Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong: What Makes the French So French? by Jean-Benoit Nadeau, Julie Barlow

 The French drink, smoke and eat more fat than anyone in the world, yet they live longer and have fewer heart problems than the English and the Americans. They work 35-hour weeks and take seven weeks' paid holiday each year, yet they are the world's fourth-biggest economic power. So how do they do it? From a distance modern France looks like a riddle. It is both rigidly authoritarian, yet incredibly inventive; traditional (even archaic) yet modern; lacking clout on the international stage yet still hugely influential. But with the observations, anecdotes and analysis of the authors, who spent nearly three years living in France, it begins to makes sense. 'Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong' is a journey into the French heart, mind and soul. This book reveals French ideas about land, food, privacy and language and weaves together the threads of French society, uncovering the essence of life in France and giving, for the first time, a complete picture of the French.

About the Author

Jean-Benoit Nadeau and Julie Barlow are Canadian journalists who have spent the last decade working extensively in English and French. The couple, now based in Montreal, lived in France for nearly three years while researching this book. Jean-Benoit is the holder of 17 journalism awards. Julie worked as editor at a publishing house and her book 'Same Words, Different Language' was published by Piatkus (UK). Both have written for numerous Canadian publications, including 'L'actualite' and 'Saturday Night Magazine'.