French Boy / A 1950s Franco-American Childhood is a glimpse into a young life both at the margins and at the center of the 1950s American experience . Born in 1947, Denis Ledoux had a childhood that almost seems to have been lived in another country and another century, but it is typical of what many Franco-Americans of his generation experienced . French Boy explores much: the developmental stages of childhood; family dynamics, bilingualism, acculturation and assimilation, alienation and shame. In French Boy , you will read about: • the conflict inherent in bilingualism, • persistent nostalgia for a past, • looking for mentors beyond one’s reach, • how the unassimilable ethnics assimilated, and • the discomfort and shame of “otherness.” What others have said of Denis Ledoux's writing: “The stories of Denis Ledoux come from a quietly strange culture—that of the French in America—which gives them their own quiet strangeness. Clear and deep, these stories try to understand something just beyond understanding. ” — David Plante / novelist, essayist / National Book Award nominee “[Ledoux’s] stories are fragile islands of the human heart where the unspoken epiphanies of joy and sorrow are given voice and presence . And Ledoux’s own voice shimmers with a distinct Québecois-American sensibility that makes these stories heart-breaking and haunting .” — A. Poulin, Jr. / poet, editor / founder of BOA EDITIONS [In Ledoux’s stories,] “French-English language and culture conflict exist as an undercurrent...The problem for a writer will nearly always be uncovering the social subtleties arising from insistent domination ...and that Ledoux [does].” — Elizabeth Hardwick / Novelist, Guggenheim Fellow / a founder of The New York Review of Books " French Boy put me in awe of Denis Ledoux’s talent, work ethic, good sense, and common humanity. These qualities add up to a touch of genius, which in summary displays Ledoux's ability to bring drama and feeling, as well as meaning, to the reportage of ordinary life ." — Ernest Hébert / Novelist / Whirlybird Island "Ledoux paints an intimate and informative portrait of his Franco-American boyhood in 1950s Maine, where he felt “separate from the present which seemed foreign—and American.” Ledoux’s abiding affinity for story enriches this tale of a thoughtful boy seeking more than his parents could provide." — Steven Riel / Poet / Edgemere "French Boy shines a spotlight on our complex Franco history and rich culture." — Susan Poulin / dramatist / Pardon My French! ; Author / Finding Your Inner Moose ; Blogger / Just Ask Ida MORE FRANCO CONTENT TO ENJOY French Boy/A 1950s Franco-American Childhood provides a deep look Into a culture. Here to Stay / Lives in Seventeenth-Century Canada. Ordinary people, heroic times. THE MEMOIR NETWORK WRITING SERIES For memoir, creative non-fiction, or fiction writers: Don't Let Writer's Block Stop You . You can push beyond stuck. How to Go Beyond Writing Prompts . Gone the isolated or irrelevant stories produced by prompts. Write to the End / Eight Strategies to Thrive as a Writer . Techniques and best writing practices to keep you writing well. Memory List Question Book: 100s of Not-a-Prompt Questions. . Meaningful questions / topics / ideas to reflect more deeply on your story. Start Your Memoir Right. Practical steps: Find inspiration to begin, and learn techniques of the art of memoir writing. Writing Great Memory Lists. Recall more details and dates than you had ever thought possible.