The story begins during the time of the Resistance. It revolves around Philippine Villeret, who is 16 years old when she “discovers a world she interprets not politically but emotionally,” confides Gerald Messadié. The young woman must face violence, death, betrayal, etc. By having forged a strong character, she manages to establish herself in society because she embodies the spirit of rebellion and freedom. “A girl must have courage and heart,” asserts Gerald Messadié. The trilogy is intended to enrich readers about the society of yesteryear. A society so different from today’s, where “human beings depended much less on the image they projected socially,” recalls the author. A world he knew well, having been born in 1931: “at that time, all people from all sides were in the service of freedom and France,” says Gerald Messadié. “Whatever happens and no matter what side you are on, you would stick together when in crisis,” he adds. For him, the heroine of the novel, Philippine Villeret, would have difficulties adapting to the current society.
Fighting Illiteracy
Gerald Messadié is also deeply involved in the fight against illiteracy: “I am outraged by the fact that people can no longer write,” declares Gerald Messadié. According to him, several causes are at the root of this phenomenon. Compared to the society of the past, teachers no longer have the same relationship with their students. In the past, teachers had a much more personal connection with them. Going to daycare also contributes to illiteracy, according to the author: the language is learned between ages 1 and 3. Children acquire a limited language because they are in the presence of other children “who have not had a minimum of contact with adults.” In the past, daycare centers did not exist, and the child was in contact with the mother. Gerald Messadié is originally a doctor and says that “every remedy has a counterpart.” He thus refers to daycares. With women being active today, they no longer have the opportunity to take care of their offspring. They, therefore, turn to daycares. A man who does not mince his words. A feeling of nostalgia emerges from him, which he expresses in his trilogy.
