Dienstag, 8. Mai 2007

Almost French (pages 249-296)


I've finally finished reading "Almost French" and I must say that the last 40 pages of the book where Turnbull reflects on culture were the most fascinating ones.

She says that while the Australians take pride in the multiculturalism of their country, in France multiculturalism is still in its infancy and the problems are legion, especially with the second or third generation of youth immigrants who feel like they belong nowhere.

Another thing Turnbull turns over in her mind is the question how much France has changed her. Apart from the fact that she has married a Frenchman, she holds that she has profoundly changed (clothing) and yet fundamentally stayed the same.

Be that as it may, her horizons have been certainly broadened and she has learnt one of the most challenging things in life namely how to live with cultural differences.

MY OPINION OF THE BOOK:

So exquisite do I believe this book to be that I cannot for the life of me understand why so many readers on amazon.com found fault with it.

Suffice it to say that I hold Turnbull did her homework before writing this energising book about entering the uncharted seas of a new culture of which she was trying to crack the code. There are incalculable advantages to reading the book as the main message is that no cultural problem is so knotty that it cannot be solved.

After all, you know the saying-You cannot make an omlette without breaking eggs.

All in all, the book is worth reading as it gives a fantastic insight into two people trying to understand and accept each others' culture.


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