Marguerite De Bourgogne

Her mother, Charline, came from a rural hamlet in the Burgundy region of France. Her father, Eric, from a rich Viennese family, was an Austrian Jew who spent the war hiding from the Nazis. It is their love story that sets the stage for a history of struggle, immigration, and integration. In Marguerite de Bourgogne, the author Maguy, tells her family’s story, beginning with her parents and her birth during World War II.

In this memoir, she chronicles her history, both the good and the bad—from her early life in Paris, her immigration to the United States and Chicago, her graduation from the University of Illinois, and her parents’ acclimation to life in America. Maguy tells how she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at age fourteen and how that disease has affected her.

Offering insight into one family’s journey, Marguerite de Bourgogne narrates the many physical and emotional adventures experienced throughout a lifetime.