Laila Ouarrachy – Freedom has a rhythm. Discover 1960s Morocco.

Out now: A sweeping historical fiction and coming-of-age tale set in 1960s Morocco

About Laila

Laila Ouarrachy is a fiction author of French Moroccan descent with a passion for literature and a penchant for adventure. Born and raised in Provence, she was fortunate to work and travel across the world, from France and London to Senegal, Morocco, and Dallas. These experiences imbued her with a deep love of different cultures and languages.

As the author of her debut coming-of-age novel, Drummers and Dreamers, Laila draws on her rich cultural background to offer gripping and underrepresented perspectives on universal themes of freedom, social change, and women’s rights.

Laila holds a diploma in business from NEOMA Business School and a background in finance. When not writing, she loves studying new languages, exploring different cultures, and immersing herself in nature. She loves surfing and practicing the piano. Laila is married with two children and a pair of cats.

Drummers and Dreamers is a genre-blending historical novel and coming-of-age historical fiction set in 1960s Casablanca, Morocco, where Tamo, a bold, ambitious heroine, is determined to steer her own life through music as political unrest and watchful eyes raise the stakes, for lovers of Leïla Slimani’s Watch Us Dance, Jane Green’s Sister Stardust, or Mai Sennaar’s They Dream in Gold.