Guns and Chalk

About this book

In Constantine in 1952, resistance takes shape in classrooms as well as in the streets. Sara teaches children within a colonial education system while trying to protect their awareness and identity. Hidden military plans soon draw her towards a conflict in which education and resistance are inseparable. Across that divide stands Émile, an officer shaped by strict discipline and a family tradition of unquestioning obedience. Their encounter unsettles the boundaries they have inherited. Aya Massoud’s novel follows the collision of childhood and war, threatened dignity and forbidden affection, as its characters search for a way to survive without surrendering themselves.