The Power of Guene's Words

Last Monday, I was in the Langsdale Library scoping out its "Leisure Reading" section when I came across a book entitled Some Dreams for Fools. Interesting title, I thought. Anything that has the word, dream, in it, I gravitate towards it. Maybe because dreams allude to many things: imagination, disappointment, hope...I read the back of the book, and I read it's about Paris. Cool. The fact that the book cover was well designed, didn't hurt either. I might give it a I try, I tell myself.

To determine whether something is worth reading, I always read the first page: It's freezing in this bled, the wind makes your eyes water and I have to run in place to get warm. I tell myself that I'm not living in the right place, that the climate around here isn't for me, because in the end, climate's the only thing that counts and this morning the crazy French cold paralyzes me. I am sold. Later when I get home, I read on the back flap, that the author, Faiza Guene, the child of Algerian immigrants, who grew up in a housing projects outside of Paris, is only 24! I was shocked. Can you imagine being an international bestselling author and you aren't even 25? Can you imagine living in a society where you are marginalized, not thinking you will ever get heard, and your story is told to the entire world? Amazing.