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Here to Stay / Library Book Club Discussion Questions

I am always available to meet with you in person or on Zoom to discuss these questions in depth. No fee for orders of 10 or more books.

—Denis Ledoux

  1. Were you familiar with the history of early Canada in the period when it was New France? Share a discovery about that history you encountered as you read Here to Stay.
  2. There is much conflict in this book between the French and the Haudenosaunee. Was the warfare portrayed in a fair way? Did the portrayal seem honest? Was there anything in the relationship between the Haudenosaunee and the French that surprised you? Between the Indigenous people generally and the French? Were you aware of the genocidal wars the Haudenosaunee waged against the Hurons (Wyandots). The Hurons allied with the French in the hope that this alliance would protect them. Did it?
  3. A number of women held influential positions in New France: Jeanne Mance, Marquerite Bourgeois, Marie de l’Incarnation, Madame de la Peltrie. Address the status of women in New France. From what you know of women in New England, how do the two compare/differ?
  4. The American historian Francis Parkman called New France the Sparta of North America. What are your thoughts on this labeling? In what ways might Canada have acted like Sparta? Was the stance justified? Cotton Mather preached about New England being attacked without justification. Was this true?
  5. Describe birthing in early Canada. Why did so many women die in childbirth? Why did so many children die?
  6. What are your thoughts on the missionary effort to convert Natives? Was it successful in the seventeenth century? What was Marie de l’Incarnation’s response?
  7. Did the governmental structure of New France aid or hinder the development of the colony? Was mercantilism to the benefit of the colony? Explain.
  8. Describe marriage in early Canada. How did it differ from our conception of marriage? What is your reaction to reading about the filles du Roi?
  9. Life tended to be hard for the settlers. What features most struck you as most difficult?
  10. Frontenac dominated almost two decades of life in New France. Describe how his two governorships affected the colony.
  11. The Great Peace of Montréal of 1701 brought an end to a difficult time in New France. How did it come to pass?
  12. Describe the relationship between Louis Ledoux and Adrien Sénécal?
  13. What sorts of lives did Barthélémy and Marthe, Louis and Marie develop for themselves?