Kiffe Kiffe Tomorrow

Description: Disarmingly funny and fresh, Gune's debut novel is a hopeful, wise, and intimate portrait of Arab immigrant life, as it follows Doria, a 15-year-old Muslim French girl living in the infamous Paradise projects of suburban Paris.

Brief description: FAÏZA GUÈNE, the child of Algerian immigrants, grew up in the public housing projects of Pantin, outside Paris.

Review Quotes:

PRAISE FOR KIFFE KIFFE TOMORROW

"A light-hearted bonbon of a book. Not since director Mathieu Kassovitz's 1995 hit film Hate has there been such a compelling portrait of the Parisian suburbs. Doria [is] a volatile mix of adolescent insecurity, misguided bravado and tenderness."
-Newsweek International

"[Kiffe Kiffe Tomorrow] challenges the conventional wisdom that the suburbs are only dangerous, crime-infested wastelands where hatred runs deep and hope is nonexistent."
-The New York Times

"Rendered with tough defiance. [A] brash and bracing read." - Seattle Times

"This highly original story, told in an equally original voice, will be popular for as long as people read it." - curled up with a good book

"A feisty, invigorating debut. [F]unny, infuriating, and hopeful about young womanhood and cultural welter. A-" -- Entertainment Weekly

"Think of Doria on the same adolescent raft as Huck Finn and Holden Caulfield. A cunning wonder." - Harper's

"[K]udos for this sassy, spunky tale [with] the unforgettable voice. Doria has what it takes to storm any barricade." - Hartford-Courant

"Smart, upbeat. An empowering new voice transforms kif-kif-- same old, same old-- into kiffer, something to be crazy about." - Kirkus, starred review

"Moving and irreverent, sad and funny, full of rage and intelligence. Her voice is fresh, and her book a delight." - Laila Lalami

"[Doria is] as likable as Holden Caulfield or Prep's Lee Fiora. Readers will cheer. Highly recommended." -- Library Journal, starred review

"[C]ompelling, revealing Guene to be a promising addition to the world's literary voices." - Miami Herald

"[I]nspired. [A] sharply drawn tale of a precocious adolescent. [T]he reader can't help cheering." - New York Times Book Review

"Guene keeps her narrative plunging onward, one amusing observation from Doria at a time. [A] promising debut." - Philadelphia Inquirer

"Exuberant, sophisticated teen talk. This small novel reads like a quiet celebration within a chaotic ghetto." - Publishers Weekly

"Remarkable. A Gallic version of 'White Teeth, ' 'The Catcher in the Rye' and 'Bridget Jones's Diary.'"
- Salon

"[C]ompelling... reveals Guene to be a promising addition to the world's literary voices." - San Francisco Chronicle

"A tale for anyone who has ever lived outside looking in, especially from that alien country called adolescence." - Sandra Cisneros

"With bravado, humor, and a healthy dose of rage." - St. Petersburg Times

"Guene has a bright future ahead of her." - TimeOut Chicago