“Aurore: My Franco-American Mother”
On Thursday, August 30, local author Marguerite Roy will be at USM’s Lewiston-Auburn College for a reading and discussion of her memoir, “Aurore: My Franco-American Mother,” sponsored by USM’s Franco-American Collection.
Aurore was the youngest of nine children of French-Canadian parents who immigrated to Lewiston in the 1890s. The loss of her mother when she was just two years old affected her throughout her life; for her nine children and two stepsons, she strived to be the mother she always wished she’d had herself. At times unconventional, but always devoutly Catholic, she triumphed over circumstances that were economically difficult and sometimes personally lonely.
“This is a great addition to Maine’s Franco-American literature,” says USM Franco-American Collection Coordinator James Myall. “Aurore’s experiences echo those of many other local women in the early twentieth century, and readers, especially those from Lewiston-Auburn, will find this memoir both familiar and engaging.”
Marguerite Roy was born in Lewiston, where she lived for most of her life. While raising four children with her husband, Raynald, she earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Southern Maine. She and her husband now enjoy retirement in Auburn, Maine and Sun City Center, Florida.
The first chapter of “Aurore: My Franco-American Mother” took first place in a Florida Freelance Writers Association competition, and selections from the book have appeared in Down East, Discover Maine, Family Digest, and Out of the Cradle magazines. Other stories have appeared in an anthology published by the Writers of Sun City Center.
This free event will take place from 2 to 3 p.m. in Room 170 at USM’s Lewiston-Auburn College, 51 Westminster Street in Lewiston. Light refreshments will be served. Copies of the book will be for sale. For more information, contact 753-6545 or jmyall@usm.maine.edu.