L'Exil selon Julia
by Gisèle Pineau
Difficile de vivre dans cette Ile-de France inhospitalière, au coeur des années 60, lorsqu'on est une petite Guadeloupéenne exposée à la compassion ou à la dérision des "Blanche-Neige", "Charbon et Cie" ou autres appellations pas vraiment drôles... Gisèle a une alliée : Julia, dite Man Ya, la grand-mère, venue en France pour fuir les brutalités de son mari. Man Ya qui ne se résout pas à cet ici-là de froideur et de mépris, à ces villes bétonnées, à ces mots indéchiffrables, à cet hiver continuel. Pour l'enfant Man Ya sera le refuge d'amour et de sagesse ; elle lui donnera la plus belle patrie qui soit, celle de ses mots et de sa mémoire chantante.
Publication Information
Published: 1996
Originally written in French
Number of pages: 219
Recommended FSL Programs and Grades
CECR level C1, so grade 11 or 12 French Immersion (an advanced class)
Race/Ethnic/Geographic Information
Author: French (Guadeloupean origin)
Characters: Black/African/Caribbean Heritage
Setting: : Paris, Guadeloupe
Notes from a teacher-reader
Explores characterization rather than plot development.
Very beautifully written and descriptive.
This is an autobiographical novel. Story of Gisèle’s grandmother (called Julia).
Include a study of Guadeloupean culture + Creole. No translation provided in the book for the Creole used.
Deals with racism, being othered in the classroom, in the street (how people react to the grandmother), when learning a language.
Very good in discussing strong older women - you can discuss resilience.
Interesting how in the novel they show that there is no one solution to racism.
Exploration of what it’s like to be the other and not just discussing how deal with the racism issue.
Content warning - Julia moves to Paris to escape her abusive husband.
Husband fought in World War II has PTSD. The history of the war is discussed and how Black soldiers were treated at the time. We learn a lot of the abuse is related to his PTSD.
Liam suggests this could be linked with the other book by Gisèle Pineau (Un Papillon dans la Cité) to read in grade 9-10 and then read this one in grade 11-12.
Exiled from her homeland in Guadeloupe to Paris.
From first person perspective - story in Paris - 219 pages.
First part of the story we discuss Gisèle and her time in Guadeloupe and her grandmother it’s in the 1960s and then most the story is in Paris. Then we explore her transition to Paris.