We are extremely grateful to our agent Roger Williams for going to bat for us with the idea for this book, and to Michael Flamini, our editor at St. Martin’s Press, for liking the idea, and loving the final product.
During our year in France many French friends helped us by hosting us, feeding us, questioning our impressions, and sharing their reflections. Among our “old” friends, we’d like to thank: the hikers Daniel Roux, Alain and Liliane Forcade, and Jeannine Coin; Valerie Lehmann and Jean-François Nantel for hosting us in Les Vosges; Miranda de Toulouse Lautrec, who gave us food, board, and incomparable conversation at her farm in the Limousin; Mireille and Jean-Louis de Keiser who welcomed us in the Landes. We were lucky to have had warm and welcoming neighbors and, in particular, would like to thank Robert and Isabel Trésor, Julien, and Angélique for the apéros and many other favors. A special thanks as well to Edith Roux, a French teacher in New Jersey, for her careful read of the manuscript.
A number of professionals in diplomacy and the media gave us access to invaluable insight, including Michel Robitaille, head of the Quebec Delegation in Paris, and Norman Smith, spokesperson of the Canadian Embassy in Paris. We would like to extend special thanks to Olivier Poivre d’Arvor, executive director of France Culture; Gilles Davidas, director at France Culture; and Franck Chabasseur, director of international relations at CAVILAM-Vichy. The professional opportunities they gave us were also fantastic windows on French society.
Many parents at our daughters’ school welcomed us into their homes, sharing meals, advice, and insight with us, and helping our daughters feel at home. We changed their names, as well as the teachers’, to protect their privacy. We thank them all but particularly “Brigitte” for her energy, her insight, and her own special brand of nonconformism, which just warmed our hearts. We would like to thank our daughters’ school friends, who were articulate, open-minded, welcoming, and just lovely company for our daughters and for us—and congratulations to their parents for raising such bien élévés children.
And from the bottom of our hearts, we’d like to thank our friend Marie-Dominique Bédouet, her husband Carol, and their whole family for being our spiritual home base in Paris. It would not have been the same experience without their help. And of course, our friends Anne Dupont, François Digonnet, and their daughter Ambre for their spirited conversation and unconditional support.
Finally, we’d like to thank our beautiful daughters, Nathalie and Erika, for being such good sports after we ripped them from their universe and pitched them into an unknown world against their will. They allowed us to see a side of France we couldn’t have glimpsed without their help, and their good-natured curiosity never ceased to amaze us.