George Floyd’s death at the hands of police sparked protests around the world, including in France. The French have a long history of looking at race relations in America and condemning our treatment of black citizens. France prides itself on being blind to race, religion, and ethnicity. Indeed, many famous…
Given the disturbing events of recent weeks, a new movement, labeled with the hashtag #BlackoutBestsellerList, encourages people to purchase books by black authors between now and June 20. The goal is to push black authors to the top of bestseller lists around the world. There are, of course, countless exceptional…
One thing I admire about the French is their general knowledge of important figures and events from France’s history. The average French person seems to know significantly more about their country’s past than we Americans know about ours. And they do a better job of keeping that history alive. Whether…
Today, I decided to give up on reading Blonde, by Joyce Carol Oates. The book is over 700 pages and I’ve hit a wall at page 490. I feel there’s no sense in finishing. Here’s why: Fact or Fiction Blonde tells the story of Marilyn Monroe’s life. Only it doesn’t.…
Since May 11, France has gradually lifted its quarantine regulations as the country comes out of lockdown. On Tuesday, the Paris Metro resumed operation of 90% of its pre-Corona schedule. The only visible difference is the masked passengers that ride in relatively uncrowded conditions. This Saturday, the Palace of Versailles…
My series of posts about a new exposition featuring the Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris only covered a small fraction of the subjects tackled by the entire exhibit. There is much more to say and if you enjoyed the series, I hope you find time to visit the online exposition.…
You may well remember the terrorist attacks that took place in Paris on November 13, 2015. That evening, 6 separate attacks were carried out across the city, using both suicide bombers and gunmen with automatic weapons. In little more than an hour, 130 people lost their lives and 413 people…
On April 15, 2019, an electrical short is believed to have sparked the fire that nearly destroyed the 850-year old Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. Within days, France’s president, Emmanuel Macron vowed to rebuild the famous monument within 5 years. One year later, clean-up is still underway and many…
