They better call it a screenplay rather than a novel. "Entre les murs" is poorly written in its dry dialogue-led realism with only a few selected moments of a decent, but mainly sarcastic irony.
Frankly speaking, the reason why I found this book interesting is mainly comparative, thinking to the Italian system of education.
What I learned is that apparently in France you can be suspended from class or even expelled from school just by calling your professor "you" or not asking the permission for throwing a sheet in the wastepaper basket.
Oh Mon Dieu! These banlieusards are worse than savages! C'est intolerable!
Being the son of a teacher, I consider the way professor/Bégaudeau interacts with his lazy and partly illitterate pupils astonishing, prejudicial and superficial: no wonder he had problems with them.
Liking very much Laurent Cantet as a director I guess how I would appreciate more the movie based on this book than the book itself.
) (French Edition) - Francois Begaudeau)