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Tuesday, 12 August 2008 |
by Ted Stanger
Editions Michalon 2008. 240p In French
€18.05 from FNAC.com or amazon.fr
This is the latest in the series of Ted Stanger’s ‘Sacré’ series, after
‘Sacrés Français!’, ‘Sacrés Américains!’’ and ‘Sacrés
fonctionnaires!’ After 15 years in Paris, the ex-editor of
‘Newsweek’ has decided to explain the seemingly complicated
American political system to the French public, with the same
mixture of self-deprecatory wit and astute observation as in his
previous books.
The book is full of anecdotes about the three main candidates for
the next presidential elections (Hilary Clinton was still in the
running when the book was published), and has many funny stories
and stinging remarks about the origins and workings of the sometimes bizarre electoral
machine in the USA.
While not hiding his democrat leanings, Stanger paints an unbiased picture and mocks
both parties equally. He speaks directly to the French, with lines such as: “In my country,
during the elections, we sell a candidate like deodorant on the television. Quite frankly,
compared to ours, your political practices are almost healthy.”
Recommended for any French reader wanting to better understand US politics.
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