I don't know much about my grandfather, I know that he drank and smoked a lot for a long time, and that these were mainly responsible for his death at the age of 45. My grandmother told me she said he was a very loving man, but that there was always a deep sadness that followed him as long as she knew him. My grandmother Jaqueline was probably one of the two strongest people I have ever known, she had survived the German occupation in Normandy (and fought against it as a teenager), she had lived in some of the poorest countries in the world teaching children in the rural schools and had raised 5 children after being widowed. While not all of my aunts and uncles would have fared well after their father's death, she did her best as a single parent to make sure they always had food and a loving family to come home to, but she faced many of the same economic problems and social problems that single parents still face today (Knox, 362). He also had very polarized opinions about types of people and wasn't afraid to talk about it (he was racist towards Roma) and this often upset my family, as my aunt and cousins ​​are Roma (my parents were able to turn this in a lesson on racism and how it hurts people). Her long stays with my family often put a strain on my parents' relationship, but living in France was not a trip she or my family could take often. Just like Harriet's mother in The Fifth Child, she came to stay with us for several months when I was seriously ill, to allow my parents to continue working, but it still impacted them all. These interviews with my parents not only gave me insight into the differences between me and them, but also allowed me to remember and see the connections to the wonderful but flawed people they came with.