Xenophobia, simply put, is the fear or hatred of strangers or foreigners. And at nine years old, Alan Holmes learns just how painful it can be to bear the brunt of such an animosity.
It's 1939, and Alan's parents decide to send him to boarding school in England. Far away from his happy home in France, the young boy is suddenly faced with not only the unchecked, pitiless torments inflicted by his English schoolmates, but also the harsh treatment of a prejudiced teacher. But while his life at school has plenty of its own horror stories, the outside world is experiencing its own terrible share of tragedy as well, and Alan worries over his parents' life and safety as they race to escape from invaded France before it's too late.
A follow-up to In the Moon: A Memoir of a 1930s childhood in France, Holmes continues the telling of his remarkable life story in A Serious and Proper Education, which covers the life-changing years of 1939 and 1940. Although the circumstances described, both personal and historical, are often appalling, the inner dialogue of the author's younger self is surprisingly heartwarming, hopeful, and is often humorous.
About the Author: Alan Holmes was born in 1930 in Paris, where he subsequently lived for ten years. Educated in France, England, and Canada, he eventually attended Yale University, where he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in civil engineering. At Yale, he also placed much emphasis on writing.
During the Korean War, he served in the US Army and became a US citizen. His remarkable career includes working as a missile test engineer for the US Army, field superintendent on a large construction site, senior structural engineer at a major architectural firm, and staff scientist at an aerospace company. Specializing in unusual edifices, Holmes was in charge of the structural design and analysis for the US Air Force Academy Chapel, as well as for all of the different freestanding spiral staircases at the academy. In the sixties and seventies, Holmes even designed and built his own sailboat and an adobe house.
Now in retirement, Holmes enjoys photography, painting, cycling, and writing his memoirs. His first book, "In the Moon" about his highly humorous, lighthearted childhood years in France brought on a flood of letters of praise and appreciation.
