Nominated for all major literary prizes in France. Awarded the Prix Goncourt des lycéens. Edouard Louis meets 'The Intouchables': the popular French hit. In his acclaimed debut novel, Mokhtar Amoudi tells a heartwarming story of a turbulent childhood in the Parisian suburbs. 'Magnificent! A wonderfully humorous novel that you devour without forgetting how unequal our society is.' Vogue. Nominated for all major literary prizes in France. There are decisions that turn a life upside down. When Skander returns from summer camp, he learns he has to leave his foster family. He barely knows his own mother; she left him in foster care, and thus to his fate, when he was two. The youth welfare office sends the ten-year-old to the worst possible place: Courseine, in the notorious Parisian suburbs with its drug dealers, gangs, and violence. Skander ends up with the mysterious Madame Khadija, who has a motley crew of orphaned wards in her care. Madame Khadija is loud and chaotic. Half the time she speaks Arabic, arguing with her neighbor, but beneath her gruff exterior lies a big heart. Skander quickly realizes that his good grades at school will do him little good in this neighborhood. He is increasingly drawn into the world of the street kids. He begins to live the life expected of him—not the life he dreams of. New product