"This quite brilliant 'introductory essay' has as its main point that the specificity of French collective identity and culture is - and has always been - in its ability to blend a very strong sense of national self with universalist values. Everyone who wants to know more about modern French culture and history should read this book." -Patrice Higonnet, Robert Walton Goelet Professor of French History, Harvard University
"How could anyone boil down modern France to, what, 30,000 words? It's impossible, of course. To approach the subject in the space of two journal articles, you'd have to make a series of strategic choices, settle on an angle of attack, discard strict chronology, and focus on what interests you the most. Vanessa Schwartz did all these things and more in this gem of an essay on modern France, a book that will be useful and enjoyable to specialists and general readers alike."--H-France Review
