FRANCO-AMERICAN & ACADIAN Literature and History
 For the Franco-American Women's Institutes' 20th Anniversary, this anthology of written works and visual arts has been published to mark the present, active, creative lives of the women of the French heritage culture. This anthology provides a snapshot of the French heritage women's lives as they exist in the present. Paperback. 340 pgs. $62.00 | |
 Fran Pelletier is a rare and wonderful storyteller. He grew up in Milford, Maine in the 1930s, confessed to all seven sins at his first confession (thinking he had to), proudly wore a "Lindbergh" suit Mama sewed from puce and orange bargain wool (assuring him that aviators needed to be colorful), read aloud to his French-speaking grandfather at the railroad flag station after school, learned about chewing tobacco the hard way, played an unfortunate role in the derailement and subsequent sinking of a Maine Central handcar, and generally thrived in the bosom of his extended Franco-American family. Dogs, trout, and pigs put in appearances; an air circus comes to town, death claims a young friend, and Fran learns about life. Authentically small-town American, yet spiced by French-Canadian heritage, these stories whill resonate in communities throughout New England. 2003 paperback, 190 pages. $15.00 |  "This is a book about a female growing up, living in, trying to leave her cultural self behind, and then returning to the Franco-American cultural group which exists in the northeast, and more specifically in Waterville, Maine. ...This book is about the female self and her formation through the many individuals and institutions around her. Through story and cultural filters, the book illustrates family, friends, religion, health, alcoholism, superstitions, art & craft, beliefs, values, song, recipe, story, comint-of-age, generations, motherhood, language, bilingualism, denials, sexuality and what constitutes a cultural individual in a society that will not always allow that person full access or realization to who she is. But she does it anyway." --From the introduction. 2001 paperback, 89 pages. $12.99 |
 Dozens of voices celebrate-in essays, stories, plays, songs and art-the Franco American experience in Maine. They explore subjects as diverse as Quebec-Maine-Acadia frontier history, immigrant drama, work, genealogy, women, discrimination, community affairs, religion, archeology, politics, literature, language, and humor. This is a rich resource and an engaging read that will resonate with many. Paperback. 666 pgs. $30.00 |
