Book Talk by Denis Ledoux

The Acadian Archives/Archives acadiennes at the University of Maine at Fort Kent will host author Denis Ledoux at 6:30 p.m. on November 20. Ledoux will discuss his new book, Here to Stay: Lives in 17th-Century Canada.
In Here to Stay, Ledoux explores the distant history of 30 percent of Maine’s population who have French North American roots. Rather than focusing on politics and major events, he offers an intimate glimpse of the lives of four settlers who were not only family progenitors, but Canadian pioneers struggling against near-impossible odds. Here to Stay is a book about heroic efforts, profound tragedy, perilous survival, and relations with Indigenous groups.
According to Professor Leslie Choquette of Assumption University, “Ledoux has done a prodigious amount of historical research to reconstruct his ancestors’ lives and to convey the precarious nature of life in New France.”
A well-established writer, Ledoux is the author of French Boy: A 1950s Franco-American
Childhood and the editor of Lives in Translation: An Anthology of Contemporary Franco-American Writings. He is also the founder of the Memoir Network, which guides everyday people through the process of creating rich, insightful, and compelling memoirs. He holds a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Education and has taught in various capacities. He resides in Lisbon Falls.
“We are honored to host Denis and the launch of his new book in Aroostook County,” says Patrick Lacroix, director of the Acadian Archives. “This is a terrific opportunity to get reacquainted with our ancestors and the history that made us.”
Ledoux will have copies of Here to Stay for sale. Following his presentation, he will be available to answer questions and sign books. The event is free and open to all.