genre: non-fiction
I've been working my through Duolingo's French program for more than two years so when I heard of this book, I thought I would give it a try to give me a bit of background and context in the event that I ever get to actually use the French I'm learning. I listened, which I think was good, so I could hear pronunciation and try to listen for words I know, which I occasionally did. I think it was probably a good choice.
The truth is, for me, this book was too wordy and too long. I got a lot out of the beginning but some of the deeper looks into the French school system and politics just went on too long to really keep my attention very well. I think that if I actually had ENOUGH French language skills that I could hold a real conversation, this would have been more meaningful to me. As it was, these topics of conversation are so far above my level of French that I'd just have to stand in silence.
I did learn a lot, though, about the French mindset and way of thinking, about what is taboo and WHY people behave the way they do. I think I would do a better job now of interacting with an actual French person, even if we don't have a deep conversation about race relations in the Francophone world or the French employment contract system. And that's good enough for me.
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