La route de Chlifa
by Michèle Marineau
C'est le 8 janvier que Karim a fait irruption dans notre vie. Le 8 janvier que tout s'est mis en branle. » Ainsi commence l'histoire de Karim, une histoire à plusieurs voix et à multiples facettes, qui va de Beyrouth à Montréal en passant par Chlifa, ce village par-delà les montagnes que tentent d'atteindre Karim et Maha, là-bas, au Liban. Là-bas au coeur de la guerre. Une histoire de quête, de déracinement et d'amitié. Une histoire de vie.
Publication Information
Published: 2010
Originally written in French
Number of pages: 256
Recommended FSL Programs and Grades
Grade 11 (Immersion)
Grade 12 (Core)
Race/Ethnic/Geographic Information
Author: White, Canadian (Montréal), living in Québec
Characters: Lebanese
Setting: Beirut, Lebanon and Montréal
Notes from a teacher-reader
17-year-old teen is main character.
Written in form of flashbacks.
Hook: Assimilation, finding oneself, racism and xenophobia.
Three parts:
First part (Jan- Feb 1999) is about main character’s experience in Montreal, he’s the newcomer to class, does not talk. An instance of violence happens one night, we don’t know what happens and if he’s okay.
Second part (six months before first part). Lebanon, talks about the history of civil war in Lebanon at the time, explains what happened to him before he came to Canada. Second book addresses why his demeanor is what it is in the first part.
Third part is shorter. He is back to Canada. It ties the two parts together.
Racial slurs in the second and third parts towards the main character.
Classroom use:
A few homophobic and racial slurs used by one character in the book, needs to be handled with extreme care.
New vocabulary, slang (must explain to students).
Issues relevant to teens.
Content warnings: Sexual assault, homophobic and racial slurs, violence, killing, Swearing against the Christian church (offensive towards Christian students).
Feel free to contact the teacher-reader, Kristina Beifuss, at kristina.beifuss@peelsb.com if you have questions about this novel.