Bilingual Reading and Book Talk with Moroccan Author Rim Battal

Bilingual reading in French and English followed by a discussion of the book and it's themes. Flatbush Library is pleased to welcome author Rim Battal to discuss I'll Look Myself in the Eyes with translator Liza Tripp.

In this autobiographical novel, 17-year-old Rim is caught smoking out her window in her home in Marrakesh, Morocco. This minor transgression unleashes the fury of her mother who flies into a rage and demands that Rim complete a gynecological test certifying her virginity. So begins a nuanced journey into the tangled web of a patriarchal society in which various generations of women seem to complicitly preserve the status quo. Ultimately, it is Rim who breaks the cycle of dysfunction, rebels against tradition, confronts betrayal from the women closest to her, and dares to be her true self.

After the discussion, there will be time for Q&A and opportunity to purchase signed books with Galiot Press.