Au Contraire!: Figuring Out the French

by Gilles Asselin, Ruth Mastron

The French are famously fiercely independent yet deeply romantic,conservative yet avant-garde, rational yet emotional. What is it, exactly, that makes the French so... French? Written for anyone interacting with the French - tourists, businesspeople, international students, Francophiles - Au Contraire! offers a perceptive understanding of French cultural beliefs, assumptions and attitudes, along with practical advice on building strong personal and professional relationships with the French. Addressing issues like friendship, politics, work, education and romance, bilingual and bi cultural authors Asselin and Mastron draw upon their own experiences as consultants and trainers, as well as those of students and professionals, giving readers a complete - and compelling - look at French culture. This revised edition of Au Contraire! includes updated information about France's changing social and political climate, advice for succeeding as an expat, information about the French educational system, overviews of France's diverse regions - and more.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, History, Cultural

330 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 15, 2010

Reviews

[Nicholas Nuske]

Took 4 years to start this book. Took 4 hours to finish it (sort of)

Fantastic view of the French from a American point of view. Thought it would go deep into French history but gladly it stays relevant in the modern view point. worth a read to understand where you stand if you ever come across a polite French person. Which will never happen but you can see why you shouldn't take it personal, they are french... Enough said

[Jessica]

I had to read this for a class in college. It was entertaining and insightful. However, I do not agree with every American comparison made here.

[Rachel]

Great read but some of the information is out-of-date and needs to be updated!

[Delphine Briere]

Very good and fully detailed book about the intercultural differences.

[Laurie]

This book has great questions about how to integrate American-French communication differences in team and business settings.
Typeset is a smaller font.

[Soplapin]

Unintentionally but genuinely hilarious.

Also a bit dated now, seeing that it was published in 2010.