I'm from Bouctouche, Me

Donald Savoie grew up in a small Acadian village and went on to become an accomplished writer and academic whose books have profoundly affected Canadian public policy and public administration. "I'm from Bouctouche, Me" is not only his story but a story about Canada, the Acadian people, and the evolution of French Canada. In the 1950s most of Acadian society was poor, uneducated, isolated, and dominated by the Roman Catholic clergy. In the following decade two individuals, Pierre E. Trudeau and Louis J. Robichaud, pointed the way for Acadians like Savoie to make important contributions to Canada's development. Trudeau's objective was Canadian unity and he turned to Acadie to show Quebec that there was a viable French Canadian presence outside their borders. Robichaud, New Brunswick's first elected Acadian premier, had witnessed Acadian poverty first hand and made it his mission to bring New Brunswick into the modern era. Savoie shows how their efforts led to fundamental change for both Canada and New Brunswick and changed his life. Savoie has always been a champion of his home province and region - his memoir reveals why. He is one of 'Robichaud's children', the generation that finally emerged from the cloud of Le Grand Derangement to bring equal rights and opportunities to Canada's Acadian citizens.