Chez Moi in the USA

by Evelyne Holingue

Everything was new to me when I arrived in California in December 1990. I wrote first in French to clarify my thoughts as I faced an entirely new country, new language and new culture. Later, I wrote to remember. And then, after two decades spent on both coasts of the country I started a blog where I shared my dual French American identity.Like many people who live in the U.S., I speak two languages on a daily basis.Unlike most, I write essentially in American English, a language I acquired in adulthood. The acquisition has been a complex process, frustrating sometimes, but in the end transformative. Living between two languages and two cultures is both a gift and a challenge. My blog became a window on this life spent between two worlds. Ten years later, I knew it was time to focus on other writing projects and time to say goodbye. I decided then to select some of my posts to create this e-book, my personal goodbye to the many people who read me over the years. In the process I became the embarrassed and humble witness of my linguistic wandering journey. I also realized that my posts not only uncovered personal experiences but illustrated also the evolution of our world, mostly in the ways we communicate. In less than a decade social medias have transformed us, and I followed these changes through my blog posts.Some of the posts I chose have likely never been read, only a few are among my most popular. I added two original unpublished stories even though a longer version of The Rooster won second place in a writing competition. Chez Moi in the USA is divided into categories, so you can select what interests you most. I still hope that you’ll venture through each and every category and will like what you find.

283 pages, Paperback

Published September 24, 2019

About the author

Evelyne Holingue was born and raised in France; she graduated from the Sorbonne in Paris. She worked in a publishing company until leaving for the United States in 1990. Evelyne’s work has placed in contests, been published in magazines, and aired on national public radio.
Trapped in Paris is her first young adult novel.
In Chronicles From Château Moines , a Middle Grade novel staged in a small French town in the early 1970s, Evelyne combines American and French cultures via the narratives of an American boy and a French girl. Publishers Weekly wrote that she created “a vivid, multigenerational cast of provincial characters, addressing the simmering anti-immigrant sentiments within the village while evoking the larger political and social climate of the stormy era.”
Evelyne has lived in different parts of the USA. She appreciates and admires the geographical and cultural diversity of the States. However, she keeps a special place for France in her heart.
Through her writing, she always shares her affection for her two homes on earth.
In addition to writing fiction, Evelyne keeps an active bilingual blog where you can learn more about her work and life in general.

Reviews

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recieved my copy of this book in high school in 2019 and its been sitting on my shelves ever since. I recently rearranged my bookshelf and decided to pick this up. It's very much a change-of-pace for me as I don't read a lot of blog style content.

However, I really enjoyed it. It was nice to see the US through an outside perspective. I also really enjoyed Evelyne's perspective of historical events (both French and American) and her discussions of them. There was some content that I didn't connect with but I liked reading it nonetheless.