We Drink the Wine in France Summary

The French teacher at a boarding school for black girls looks over his students, comparing one to the other, but focusing on Harriet in particular. The French teacher believes Harriet is ignorant, but her other teachers claim she is very bright, often reading difficult books that are not required reading. Later that day, Harriet goes out in a car with a boy and has unsatisfying sex. Afterward, Harriet must rush back to the school to return to her dorm before the gates are locked. Alone, the teacher has lunch, a bland meal to treat an ulcer. The teacher looks over a magazine article about him that tells how his family was taken to a concentration camp and his wife and children were killed. The teacher now feels like a criminal for having survived...