Book Review: Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnik

Mr. Gopnik, a writer with The New Yorker, moved from New York  to Paris from 1995 to 2000 with his wife, Martha, and eight-month-old son, Luke.  This series of essays provides a light-hearted look at French culture, politics and history and brings new understanding to recent tensions between France and America. 

One delightful aspect of Mr. Gopnik's book is the perspective he brings as a new father.  In this humorous quote, he compares a former U.S. president to a popular children's character:

"There are certain insights that can come to an American only when he is abroad, because only there does the endless ribbon of American television become segmented enough so that you can pay attention to its parts, instead of being overwhelmed by the relentlessness of its presence. In the middle of winter I happened to see, during some stray roundup of the year's events on CNN International, a clip of another familiar American figure, his arms around his wife and child, swaying and humming as he watched fireworks going off.  Suddenly I got it.  The nose; the rocking motion; above all, the squinty-eyed, aw-shucks, just-a-big-lug smile: Barney is Bill Clinton for three-year-olds.  Or, rather, Bill Clinton is Barney for adults.  He serves the same role for jumpy American liberals that Barney does for their children: He reassures without actually instructing. The physical resemblance alone is eerie.  There's the odd combination of hauteur and rondeur (both are very tall without really being imposing), the perpetually swaying body, the unvarying smile, even the disconcerting chubby thighs-everything but the purple skin (p. 171)." 

A self-confessed Francophile, Mr. Gopnik is also a fluent in French.  His ability to observe French culture and explain its nuances to the average American is refreshing and informative.  The following quote gives a glimpse of the author's ability: