Enfin chez moi!
by Kidi Bebey
Proprietaire d'un appartement a Paris ! C'est trop beau pour etre vrai ! Pour Karine, jeune femme d'origine africaine, c'est la preuve d'une integration reussie, preuve que tous ses efforts en valaient la peine.
Mais au moment de partager sa joie avec sa famille, Karine eprouve un drole de malaise. Elle a peur de se faire envahir. Comment trouver sa place ici sans renier la-bas ?
Un roman sensible sur la quete d'identite d'une jeune femme prise entre plusieurs appartenances.
Published: 2013
Originally written in French
Number of pages: 116
Recommended FSL Programs and Grades
Grade 11 (Core)
Grade 12 (Core)
Race/Ethnic/Geographic Information
Author: Kidi Bebey is a French journalist and author. Bebey was born in Paris, France. Her family was originally from Cameroon
Characters: A young Cameroonian woman and family
Setting: France
Notes from a teacher-reader
The novel has 116 pages and has a fairly straightforward storyline regarding intersecting cultural identities. Some students may require support with timeline as the story occasionally jumps from past to present.
Classroom Use:
Addressing stereotypes
Themes that could be discussed: self-discovery/ identity, immigration, independence, assimilation, cultural intersectionality, socio-economic status/class etc.
Discussions of identity and racism (what makes something racist), how we embrace our heritage
There’s a song by Irma called Douala Paris on YouTube about trying to juggle her Cameroonian identity → https://youtu.be/mRnQkh7w3DU
Hook: A young Cameroonian woman, who grew up in France, acquires her own apartment. This causes tension with her family and between her two identities. A love interest helps her reflect and understand her family's perspective and intentions.
Feel free to contact the teacher-reader, Hillary Simpson, at hillary.simpson@rogers.com or Laura Ouellette at lvies2002@yahoo.ca if you have questions about this novel.