Growing Up On Academy Hill: Remembering My French-Canadian-American Papa

Paradis King, Annette

Biography of a father from his daughter's point of view, set in the context of Old Town, Maine, in the first half of the 20th century. From the author: "'Growing Up On Academy Hill' honors [King's] father who encouraged all six of his children to finish high school, a not-so-common achievement for those hard times. Recalling his ideology Annette wrote: 'My father was born with an inexhaustible desire to feel the earth passing through his fingers, to smell newly plowed fields warmed by sunlight. Every spring he pointed joyfully to new beginnings, and with enthusiasm taught us the basics of all beauty. From one corner of a small piece of land to the other, we observed as children, life through his eyes.' A brother's thoughts: 'We were not from a very touchy-feely" kind of family. However, our parents were not unloving, it was simply an unspoken love that was shared. I never heard Papa say, "I love you" to my mother, my sisters, or me. I never saw Papa kiss Mama. Yet the feeling of love was pervasive when I was a child.'"

2002

English

Book

20th century, Old Town, Maine