French Book Discussion Club - In Person

@ Connie Morella Library - Bethesda

Do you want to practice your French? Improve your French vocabulary? Meet new Francophiles? Please join us to discuss the book «Khalil» by Yasmina Khadra.

We meet in the main meeting room to read and discuss books in French one Tuesday a month from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. 

On December 17, we'll discuss Khalil by Yasmina Khadra.

Yasmina Khadra is the pen name of the French-Algerian author Mohammed Moulessehoul.

In this book, the author explores what motivates an individual to carry out acts of terrorism and also how the most vulnerable are recruited by extremists. The story starts with Khalil, a 23-year-old Moroccan man living in Belgium, making his way to the Stade De France in Paris along with three other suicide bombers. One of them is his best friend Driss who he has known since a child. The attack goes ahead but Khalil survives as his vest malfunctions leading to him to go into hiding. Khalil frantically tries to understand what happened and reflect on how he reached this point in his life. 

In examining the anatomy of radicalism, Khadra shows that all forms of extremism, whether political, religious or otherwise, stem from the same source: a refusal to see things from an opposing point of view. For Khalil and many others who feel called to commit atrocities in the name of a higher cause, the outcome is only tragedy.

More information about this program? Contact the branch 1-240-777-0970

Take a look at these resources for: Books in French available at MCPL, Interlibrary loans, book recommendations, Language learning.

Don't have a card right now?  No worries!  Find out how to Get a Library Card.

Accommodation Requests

People who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing should request English-language captioning or sign-language interpretation at least five days before the library-sponsored program they plan to attend. Contact the Assistant Facilities and Accessibility Program Manager at 240-777-0002 with all other accommodation requests.

cm 1.1 01/03/2023

Upcoming Events