pre-K until graduating from high school. During her teenage years, she learned to speak German more fluently than English. Hassib obtained her undergraduate degree in architecture from the University of Alexandria and then immigrated to the United States in 1998, when she was 23.

After living in New York, New Jersey, and California, she moved to Logan County in 2006 with her husband, a West Virginia native. In 2008, she returned to college after deciding to make a career change from architecture to her life-long goal of becoming a writer. After receiving her bachelor’s degree from Marshall University in English, she and her husband moved to Charleston while she worked on her master’s degree and taught post-colonial literature and creative writing in spring 2014.

During this time, she wrote her debut novel, In the Language of Miracles, which follows an Egyptian-American family in Summerset, New Jersey, wrestling with their emotions over the crime of their son, who murdered his girlfriend and died by suicide. It addresses themes such as the American dream, guilt, and familial relationships as it follows their lone son, Khaled, living in the violent shadow of his deceased brother. Published in 2015 by Viking, it received notable acclaim, earning an honorable mention at the Arab American Book Awards and an Editors’ Choice selection from The New York Times.

After her breakout success, she completed her master’s and focused on writing for eight years, publishing her second novel, A Pure Heart, in August 2019. This book, which delves into the themes of religion, identity, and forgiveness, follows Egyptologist Rose, who immigrated to New York City to work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art after losing her sister Gameela in a suicide bombing in Cairo. She picks up the pieces of her religious sister’s lost life by returning to Egypt, going through her belongings, and learning more about who she truly was. The book was praised by The New York Times, Vanity Fair, and The New Yorker. In addition, her short fiction has appeared in publications such as the Bone Parade, Steam Ticket, Upstream, and Border Crossing magazines.

In fall 2022, Hassib returned to Marshall University as a full-time professor of English composition, English literature, and creative writing. She also sponsored an undergraduate student, who won the school’s Creative Discovery and Research Award. In 2025, she was a featured author at the West Virginia Book Festival, and her writing has appeared in 100 Days in Appalachia, an independent nonprofit newsroom of the Appalachia Free Press. She currently lives with her family in Charleston.