Obviously, I read a lot of business books, but I also enjoy other types as well. I read novels from Stuart Woods, Catherine Coulter, Harlen Cohen, John Sanford, and I really miss Robert B. Parker, who passed away last year.
I like non-fiction also. A great best-seller that is now available is by David McCullough, The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris (Simon and Schuster, 2011). McCullough is the authorized biographer for Harry Truman, and that book was cryptically called Truman. He also wrote 1776, featuring great stories of our country’s founders. His books have obviously focused on events in the Western Hemisphere, so this one is a departure from what we are familiar with from his writing.
The Greater Journey is about Americans who traveled to Paris between 1830 and the early 1900’s. Obviously, they went by sea, and the book chronicles the fascination that several Americans had with the Parisian arts, dining, and other aspects of its culture. Among the characters in the book are famous names such as Samuel Morse, Charles Sumner, George Healy, and Nathaniel Hawthorne.
One thing to keep in perspective as you read this book is that comparing America to Paris in this time period is like comparing apples and oranges. As a nation, America was only 54-125 years old. We were an infant compared to the much longer heritage and history that Paris offered these people. Of course, almost every aspect of culture and civilization that these Americans experienced was better in Paris. That is only because Paris had much more time to develop them.
I particularly enjoyed these Americans’ fascination with Parisian food, art, and culture. Of course, most of these people that McCullough chronicles in the book had the money and resources to go first-class.
And, you could still do that today if you went to Paris. If you don’t want to do that, this book is a great way to experience the culture from a previous era. Remember that many of the items that McCullough includes are still open and active in Paris today – the most famous being the Louvre museum.
What do you think? Let’s talk about it!
First Friday Book Synopsis 