Franco-American life in Manchester, New Hampshire

Book_Franco-American Life and Culture in ManchesterMillions of Americans claim to have French Canadians among their ancestors, and for that reason alone there should be a fair amount of interest in Robert Perreault’s new book, Franco-American Life & Culture in Manchester New Hampshire: Vivre la Différence.

Mr. Perreault, who is a Franco-American historian, has written his latest book as a tribute to his hometown, Manchester, New Hampshire, which was one of several mill towns that attracted immigrants from Quebec during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

About 900,000 French Canadians left Canada between 1840 and 1930, most of them looking for work and settling in New England.

In a review of Mr. Perreault’s book, journalist and genealogist Juliana L’Heureux writes in the Portland Press, “It’s a well written history with photographs giving tribute to his hometown of Manchester. In so doing, he also provided another interesting chapter about the Franco-American immigration and cultural assimilation experience.”

Ms. L’Heureux also explains Manchester’s importance to Franco-American culture, “Manchester enjoyed a friendly ethnic and cultural rivalry with the cities of Lewiston, Maine, Lowell Massachusetts and Woonsocket, Rhode Island, for the unofficial title of the French-speaking capital of New England.”

Read Ms. L’Heureux’s book review, Franco-American writer Robert Perreault, in its entirety here.

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