The Acadian Saga

The Deportation of the Acadians—one of the darkest events in Canadian history—is replete with the drama of war, politics, and untold human suffering. Starting in 1755, thousands of French-speaking settlers were expelled from their homes on Canada’s East Coast by a tyrannical British governor with the support of New England troops. While many Acadians returned from exile to establish new communities that thrive today, others made their way to Louisiana and founded the vibrant Cajun culture known around the world.

Now, in a revised and updated edition of the book published to mark the 250th anniversary of the first deportations, award-winning author Dean Jobb revisits his dramatic and compelling account of “Le grand dérangement”—immortalized in Longfellow’s famous poem, Evangeline. Jobb brings a cast of characters to life so vividly that the reader is immediately captured by their stories. The richness of detail is remarkable. The quality of writing is cinematic. With thirty images to complement the storytelling, The Acadian Saga is a bridge across the centuries for the descendants of a founding people of this nation, whose courage and resourcefulness still resonate in modern-day Acadie and Louisiana.