Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong: Why We Love France, But Not the French

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Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong: Why We Love France, But Not the French

by Jean-Benoît Nadeau (Goodreads Author), Julie Barlow

3.69 of 5 stars 3.69 · rating details · 988 ratings · 137 reviews

The French...

-Smoke, drink and eat more fat than anyone in the world, yet live longer and have fewer heart problems than Americans

-Work 35-hour weeks, and take seven weeks of paid holidays per year, but are still the world's fourth-biggest economic power

So what makes the French so different?

Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong is a journey into the French heart, mind and

...more

Paperback, 351 pages

Published May 1st 2003 by Sourcebooks

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Feb 07, 2008 Jessica Howard rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: history, travel

60 Million Frenchman is split into three sections (1) French history (why certain events helped make the French the way they are). (2) French system (detailed analysis of almost every aspect of current--as of 2000--French life). (3) Projections for the future.

I liked part one a lot. I think the chapters on the Algerian War and World War Two were particularly apt in explaining how the French mindset has been shaped in recent decades. Part two was good in spots, and reeeeally boring in spots. For...more

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May 02, 2010 Atenea-Nike rated it 1 of 5 stars

Recommended to Atenea-Nike by: dad

Shelves: abandoned

So far, the book is proving to offer interesting insight in the mind of the north americans, not the french. I know the french. We're neighbours. I go there often. A couple of my best friends are french. France makes sense to me. The french make sense to me. The book, therefore, is for me an experience in reverse psychology - undestanding the mindset the authors come from that makes them write the way they do about the french. The things that surprise them or that they deem worthy of writing abo...more

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Apr 21, 2008 Louise rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Francophiles or wanna bes

True story: I love France. And sometimes really can't stand the French. Thankfully, the authors of this book kinda feel the same way. This book is a wonderful dissection of why the French are who they are and why we love them and are confused by them on a regular basis. The authors have done an excellent job of getting at the heart of what makes French government, culture and economics tick and really pinpoints the differences between France and other countries. I would have liked more compariso...more

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Oct 17, 2012 Adamcikb rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: history, politics-and-current-affairs, business-and-finance, culture

I read this as part of a trilogy I've tackled by expatriate observers who have lived in France. The others are "A Year in the Merde" and "A Year in Provence." It's really just an exercise in self-discipline. Having been in France for over a year now, I hear myself being critical from merely anecdotal evidence, and I don't like it. So I decided I should see how other observers have found France and see in my observations match up.

So far, I've only completed this volume. I found it useful and int...more

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Jul 23, 2012 Stephen rated it 5 of 5 stars

France stymies Americans. They eat what they want, but seemingly don't get fat. Their government is happily involved in health, education, industry, and business, but they have one of the most robust economies in the world. How do they do it? What makes them tick? Jean-Benoît Nadreau and Julie Barlow were dispatched by a government foundation to find out just that very thing. Having lived in France for several years and made a study of it, they represent their findings in the fascinating Sixty M...more France stymies Americans. They eat what they want, but seemingly don't get fat. Their government is happily involved in health, education, industry, and business, but they have one of the most robust economies in the world. How do they do it? What makes them tick? Jean-Benoît Nadreau and Julie Barlow were dispatched by a government foundation to find out just that very thing. Having lived in France for several years and made a study of it, they represent their findings in the fascinating Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong: Why We Love France but Not the French

All of Gaul, Julius Caesar wrote, is divided into three parts -- and so is this book. The first examines the personal aspects of French culture: notions of privacy, the importance of language, the art of cuisine, the deep connection the French have with their land. Part II, "Structure", examines the culture of civics and governance, and part three demonstrates how those elements of French culture are adapting to the future. Although it covers a wide range of topics, the editing is such that the three parts fit neatly together to present a solid and comprehensive picture. That picture is formed in part by the centrality of the State. Although Americans might interpret a central state as a an overwhelming powerful central government, the State is more fundamental in France. It is not an outside thing that people relate to: it is the environment. France is the state: its very creation, a pillar of order erected from the chaos of feudalism. The French republic is not a federation of provinces and cities it is the Public Thing in itself, wielding enormous power and expressing that through a strong military or money but through the way it enmeshes itself in the lives of the French, creating in part the French culture itself. Most striking for me was the use of language:

When French mayors talk about their constituents, they never use the word 'citizens'. No one talks about the 'citizens of Lyon' or 'the citizens of Toulouse' Mayors speak of their administrés, (literally, their 'administereds'). The French can only be citizens of one thing, the one and indivisible Republic, and that entity 'adinisters' them at the local level through mayors." p. 146

Although in America the state mostly exists as an apparatus for economic interests, in France it seems to exist more for the public welfare, not just business. The idea is at least easy to take seriously, as the French government takes an interest in the lives of its people, providing plenty of support for new parents. What a delightfully exotic idea to American ears, that the state is there to enhance the quality of life! Quality is another strong theme --- the opening sections address the French fondness for grandeur and eloquence. Life is to be savored, not merely purchased. Another choice quotation:

‎"The way the French see it, the economy should serve the social well-being of the country, not the other way around. Former prime minister Lionel Jospin is famous for having said "Oui à l'économie de marché, non à la société de marché" (Yes to a market economy, no to a market society)." (p. 276)

The powerful State and the emphasis on quality are joined in the French attitude toward education: there exist in France several academies which exist just to produce an elite caste of people to ensure that this powerful state is being run correctly. The civil service is fashioned along the lines of an army, and this elite is its officer corps. Americans who see higher education as elitist would be positively scandalized by the idea that the French seek to create it deliberately, but in France governance is too important not to be taken seriously.

In general, the French way is presented as neither better nor worse than the English and American systems, but simply different. I for one am both attracted and disturbed by the aspects of French culture revealed here because of the varying attitudes I have for individualism and the role of the state. One can't deny the results, though, and after reading this and various other works about French culture I can't help but think they have better priorities.

And with that, my reading and reviews for Bastille Day is finally done. Until next year, anyway!(less)

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Mar 05, 2013 Twilight rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: france, french, history, society, sociology

Not quite what I expected, although not necessarily a bad thing. I found this in the travel section and I expected it to be more of a memoir of travels in France, rather than a semi history/social commentary book. The authors spent a couple years of France and instead dedicate the book explaining France's history, various aspects of their culture and government, etc. Sometimes it was really interesting to read, other times it tended to drag on and on. At other times the text would read fairly li...more

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Apr 09, 2012 Poussinette (Sophie) rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'll start with the good points :
The authors have really tried to understand how we French function as a society, and to find explanations for it in our (very bloody) history. They did get a few very clever insights, and made me smile a few times in self deprecation.

Now the bad points : the book is presented as a pseudo scientific study. Unfortunately, the scientific demarch is hopelessly flawed.
Once the authors got a working theory, they twisted all their "evidence" to fit the pattern, disregar...more

1 like · like · see review

Oct 24, 2011 Megan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 52-books-in-52-weeks

Very interesting. I just read this with Justin for one of his classes, and it made me want to take an international studies class in a big way. Despite the kind of tacky cover (which I didn't have to see thanks to the modern tech we call Kindle), it was well-researched and interesting. I'll have a lot to say about this, but I don't want to get too antsy writing about it before Justin writes his paper. I thought, overall, that the book was a pretty fair commentary on various facets of French life...more

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Apr 15, 2011 John rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ebooks, library_books

Very well-researched, though often frustrating - as with The Anglo Files: A Field Guide to the British by Sarah Lyall, the authors here filter "the French" through their experiences with French friends who've done very well, paying lip service to things that don't work well there; moreover, although I give them credit for wanting to give a balanced presentation, I found that they really didn't. They give the impression that the French just love all those strikes, protests, etc. I was there durin...more

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Oct 27, 2008 Richard rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, social-political

Definitely not light reading -- this isn't a trivial book, despite the humorous title and cover.

Felt like I was back in one of my International Relations classes, probably upper division if not graduate. Very informative, and worth reading -- especially for anyone planning on spending time in France.

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 29, 2009 Suzanne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: french-theme

This book is a detailed study of the French as products of their history and culture. Although claiming not to be a history book, it uses French history to explain how the French spirit developed, and how it influences the civil, political, and social structure in France today. As the authors, two bilingual Canadian journalists, claim in their introduction, it is not a story of the renovation of a house in Provence; it does, however, contain the story of their two years in France and what they e...more

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Mar 27, 2013 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars

Nadeau & Barlow (two Canadians from Quebec) wrote this non-fiction book on French culture and government as an expose of the differences between North American and French mindsets. The book offers really compelling evidence for why the French think the way they do and have organized their society and government the way they have. It was a fascinating read and I really think it is a valuable book regardless of your current perspective on the French and their culture.

The underlying thesis of t...more

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Aug 18, 2012 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

While holidaying in France I came across this book. A thoroughly interesting read and I looked forward to sitting down with it each day.

The flaw in its focus of the elite, upper echelons of society and the plight of immigrants left a gap in representing the working class. However that being said taken in an anthropological light it does well to understand the French culture.

I found this book enlightening and certainly explained some nuances of French culture and makes me want to learn more.

I hig...more

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Feb 08, 2009 Alissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Nadeau & Barlow give an insightful view of French culture, from an insider and outsider perspective. France is a tough nut to crack but their reportage is authentic (according to my numerous French friends, one loaned me his copy to read) and I concur with the authors on the few elements I am familiar enough with have something to say about.

France is a fascinating country. It is modern and familiar on some levels and can be totally different and unique in its organization, tradition and etho...more

1 like · like · see review

Jun 30, 2010 Vanessa rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: francophiles, francophobes, americans, british

Recommended to Vanessa by: JF

a lucid breakdown of the French and their society. i've just moved to France so i hope the information will turn out to be accurate and useful - so far, one Frenchman told my partner 'everything in the book is true!' and two others told me, with respect to the authors' (why isn't Julie Barlow credited as co-author in the GoodReads entry?) discussion of the French love of privacy, that it's actually perfectly okay to ask a new acquaintance what their name is or what they do for a living, contrary...more

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Apr 02, 2011 Milla Nezlina rated it 3 of 5 stars

I loved the 1st&2nd parts of the book where the authors explained French distinctive features like being hooked on food, having mixed feelings for Americans and believing that France surpaces many nations with its cultutre, language and political system. But the last part was daunting because of precise descriptions of state institutions, history of political elections and complicated relations between French politicians. Unless you are a political science student, I suggest you skipping the...more

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Sep 12, 2009 Helynne rated it 4 of 5 stars

As indicated by the title, this 2003 study, written by Canandians Jean-Benoit Nadeau and Julie Barlow, attempts to explain why French and American people like to disparage each other and how we Americans especially tend to be irrationally prejudiced against the French. David Lettermen is still making jokes about the French giving into the Nazis in 1940, and Groundskeeper Willie on The Simpsons has our young people calling the French "cheese-eating surrender monkeys." We seem to forget that the...more As indicated by the title, this 2003 study, written by Canandians Jean-Benoit Nadeau and Julie Barlow, attempts to explain why French and American people like to disparage each other and how we Americans especially tend to be irrationally prejudiced against the French. David Lettermen is still making jokes about the French giving into the Nazis in 1940, and Groundskeeper Willie on The Simpsons has our young people calling the French "cheese-eating surrender monkeys." We seem to forget that the French helped us win the Revolutionary War, then gave us the gift of the Statue of Liberty, and we responded by giving them McDonald's (which is currently making a naturally thin populous fatter). When President Bush was mad at President Chirac back in 2002 for not supporting Bush's (moronic) war in Iraq, I had to threaten my students with death if they started calling French fries "freedom fries." I give all this as a background to Nadeau and Barlow's statement in their first chapter that Americans judge the French unfairly because we Americans don't relate to the face that French civilization that is much older and more complex than ours, and their culture is shaped by much more history and events. "Americans have not past while Europeans are loaded down by ancient customs, habits, and prejudices that shape their behavior" (7). Also, even though the French are as ethnically diverse as Americans, they are bound together by a peculiar culture. We Americans unjustly hold the French to a New World standard, the authors state. "But they're no more New World than the Japanese" (9). Subsequent chapters describe how the French traditionally value their territory as well as their private space. For example, for the French, adultery is a sin, but not one to be judged by the public (à la President Clinton). "The French expect people in power to run the country, not set moral standards . . . The French are primarily concerned about the impact [adultery:] has on family life" (39). Other chapters note how France is still behind the U.S. in terms of feminism ("It may take a couple of generations for women to bump the grumpy old men out of France's power ring" [59:]), but way ahead in eloquence. "The emphasis on rhetorical skill shows up in every level of society in France. Even the beggars in the Paris subway do their best to be eloquent, each almost ritualistically following the the same order of ideas" (63). Subsequent chapters review the effects of World War II and Algeria's war of independence on French thought, the French penchant for absolutism, and the phenomenon of how the French cherish their language as a monument. The authors also discuss the French philosophy of education, law enforcement, economics, and "the choreography of protest." Finally, they speculate on France in the future. "Since their World War II purgatory, the French have learned to live with the idea that they are neither the biggest, nor the strongest, power on earth. But they still believe they are the best" (284). Consequently, the French retain their bad image in the United States, and, ironically, the French still get a bad rap for being the only country with a tendency toward anti-Americanism. (There must be dozens of those!) The ending chapters note how France has adjusted easily to the Euro and to its role as the head of the European Commmunity, although the French character remains unique. "Yes, Europe is changing the French. But the French are going about it their own way" (339). (less)

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Jan 04, 2012 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: bookcrossing

When I first saw how thick and dense the book was, I thought it would take me a few weeks to read it but I was instantly captivated and actually finished it in just a few days! The book is surprisingly entertaining, considering it's a compendium of history, geography, politics, ethnology, etc...

The book offers a very acute and insightful analysis of France, the French and the way our country works. I learned quite a few things and actually had a few "aha!" moments when I thought "why did I never...more

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Sep 25, 2012 Justin rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: travel, non-fiction, partially-read

I started this a little while before I went to France, and intended to finish it while I was over there, but I just can't stand to read it anymore.

The book was published around the time France adopted the Euro; so while it's not completely out of date, it's far from being current. More than that, though, I found many of the authors' opinions about contemporary France to be contradictory to what I observed while I was there. That alone made everything I read suspect, and I no longer had much of...more

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Dec 05, 2011 Vincent rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: modern-europe, current-events

Sixty Million Frenchmen Can’t Be Wrong often times feels like a Francenstein’s (spelling deliberate) monster. It begins well enough, offering insight into the “spirit” of French society, and indeed gives highly valuable information, especially regarding the French ideas of personal vs. public space, which every visitor should know. However, as the reader nears the middle of the book the work takes on a text-book quality, which becomes dry and redundant. To boost, what the writers pass as an anth...more

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Mar 31, 2011 E rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: politics

More contemplative than a travel book and more interesting than an academic text, it offers fair, history-laden insights into modern France. The husband-and-wife team of authors write from a Canadian (French and Anglo) perspective, which offers an awareness of France's particularly European qualities while avoiding the habit shared by Americans and Brits of needing to take every possibile opportunity to insult the country and prove it wrong. Indeed, while vigilant in identifying the nation's les...more

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Feb 25, 2012 Cristine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Interesting book about the French and France. Mixes history, emerging governmental developments and basic culture to explain "why do the French act...well, French." I read this book sporadically, picking it up and putting it down sometimes for long periods of time--because of this, I read part of the book before I moved to France and then the rest while living in France. The book is about 10 years old now, so some of the changes in French culture, politics and business is not really reflected--h...more

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Dec 19, 2010 Ibrahim Al-bluwi rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book taught me about France and the French more than what I have learned during the 15 months I have already spent there. I found it enjoyable and informative at the same time. It explained to me many things that I was wondering about.

Now I understand better things like: the educational system and the Grandes écoles, the political system and how it differs from the American system, the status of north africans in France, why Hijab is forbidden at schools, why we can't have a prayer room in...more

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Apr 25, 2010 Serena rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: unfinished-business

I am only on chapter 3, but so far finding that it offers interesting insights.

I understand from reading other reviews that there are some glaring mistakes (most noted being that Norway is not part of the European Union as they assert at some point I've either missed or haven't reached yet).
In any case, I don't really care if the statistics or geography are off much as it's more an explanation of culture that I'm looking for.

When Mum and I went before, we had a meal in a nice restaurant. I or...more

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Dec 30, 2009 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Written by Jean-Benoit Nadeau and Julie Barlow, this book tries to explain why so many people love France but not the French. An interesting book, although a bit dry at times, it travels through the reasons the French are just worlds away from any other country.

It starts out with French history and how the French people are ingrained in their history even when they are moving forward and becoming more modern. The French hold their elite up and expect them to be better (grandeur); going as far as...more

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Aug 29, 2007 liz rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, international

This is the first book from these two authors, partners in writing, research, and life. I really, really loved their second book about the history of the French language, but man! I think I forgot what a slog that was until right now. The first section of this, their first book, is a really, really great exploration of what makes the French different from everyone else. A lot of their insights were new and yet completely logical (and more than a little amusing). The second section of the book go...more

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Jun 26, 2012 Karen Henrich rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is astoundingly enlightening and answers every Why? question people have about the French. The authors are a Canadian couple who received a two-year grant (nice!) to live in Paris and France and they did indepth research into why the French are as they are. Many behaviours and cultural nuances date back centuries .... it's just fascinating. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in Paris and France. While living in Paris, I often referred to this book!

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Mar 30, 2012 Robin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Having a French mother and having spent a reasonable amount of time in France with our family there, I sort of thought that I knew a thing or two about the French. Guess I was wrong! OK, that's an exaggeration – it is not as if I have no idea what goes on culturally in France. There’s just so much more than I’ve never really been exposed to – particularly the workings of the government. All democracies are not the same and the French version is not really so much like what we have in the US. Ano...more

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Mar 30, 2010 Carter rated it 4 of 5 stars

It was really interesting at first when it talked about the differences between French and north American culture. Then it got all political and I couldn't help but lose faith in the authority of the authors to make the claims they did. Part of that could be that I actually lived in France while reading the second half. The other major factor is that this book is nearly 10 years old and the second half is about current issues and politics which are now outdated.

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Nov 28, 2008 Rachel Kopel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Another find at the Library book sale, this is a really wonderful explanation of why the French are the way they are. Given their history and life experience, they are perfect just the way they are, perfect French, not failed Americans. When will be ever learn? I am enjoying it greatly.

Could it be?? I have FINISHED a book. The third part of this book certainly slows down and the information, from 1999, is a bit out of date. But I really enjoyed the history and anthropology aspects of it. Sendin...more

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About Jean-Benoît Nadeau

Julie Barlow and Jean-Benoît Nadeau write and speak about how languages evolve and shape the thinking and worldview of their speakers. Authors of provocative bestsellers on France and the French language, Sixty Million Frenchmen Can’t Be Wrong, and The Story of French, Nadeau and Barlow have an international community of readers interested in culture and language. They are presently working on new...more

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