One of the many reasons why the Americans and the French, these two great people who nourish such complex feelings towards one another, have so much difficulty getting along consistently is that Americans like to do and the French are content to understand. But this is not to say that such understanding comes easily. The author, a French-born and naturalized American with extensive experience of both countries, has attempted here not only to describe the surprisingly strong differences between our two cultures, but also to explain why we are so different. For this innovative work, he mobilizes a multi-disciplinary approach to a rare degree. He gives readers from either shore an opportunity to reflect, at a truly deep level, on their own culture, in order for us to finally be able to see what we were taking for granted and to unearth the many cultural roots of our personality. The we become able to enrich our thinking and our practices with a broader stet of options. However – you have been warned – this discovery happens at the price of a certain loss of innocence: once you have read this book, there will be no way back. Dr. Baudry published the French best-seller Français et Américains, l’autre rive first in 2000, as a cyberbook (which can be downloaded free of charge at www.pbaudry.com) and then on paper (Village Mondial / Pearson Ed. Paris. 2nd edition, 2004), and finally as a comic strip, Les Frenchies, co-authored with Luc Nisset. Many of his 74,000 French-speaking readers asked him for an English translation, either to share with their American colleagues in French-American companies, to better communicate within culturally mixed couples, or to use as a reference book for Intercultural Studies, a topic that he has been teaching for many years at several of these famous institutions of higher education that the French fret soi much about. He has also given hundreds of conferences to American and French audiences, despite which he is still alive and well. “Mais bon!”
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Editorial Reviews
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A convincing demonstration, which gives more room to demonstrations than to antecdotes. An exceptionally broad analysis. Thrilling. --Christine Frin, France-Amérique, November 1, 2003
A new concept. An ambitious project. Based on interpretations and explanations, not just descriptions, it avoids the usual platitudes. --Michel Ktitareff, Les Echos, January 21, 2004
An original perspective on both cultures, with humour and finesse, based on a deep knowledge of both countries. --Fusac, September 24, 2003
A new concept. An ambitious project. Based on interpretations and explanations, not just descriptions, it avoids the usual platitudes. --Michel Ktitareff, Les Echos, January 21, 2004
An original perspective on both cultures, with humour and finesse, based on a deep knowledge of both countries. --Fusac, September 24, 2003
About the Author
After his formal education in Engineering, Humanities, Business, and Psychology, Pascal Baudry practiced psychoanalysis in France for about ten years. He later became a business executive in France and subsequently in Canada and the United States, where he has been living for the last twenty years. As president and founder of WDHB Consulting Group in Berkeley, CA, he has organized since 1989 more than 300 Learning Expeditions and Strategic Expeditions®, working with executive teams on strategic, managerial and intercultural issues, and getting familiar with the behaviors and ways of thinking of participants from 28 countries.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cultural Crossroads,
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This review is from: French and Americans: The Other Shore (Paperback)
This is an excellent book for anyone interested in moving to or doing business with France. Pascal Baudry's experience in both cultures is frank and eye-opening. Take a step outside your stereotypes and norms to see a raw view of two countries and cultures with centuries of cross-cultural connections. Even if you have no plans to live or work in France, this book provides an enriching insight into French and American culture.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Accessing the French nature,
By
This review is from: French and Americans: The Other Shore (Paperback)
This book is based on real knowledge, full of valid examples and thoughful commentary. Pascal is a man of high intellect and this is a documentary of his reflections.It is not a book to be read through in one sitting,but rather it should be read, savored and used to think about one's own experiences.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Some Valuable Insights,
By Chazz at Jefferson's U (Charlottesville, VA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: French and Americans: The Other Shore (Paperback)
This was a book I purchased before going to Europe for 3 weeks, only a few days of which were to be spent in France. It is hard to beat the qualifications of the author and ex-patriot Frenchman and psychologist. I found the overall tone a bit to psychoanalytic but there were good insights to be had which explain why the French might seem rude. The good news was that is was not "me" it was "them." American friendliness is explained as a polite cultural norm which ends with a few sentences and does not invite a relationship. Apparently the French are totally immersed in each other's lives-once one get through the barrier and are accepted "in." Intense, and explains a lot. There are some other good perspectives that make an understanding of the French easier. However, there is no substitute for learning a few sentences in their beloved and beautiful language and learning to pronounce them impeccably. Talk with someone in French and actually have them respond without a subtle but pained cringe on their faces, or an immediate response in English, and you are more than half way toward getting a lot in France.
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My interest in the study of the cultural differences between the French and the Americans arose more than twenty years ago from the surprising realization that my American spouse and I were more different than had first appeared. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
central taboo, schizophrenic split Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, New York, French Revolution, School of Palo Alto, World War, National Assembly, North Africans, Silicon Valley, Anchor Press, Native Americans New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
My interest in the study of the cultural differences between the French and the Americans arose more than twenty years ago from the surprising realization that my American spouse and I were more different than had first appeared. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
central taboo, schizophrenic split Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, New York, French Revolution, School of Palo Alto, World War, National Assembly, North Africans, Silicon Valley, Anchor Press, Native Americans New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 18
books:
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- Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville on page 125, and page 157
- Descartes: Discourse On Method by Laurence J. Lafleur on page 26, and page 32
- Democracy in America (Signet Classics) by Alexis de Tocqueville on page 125, and page 157
- The Hidden Dimension by Edward T. Hall on page 163, and page 167
- The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell on page 132
See all 18 books this book cites
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