Bilingual Being : My Life as a Hyphen EPUB
by Kathleen Saint-Onge
EPUB
Description
Written by a survivor of childhood abuse, this moving memoir traces the influence of the author's mother tongue in the formation of her identity, and the role her second language played in providing a psychological sanctuary.
Kathleen Saint-Onge reflects on the ambiguities of growing up in a primarily French household while attending English schools as she richly recounts the emotional gains and losses of a life lived in two languages.
A testament to the power of language in determining feelings of belonging or alienation, Bilingual Being also presents a portrait of the 1960s in Quebec and the changing role of the Catholic Church.
Depicting with warmth and humour her own developing independence gained at school, Saint-Onge reveals the tensions between the social world of her evolving English and her deep roots in French-speaking Quebec City.
It is an exploration of hope where language provides an escape from traumatic memories and a chance to reconstruct a secure sense of self.
Bilingual Being is a superbly crafted autobiography that seamlessly moves from the remembrance of abuse to observations of living bilingualism and the gradual unfolding of recovery in adulthood.
It is a compelling, beautiful, and brave narrative that tells a wider story about human resilience and the impact of language in creating new possibilities for life.
Information
-
Download - Immediately Available
- Format:EPUB
- Pages:288 pages
- Publisher:McGill-Queen's University Press
- Publication Date:01/04/2013
- Category:
- ISBN:9780773588288
Other Formats
- Hardback from £24.69
- PDF from £20.24
Information
-
Download - Immediately Available
- Format:EPUB
- Pages:288 pages
- Publisher:McGill-Queen's University Press
- Publication Date:01/04/2013
- Category:
- ISBN:9780773588288
