The French have given Americans a harder time on the international stage than anyone else. Driven by their own self-importance, and their frustration at no longer being a superpower, the French talk down to us with galling self-righteousness. They love our movies and our fast foods, yet hate our values, our politics, and especially our president. But as Richard Z. Chesnoff points out, the love-hate relationship between France and America didn't start with George W. Bush-or even Ronald Reagan. It goes all the way back to the days of Benjamin Franklin and that uppity Rene Descartes. (Never trust a man named Rene.) And compared to Charles DeGaulle, Jacques Chirac is a piece of cake to work with. Chesnoff has lived in France for the past twenty years while writing for major American magazines and newspapers. He explains how the French really think and what drives their jealousy and arrogance. His maddening experiences while living among the French will raise your blood pressure, make you laugh, and give you plenty of reasons to jeer. This is the perfect book for anyone fed up with the folks who would be speaking German today if not for the USA, and who ought to be just a little more grateful in return. Book jacket.