May Spangler is an architect from the Beaux-Arts School in Paris and a PhD in French from Emory University in Atlanta, who combines her interests in architecture and literature in her writing and illustrations. Her books in French and English include a monograph, Monstrer Diderot, a memoir, Papa a dit, Maman aussi, a student textbook and teacher manual, Paris in Architecture, Literature, and Art. Her memoir, The Architect’s Eye, Parisian Girl Meets Southern Boy, will be published in 2027. She is now working on her next book, Memoir of a Parisian.
Under Contract with Legacy Book Press
THE ARCHITECT’S EYE
Parisian Girl Meets Southern Boy
How can you justify leaving everything you’ve known your whole life, including your hometown of Paris, for the love of a small-town Southern man? Even knowing the ending, this memoir will keep you guessing until the last page.
Atlanta, 1978. Parisian May arrives at Georgia Tech to study architecture, seeking to redefine herself away from a disappointing romantic relationship, an overbearing father, and the misogyny of the Beaux-Arts School. She strives for emotional independence but meets Southern Dickie and can’t resist his enthusiasm and humor. While they share the language of architecture, May struggles with the American language of love and doesn’t understand Dickie’s feelings. Haunted by her past and afraid to risk their friendship over a misunderstanding, May keeps her distance. After seven months in the U.S. and still too confused to embrace love, she leaves, convinced she’ll never return to Atlanta or see Dickie again.