The tragic story of the Acadians has been immortalized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's narrative poem "Evangeline". Much of the poet's account was fictional, but in this text the author tells what actually happened to the ill-fated French colonists of Acadia.

The tragic story of the Acadians has been immortalised in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's narrative poem Evangeline. Much of the poet's account was fictional, but in Evangeline and the Acadians, Robert Tallant tells with drama and sympathy what actually happened to the ill-fated French colonists of Acadia. In 1755, the English drove the Acadians from their beloved country. For years the homeless Acadians wandered. Some finally reached France, the French West Indies, or other places they could call home, but most headed south for New Orleans, where they found a haven among other French-speaking people. After exploring the Acadians' plight, the author examines the strides they have made as citizens of Louisiana who have ventured into the fields of business, medicine, politics, and more.