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![]() Univ. of Virginia Press, paperback, 9780813929637 |
THE LITTLE PEUL
Translated from the French by Carrol F. Coates
Reviewed by Darryl Morris
This opening scene is representative of the lives of girls and women in this community, who are subjected to cultural restrictions and expectations that stunt their development. In addition, the narrator experiences more trials and stresses than other girls in her village. Her mother divorces her husband, and the girl is forced to curtail her schooling and help take care of the household and her siblings. However, she is a strong-willed and forward-thinking young woman who realizes through her reading that she can pursue a life beyond what her parents and culture expect from her. She is able to overcome numerous obstacles, and determinedly pursues the education that serves as her ticket out of the village and into a brighter future.
The Little Peul, which is based on Barry's own experiences in Guinea and Senegal, is a powerful and
instructive novel of a young girl whose determination and will permits her to achieve fulfillment and success
despite the odds stacked against her. Barry's personal narrative of adolescence and adulthood is continued in her
second novel, Le coeur n'est pas un genou que l'on plie, published by Gallimard in 2007 but not yet
translated into English, which describes her education in Senegal and Paris, her future mentors, and her
critique of culturally restrictive societies and their impact on the lives of women. |