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.
Rating:
Summary: 60 million Frenchmen
Review: Like one of the other reviewers, I was almost too quick to judge this book by its silly cover, which would have been a major mistake. Despite the silly cover and equally silly title, this book is a serious attempt to explain who the French are and why they do some of the things they do. The authors are Canadian journalists who examine the roots of French culture, the citizenry's relationship with the state, French education, and the attitudes towards what constitutes the public and private spheres. There is not much about the Franco-American disagreement at the United Nations earlier this year, but anyone who had read this book would have known that those disagreements were going to happen. The book is easy to read, with separate chapters for each of the institutions and customs the authors examine, and is one of the best books I've read this year. But you do have to get past the silly cover and title. I cant imagine who convinced the authors that this cover and title were good ideas but they and their work deserved better.
Rating:
Summary: A book that could help Franco-American relations
Review: Many people have praised and quibbled with one or another of the authors' contentions in this book. After 4 years of living and working in France, (and quite a few more of same in the US), I think that they have done a very laudable job of exploring some of the differences between "French" and "North American" culture. What I like best about the book is its unapologetically journalistic style. In the space of just a few paragraphs it moves from profound insights to curious historical explanations to the authors being frankly puzzled (about the daily ritual of opening and closing shutters for example -- much discussed below by other reviewers). This informal and humble approach is one that I particularly like.
Since French language and culture have made many contributions to American culture and institutions (think of Jefferson or even the Bill of Rights), I would love to see people take advantage of this unpretentious, though likely imperfect, book to put aside stereotypes and see how two peoples have structured their worlds very differently.
Now what is needed is a friendly little book like this one that takes on the French stereotypes and distortions regarding what "liberal" America is all about. (Perhaps surprisingly, for the French in this context the word "liberal" means laissez-faire, supply-side economics.) For French university students, as an example, US colleges are remarkably elitist institutions because they are only for those rich enough to pay the exorbitant tuition. A few photos and thirty minutes of discussion are enough to convince most students that comparing French universities to North American ones based only on fees is a mistake. (French universities are virtually free and have only slightly better facilities than you might expect as a result.)
Speaking of universities, this book would be a good supplement to a N. American university course in French culture and institutions. (The main text would admittedly need to be more meaty and in French, but this one would prepare the terrain for anyone who runs the risk of living in France.) In the afterword the authors speak of having plowed through the second draft; unfortunately they left a few too many of their expressions and anecdotes hanging around in glaring proximity to one another. Towards the end of the book, the repetition made me grind my teeth. It's really a shame, but with 50 fewer pages the book would have been an even greater achievement.
This book taught me, and challenged a few of my ideas. (For example about the socialist nature of social security: I knew nothing about the German model of social security. -- This chapter may well soon need to be rewritten though, as some fundamental reforms seem to be moving the sécu a bit more towards the HMO system in the US. (The much publicised 1 euro per visit out-of-pocket fee since the beginning of 2005 is not really the issue, though that is certainly all the TV news networks have covered.)
In short, I am truly impressed by their synthesis. As a fan of languages (especially French) I am therefore looking forward to their next book.
Rating:
Summary: If only we had this book earlier...
Review: My review is written as an American who does not speak French but loves the country and has visited a dozen times. While I cannot write with the authority of several other reviewers who are French, I found this book very interesting and helpful.
It is, of course, extremely difficult to know what is important in other cultures without study or introduction. Our first visits to France were marked by occasional blunders and a more than a few misconceptions. However we enjoyed our experiences and returned often. Nadeau and Barlow have helped us understand what's going on behind those literally closed doors.
Just as the French fail to understand why Americans think the way we do, we have no idea why certain things are important to them and others are meaningless. Sixty Million... helps break down the codes, deciphers the hieroglyphics and eases the burden of being immersed in another very foreign culture. There is so much that divides us! And yet we are all humans with the same basic needs and desires.
I disagree strongly with the other reviewers who found Sixty Million... lacking. They wrote their reviews as insiders. Given their mission and goals, Nadeau and Barlow did a marvelous job of setting things into their proper places and patiently explaining, by examples and facts, French behavior. It is so very easy to criticize when you have made no attempt to undertake a similar project. I found no predication or prejudice toward America or France. The authors do a superb job of being objective.
My only concern is that the authors explained the effects of World War II and the Algerian War without any analysis of the First World War and its effect on French history and living conditions. Every single village and town we visited has a monument listing their dead in the Great War. Almost one hundred years have passed and the French still suffer in many ways from that shocking carnage. The Great War set the stage for all that happened in the twentieth century; this seems to me to be a singular lapse of reporting.
I very much enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Read!
Review: One of the most profound bits of information I read was how we Americans will give Asians much more latitude on their cultural differences because they 'look different' from us. But when it comes to the French - we seem to think that since 'they look the same' they should act the same. Simple, but brilliant. This book explains how most of the things we find very rude -they find normal. And vice versa. It's amazing how different we are. I cannot wait to go back with these things in mind!
Rating:
Summary: A must for any American going to live in France for a while
Review: or for any Frenchman living in the US and who understands his own country and countrymen less and less. This book is a very deep study of every facet of the French culture, going into the details of its so many quirks. Anyone who ever wanted to understand why the French are the way they are, and why in the end France and the US have always been in this special love/hate relationship (where both see each other with admiration, envy, yet disdain), this book is one of the best attempts at it I've ever read. My congratulations to both authors for their extremely valuable work (even if, as a franco-american, I was able to pick here and there some slight inaccuracies).
Rating: 
Summary: A fair effort but different than expected.
Review: The book is broken into three main sections, Spirit, Structure and Change. I found the section on spirit very perceptive, if the whole book had been like this then I would have given five stars, However I found the latter two sections, particularly the section on Structure rather boring and although they do contribute to the French identity I think their role was over stated in this book. I was also expecting a bit on French attitudes to drinking and smoking, after all that was mentioned on theback of the book. Recommended if you want to learn a bit about the way the country is structured and have an interest in French politics. If you want a book on the French themselves you're best to look elsewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: Sixty Million Frenchmen can't be Wrong
Review: The book is not totally without value but I believe that problems issue from a limited knowledge of the people of greater France plus for the purposes of comparison a lack of knowledge of the United States. I have lived for the better part of four years in the beautiful and rural Department of the Correze in what is considered southwest France. I came here to retire from Southern California. I have visited Paris a few times but am just as much a tourist there as most Americans.
Unlike the Nadeaux my knowledge of the French language is not first rate inspite of time spent here. Yet I am able to communicate well enough with many French in the area in which I live and have made close and interesting friends. They are most tolerant of my language failures and my nationality. They would be quite surprised to know that they close their shutters for privacy rather than for weather conditions or that they would never show the insides of their homes other than the Selon or Cusine to guests. Contrary to the book or perhaps contrary to Parisians, in the evening light emminates from my neighbors homes even to a kilometer away across a little valley to the village and the Maire and Ecole.One should also remember homes dating from the Middle Ages don't have a lot of windows or portals.
If political corruption is overlooked,as written, why is President Chirac facing charges of misuse of funds when he served as Mayor of Paris? The system here protects politicians from prosecution while serving in office but that ends when he leaves his elected positon. The former Gaulist Primier Juppe was certainly brought up for illegal political donations although he apparently did not personally benefit.
Jean-Benoit and Julie seem to be shocked that the President of France can give amnesty to any convicted criminal. Are they not aware that the U.S. President and the Governors of the 50 states have the same power? They define the National Police as "the equilivant of the F.B.I. in uniform." My neighbor Girard, a 'guardien de Pays' in the National Police at Tulle the Prefecture of the Correze will get a laugh out of that. Not even close. I'm a bit surprised that Canadians would not realize the National Police structure resembles more Canada's RCMP never the FBI. It covers all aspects of law enforcement and simply has no equilivant in the States.
Gendarms serve under the ministers of Defense and Interior and are a part of the military. They provide policing for most of the Communes and Villages of France There are 21,000 municipal Police who enforce minor crimes and traffic violations all over France. Not just in cities of less than 10,000 as stated in the book. They serve under the authority of the Mayor and are employed by the city in which they serve.
In the states our system of States and Counties simply cannot be compared to the French system of Departments and Regions but a "Commune" may consist of several villages which have their own mayors the writers are quite correct that things fiscal are handled at the commune lever. But the "Maire" of the village issues licenses and permits not the Commune.
The statements: "The French don't have very rich community lives" and "In U.S. communities life is the pillar of the entire social edifice". Are evidence of the writers narrow view of both nations. I would sumit they have spent little time in urban California or rural France.
Incidently their friends whom they describes as "Gourmands" may not be offended in the regions of Paris but in the Southwest it refers to a glutton. I suspect their friends would be happier being described a "gourmets".
I note with interests the five star reviews given this work are from those who have spent little or no time in France. I would submit that by far most American visitors never see the real France.
The writers generalize and reach quick conclusions even with their 3 years of French residency. Still, as stated, the book is of value and offers a fresh view of the subject.There are good historical links and information plus lessons for non-offensive conduct.
As for France, remember to keep an open mind.
Rating:
Summary: America Needs France's Bridges Without French Whines!
Review: The book reinforced my opinion of America's relationship with our French brothers and sisters in the mutual foundations of liberty, fraternity and community that have enlighten the world in a combination of cooperation more than any shadows of shame among either national histories. I came to the realization that every American should listen with our two ears twice as much than talking badly of France today. There is just too much to learn from each other to improve the world but talking at the same time makes everyone deaf to new ways of collaboration. I could not agree on the author's findings on France's economic success. The reason is California with its soaring taxes, ballooned bureaucracy, huge debt, overreached economy, exaggerated red tape, and sky-scraping unemployment, with low incentives for entrepreneurs has become France and that situation needs change not approval in any state, nation or world. The author enjoyed pointing out that France has the world's highest productivity index, third-largest exporter and is the fourth-biggest economic power but avoids how it manages these accomplishments. French occupation of other lands on all continents from Algeria to Mexico to Vietnam was a failure in pursuit of Imperialism. In the end, French salesman replaced French soldiers changing only uniforms for suits without changing the society. What he fails to explore is that the French economic achievement is dependent on sustaining despot regimes around the world that owe them large sums of money. French debt is far above the ground because of the export of arms, quality goods of value, and technology purchase by tyrant's exploiting their own people to keep Frenchman employed. The dark side of the French economy is responsible for United Nation inactions hidden behind false hopes of boastful condemnation without consequences. They love attacking the symptoms of problems but without real results. This prolongs world problems without resolving them and needs change not economic adoration. On the other hand, as I read the book, I could not help to remember how America owed a debt to the French whose philosophers, navy and mercenaries fought along side of our American Minute Men militias and small navy. Lafayette advised George Washington in helping train our continental army against the tyranny of the English crown at that time. America in turn repaid that debt in World War I and World War II. However, although England repays all of its Marshall Plan obligations unlike France who stuck with Americans with the bill without even saying thank you. The design of Washington DC along with the Statue of Liberty is the best example of French gratitude and respect for America and we should remember that above all bickering. In each historical event, a better world was form by American French cooperation even among the pawing of our fat cats of cash and cachet fighting over the recognition of purring for the world's attention. There was time when you can tell which American political party one belong too by what food was order in the taverns after the revolutionary war. Federalists preferred English dishes and Jeffersonian Democrats preferred French cuisine. America needs to understand our French friends character comes from their natural concern for improving all cultures even if it looks like it is arrogance and ignorance by promoting the exactness of French language, taste and fashion. The solutions for American French relations are there for either to see if both would just open up their eyes. The United Nation needs reform by new ideas of democracy founded in France and practice in America. Currently, the third world insanity of supporting tyrants, dictators and thugs thinking words of condemnation by the United Nations can change corruption must end. France and America along with the international community of free democracies need to collectively replace the tyrants and regimes that will one day threaten all with mass weapon of destruction. Sixty million Frenchman were wrong about Hitler yesterday and at the same time right about Jefferson. Today they are wrong about Hussein and Bush. The solutions are there for Chirac and Bush to listen more and come together in a collective leadership to rid the world of oppressors, theocracies of hate, and regimes blaming others for their own failures and replaced them with American-French institutions of democracy. There is another lesson or vision I came away from reading this book. Someday soon, if we can survive the age of tyrants and terrorists, the world's capitalism of technological wealth will grow and can be a communal spirit of worldwide sharing. When all people only have to work for a passion of purpose more than a selfish necessity of survival, the French way of life will rule the day, but we are not ready today. The book outlines the time has come to stop the squabbling between two people known for noble pursuits of advancing civilizations instead of standing by and letting injustice prevail for the sake of economic sovereignty. France and America are at their best when changing the world together for the better.
Rating:
Summary: Clever insights with a leftist lean
Review: There is much that's thoughtful and amusing here. The authors are Canadians, perfectly at home in French, and are therefore well equipped to elucidate the differences between France and North America. As a historian, I especially enjoyed the chapters that illustrate how the French are products of their past. Ignore the bias in favor of French statism. Just allow Adam Smith the time to take his revenge on the French welfare state. Also as secularists (and Canadians) the authors spend almost no time with one of the most significant differences between the USA and France--religiosity. Americans are dramatically more religious than the French, and emphasizing this distinction would have gone along way toward explaining the differences between the countries.
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