FROM READERS & TEACHERS

Girl in the Belgian Resistance: The Author Highlights Her Book (60-min. Fr./Eng. DVD) by Fernande K. Davis:
What an amazing woman Fernande Davis is. I will quote her as part of our ceremony at the American cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer when we travel with the students next April. Here is the one lesson that I would like my students to take away with them from my classes and our trip:
"Je voudrais maintenant vous dire quelques mots sur ce que j’ai appris. Quand vous vivez une vie pareille, quand vous avez tant de souffrance et tant de choses, n’est-ce pas, que vous avez faites que vous n’avez jamais faites dans votre vie avant, vous apprenez quelque chose de la vie.
Vous apprenez certaines lois.
Et une des choses que j’ai apprise que je pense était la principale: c’est que si vous savez, si vous comprenez, et si vous pouvez différencier entre le bien et le mal; et si vous avez le courage d’agir contre le mal, si vous avez le courage d’agir contre l’injustice, alors vous pouvez faire une différence dans la vie.
Vous pouvez changer les choses.
Mais il faut avoir une bonne idée, il faut être convaincu et sûr, n’est-ce pas, de ce qui est la différence entre le bien et le mal.
Mais une fois que vous savez ça, il faut avoir du courage, parce que ça prend du courage.
Parce que les gens normalement vont protester contre ce que vous faites.
La foule, si vous voulez, simplement suivre la foule, c’est très facile, n’est-ce pas.
Mais si vous voulez faire une différence, il faut vraiment avoir du courage et suivre votre conscience.
Mais vous pouvez faire une différence."

Praise for filmmaker/author Barbara P. Barnett:
Thank you again for your amazing contribution to this area of research and application to the classroom. I appreciate the new resources and guidance as to how to effectively use these resources with my students. Your presentation at the Southwest Conference on Language Teaching was very valuable. I hope that more and more teachers will understand the importance of including the Holocaust and WWII in their curriculum.

Ma Normandie à Moi : un jeune homme vit la Deuxième Guerre Mondiale by Armand Idrac.

This short book, designed for both the general reader and advanced students of French, is an abridged version of Armand Idrac’s Drôle de Mémoires en Normandie. He wrote his World War II recollections for his family and close friends, without any thought of publication. Much to his surprise, they were published both in English and in French in the United States, a country that he came to love and that he frequently visited. In this work, he immortalizes the great moments of the Occupation and the Liberation in Normandy. He writes with charm and humor, without, however, glossing over the terror and violence of the times.

Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie has written an introduction also describing the landing of the Allies in Normandy from his own and his sister’s recollections. He notes the close link between his family and the Idracs. When the Idrac home in Caen was under siege, the Le Roy Ladurie family offered them and many others generous hospitality at their château of Villeray. Here the Idrac family experienced all the aspects of the aristocratic lifestyle despite the War, as well as heroic efforts for the less fortunate and wounded.

Idrac begins his memoirs with a delightful description of his childhood. Born in 1928, he spent the 1930s peacefully with his family and friends in Caen, enjoying summer vacations at Douvres. He writes with humor and wit, noting, for example, his curly hair in contrast to his newborn sister’s bald head, which made people confuse their gender. He also speaks fondly of his school days. His witty descriptions of school include such incidents as the Distribution des Prix, where he took almost every one and returned home with a dull little book devoid of any interest. He admired the Christian Brothers and their principal, whom the boys named “Frère Alcide.” He credits these men with excellent teaching, all the boyish pranks notwithstanding.

Chapters Three and Four recount the Occupation and the landing of the Allies in Normandy on D-Day. Without losing his wit, Idrac perfectly renders the gravity of the situation, recounting the first bombs of May 1940 and the presence of German soldiers in French cities. His anecdotes, for example, about the piece of fruit his sister threw away because it came from a German but which he had no problem devouring, show the humanity and resourcefulness of those who lived through those difficult times.

Idrac’s memories of the period between June 6, 1944 and the Liberation of Paris are exceptionally vivid. During this time, he and his mother and sister (his father had died in 1942) evacuated to Villeray. With a comparison worthy of Baudelaire, he associates the odor of decaying autumn leaves with “la poudre des combats, la sueur des hommes épuisés, traqués, couverts de la poussière ocrée des chemins creux” (39). He describes the bombings as an apocalyptic light in the sky. He relives dodging bombs and artillery fire. At the same time, he sees the humanity of the German soldiers, many of whom were victims of their leaders. June, July, and August were grim with hunger, death, and injuries everywhere. Then, on August 25, 1944, Idrac dramatically evokes a cryptic message written by British soldiers. “Paris is delivered.”

As an appendix to this edition of his memoirs, Idrac has added a chapter titled “Mon Amérique à moi,” a tribute to the Americans who participated in liberating Normandy. He has also chosen to include an earlier short story, “Amo Josiam,” characterized by a similar wit and ease of style. The edition concludes with study questions for students prepared by the editor.

This book joins a host valuable of World War II memoirs soon to cease as the last veterans of the war pass. It is manageable and affordable for advanced-level French students. It should also be a part of the personal library of anyone interested in this traumatic period of time. It is a vivid portrayal of unforgettable moments in history.

Publisher’s response:
This review conveys the verve which was the outstanding characteristic of my good friend, Armand Idrac. His humor was infectious. But I did not appreciate fully the effect of the war on him until after he wrote the short Epilogue that I requested, and emailed me to say, “You have no idea what this cost me emotionally. This is proof of our friendship.” We published this classroom edition (also in English) because we believe strongly that people of all ages should read first-person accounts of this world-changing history. Each World War II survivor is unique; Armand’s legacy is a love and appreciation of life that was all the deeper because of his suffering. Thank you, Sister, and thank you to the editor and reviewer of NECTFL for honoring Armand Idrac with this review.