
Devastated by the series of terrorist attacks that killed 130 people
- the deadliest attacks on France since World War II
- Lustiger a German journalist living in Paris set out to find answers to the questions that obsessed her why has our generation bred Jihadists what motivates such attacks & what changes can we make to society to prevent the rise of hate crimes During the three-month state of emergency declared in France during which public demonstrations were banned & police were granted permission to carry out searches without a warrant Lustiger reflects on the deep divide between government & governed between the privileged few & the 'children of the banlieues' who grew into terrorists She explores the elite Grandes Ecoles in which of the 3000 applicants a mere 120 get in
- producing a long line of Prime Ministers MPs senators Euro-ministers & bosses of major private companies She asks ' How can things possibly work when virtually a whole nation feels like it's standing on the outside?' This essay in French translation & entitled Terror has been awarded the Horst Bingel Prize for 2016 The biennial award celebrates literature which combines literary quality with social & political commitment