{"product_id":"9781628729351","title":"France on the Brink: A Great Civilization in the New Century","description":"\u003cbr\u003eThis completely revised and fully updated edition of the book Bill Bryson called “superb” presents a sharply insightful, authoritative portrait of France today as it struggles to live up to its vision of itself amid storm clouds that won’t go away.\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eFrance on the Brink\u003c\/i\u003e was chosen as a \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e book of the year and hailed by the \u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e as “a comprehensive and entertaining diagnosis of what ails French society” when the first edition was published at the turn of the century. Since then, the crisis enveloping France has only worsened, and this second edition, completely revamped to cover the developments of the past fifteen years, offers a fresh assessment of where the nation stands. New chapters chart political developments under Presidents Chirac, Sarkozy, and Hollande; the rise of the hard right National Front; and the unrelenting economic woes that have led to unprecedented levels of disillusion and fragmentation. The country’s social evolution is covered comprehensively, with description and analysis of urban and rural life, regional divisions, tensions over immigration and the fading of the symbols that denoted France’s greatness.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHigh unemployment, an archaic economic system, a self-selecting governing class unable to handle serious problems, and a debilitating clash between individualism and the powerful state machine that was built on a foundation reaching back to the Revolution of 1789 continue to plague the nation, making it less able than ever to fulfill its role as a world leader. The economic crisis and the European Union’s ongoing fiscal instability, as well as a parade of scandals at the top, have left it weaker than ever halfway into the second decade of the new century.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJonathan Fenby has covered France for fifty years. In this new edition, he offers a loving though candid and unvarnished picture of the nation, contrasting its glorious past with current realities. He explores not only the problems and the challenges but also the opportunities that lie ahead if only its political class can finally face reality—and carry the people along with them. Filled with contemporary and historical anecdotes, \u003ci\u003eFrance on the Brink\u003c\/i\u003e depicts the many contradictory aspects of the world’s most complex, seductive, and sometimes infuriating country, and will give even the most knowledgeable Francophile plenty to think about.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSkyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Arcade Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47031962075376,"sku":"9781628729351","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781628729351_p0.jpg?v=1763871902","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781628729351","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}