Rating: 
Summary: Enjoy it !!!
Review: I brought this book randomly and didn't expect much from it. Surprisingly I couldn't let it down once I started to read it. I love the way it was written objectively and really get you know about the France. I would buy other books from these writers in the future.
Rating: 
Summary: Too full of holes
Review: I eagerly awaited the arrival of this book and took it away with me on my annual vacation here in France. I have 5 weeks of holiday and like to save the best book to last. Well I was VERY disappointed with the repetitive work. I am an Australian who has lived in France for 2 years and am married to a Frenchman and a graduate of the grandes ecoles system to boot. Some of the hogwash in this book, the inaccuracies, the waffle were really hard to stomach. I have never been so amazed at the poor quality of the work of two so-called 'writers'. I read out passages of the book to my family-in-law who all happen to be comepletely bi-lingual. They scoffed along with me! How, after spending nearly 3 years in France can they get so many details wrong? If I were a director of the trust that supported their work I would be asking for my money back and some sort of justification of how they spent their time.
My verdict, if I could give no stars I would. Don't bother with this and do yourself a favour and buy 'Almost French' by Sarah Turnbull. She might not go into the economic or deep political explanations of this book BUT she is readable and what she does write is credible and amusing. I just wish there was a guarantee from Amazon and I could get my money back for Sixty Million....
Rating:
Summary: Side comments
Review: I really shouldn't comment on a book that I have yet to read! However, I would like to express my disagreement with the reviewer who stated below that "Things North Americans of all political stripes take more or less for granted -- like charities, local control of education and municipal affairs, property rights, and freedom of association -- are almost nonexistent in France." What? Mais non! While it is clear that self-reliance and the emphasis on local communities are deeply entrenched in American culture, it does not mean that they are "almost nonexistent" in France. First, it is the U.S. that is very unique in that it ascribes an importance to those matters than most other nations don't, because of its own historical and cultural particularities. Most Europeans, Asian, African or South American countries do not nearly value "property rights", "charities" and "local control of education" as much as Americans do! So I'm afraid this is a rather inaccurate and US-centric viewpoint. In addition, it is worth mentioning that: -France has not only allowed but encouraged freedom of association with the enactment of the 1901 statute on Associations and the 1905 law on separation of church and state. There are, if I recall correctly, 600,000 thousand association in France, which is huge since it has 60-million people. The French actually are very found of non-for-profit associations! Of course, freedom of both speech and association never went as far in the U.S., but then again it is nearly absolute tolerance attitude vis-a-vis "speech", which allows for the expression of the most fanatic viewpoints, as well as its tolerance for religious liberties, even dangerously sectarian, which is unique. It's not France's stance on these matters. Most other countries use the concept of "public order" to control, often too much of course, speech and religion. -Property rights: recall that until four generations ago a great deal of American states had laws precluding Jews and Catholics from owning land... France, like all civil law countries, through its body of laws based upon Roman law and the Napoleon code, had abandonned such restrictions long before they were finally overturned in the U.S. -Local control of education. Here again, this is very much unique to the US among the other industrialized countries. Also, it is not clear that a system which allocates educational resources between local communities based upon the respective financial resources of the residents of such communities produces a better public education than a centralized (if not grotesquely centralized) system like France's. -Finally, as fas as charities: yes, clearly, the French give less to charities than the Americans, and private funding initiatives are less encouraged than they are in the US (still, you do get a 50% tax deduction if you give to tax-exempt entities in France exactly as you do in the US). Yet, you're comparing apples and oranges, i.e. a high-tax jurisdiction with a relatively low-tax jurisdiction like the US. "Social redistribution", to use French terminology, is provided for by the State in France - if you want to give to charities on top of your income tax, there's just not much left for yourself...! You will perhaps argue that, precisely, it's the State's omnipotence in this respect that you find appaling. I too think the State's is overbearing in France. However, it's not as though a Soviet-style type of State fell upon the poor French like storm broke in a clear blue sky: the French WANT a strong state, and keep voting out each government that is suspected of desiring to weaken it... And the state, whether one likes it or not or finds the system efficient or not, assures comprehensive health-care and other social benefits to everybody, regardless of their wealth. Here again, having lived in and experienced both systems, it's still unclear to me which one is more desirable... I apologize since I haven't even read the book (BTW I suggest "Fragile Glory" by Richard Bernstein on the same topic; it's a masterpiece and he spent more than "two years" in France...), but I thought that it would be interesting to comment on your comments, since they touch upon some of the greatest misunderstandings between the US and France: the importance ascribed to the state vs. personal freedoms. Cheers, A.
Rating:
Summary: fascinating insight
Review: I sped through this book during a recent trip to France. Although a bit unevenly written and sometimes redundant, it is truly insightful and quite relevant. I found myself much more knowledgeable and able to discuss relevant issues with French friends. (And when a drunk punk verbally accosted me on the steps of Sacre Coeur one night for being a "war loving American," I thought about saying, "Yeah, let's talk about Algeria" based on my new knowledge from the book.) I would highly recommend this book for curious individuals desiring to engage with French people on their terms. It is not a tourist's "how to" book.
Rating: 
Summary: Fair and insightful coverage of my home country
Review: I truly enjoyed reading this book about my home country! I have been a resident of the US for the last five years and had a chance to learn first hand about the good, the bad and the ugly of both France and the US.
Nadeau and Barlow did a very good job at explaining why both French and American people can easily misunderstand each other and forget how similar they are nevertheless.
I wish their next book could be "Why Americans are always right"! It would be another enjoyable book...
Rating:
Summary: Pas pour moi
Review: I was disappointed by this book. It is predicated on the assumption that the USA is 'right' and that France, au contraire, is 'wrong'. It makes many references to an Anglo-American view of the world, but British readers will have little sympathy with the authors' advocacy of federalism and will see little difference between the incapacity of local government in the UK and in France. The chapters on French history and the education system are interesting but not original. There are several howlers in the book. For example France has no active volcanoes, Norway is not a member of the European Union and it's preposterous to claim that 'In Britain, all doctors are civil servants'. To be fair, the authors occasionally concede that a lot of what France stands for makes sense, but ultimately this book is a justification for the prejudices of North Americans, written for a US audience and funded by a US trust.
Rating:
Summary: Pas pour moi
Review: I was disappointed by this book. It is predicated on the assumption that the USA is `right' and that France, au contraire, is `wrong'. It makes many references to an Anglo-American view of the world, but British readers will have little sympathy with the authors' advocacy of federalism and will see little difference between the incapacity of local government in the UK and in France. The chapters on French history and the education system are interesting but not original. There are several howlers in the book. For example France has no active volcanoes, Norway is not a member of the European Union and it's preposterous to claim that `In Britain, all doctors are civil servants'. To be fair, the authors occasionally concede that a lot of what France stands for makes sense, but ultimately this book is a justification for the prejudices of North Americans, written for a US audience and funded by a US trust.
Rating:
Summary: How to really understand the French
Review: I'm an American who's been living in Paris for 4 years now. I've read a few books on France before, and always learned from them. This book is no exception. What I liked about this book is it really studied the French from different angles. For example, a lot of detail was given on their school system, government, and history (especially the wars). I've been here 4 years and I learned so much about the French that I never knew before. I feel like I have a much better understanding of the French. While living here I constantly find myself comparing France to the US. France does a lot of things right, such as universal healthcare, 7+ weeks of vacation per year (this year was higher than normal with 38 days). But there is a cost: Taxes are high, there is a 19.6% VAT tax. Gas is 3 times the price in the US. There are very little part time jobs. Most jobs are in Paris and the housing is insanely expensive (a 100 year old 1 bedroom apartment costs as much as a brand new 1400 sq foot home in Arizona). If you read this book you'll understand a little more of these tradeoffs. I wish the book had focused more on this angle as I think this is one of the most interesting. I also highly recommend "French: Friend or Foe". it deals more with the social aspects of living in France. -Michael
Rating:
Summary: How to really understand the French
Review: I'm an American who's been living in Paris for 4 years now. I've read a few books on France before, and always learned from them. This book is no exception. What I liked about this book is it really studied the French from different angles. For example, a lot of detail was given on their school system, government, and history (especially the wars). I've been here 4 years and I learned so much about the French that I never knew before. I feel like I have a much better understanding of the French. While living here I constantly find myself comparing France to the US. France does a lot of things right, such as universal healthcare, 7+ weeks of vacation per year (this year was higher than normal with 38 days). But there is a cost: Taxes are high, there is a 19.6% VAT tax. Gas is 3 times the price in the US. There are very little part time jobs. Most jobs are in Paris and the housing is insanely expensive (a 100 year old 1 bedroom apartment costs as much as a brand new 1400 sq foot home in Arizona). If you read this book you'll understand a little more of these tradeoffs. I wish the book had focused more on this angle as I think this is one of the most interesting. I also highly recommend "French: Friend or Foe". it deals more with the social aspects of living in France. -Michael
Rating:
Summary: A Candid Camera on the French
Review: I'm currently reading "6O Million Frenchmen Cannot Be Wrong". And I'm loving it.
I am judging it as one of those 6O million.
There hadn't been anything as good since since Jonathan Fenby's "France on the Brink" .
The American television show, Candid Camera, used to have a song with the words "it's good to look at yourself as other people do". It is indeed. One condition must be met: it mustn't be a fawning collection of exaggerated praise, nor must it be one more vulgar "French-bashing" exercise. But the authors have steered a steady course, pointing out some of our defects , certainly, but also giving praise when it's (in their view ) due. I cannot fault their impartiality , or their reasearch. And the book is very readable and entertaining.
Barlow and Nadeau are Canadians: she is an English speaker, he is "francophone". A good recipe for a balanced approach.
The book is packed with information, and anecdotes. Yes, if you want to know who the French are,and how we "tick", the book will give you a pretty good idea.
The authors are very good in pointing out the differences between France and the US, and the reasons for these differences, for instance in detailing the role of the State and the way it's perceived by the French.
Also in stressing the importance of the legacy of WW2 and the war in Algeria.
I would recommend that anyone contemplating a trip to my country read the book and take it with them.
Un livre excellent.
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