Becoming Americans In Paris Brooke Blower Summary

Book Review

Brooke L. Blower, Becoming Americans in Paris: Transatlantic Politics and Culture between the World Wars. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011.

Americans throughout history often pride themselves on the unique and insular nature of their culture. Acting as if their New World is entirely free from influence by the Old World. In her book, Becoming Americans in Europe, Blower provides specific instances that seemingly contradicts that view. The thesis in Blower’s book is that Paris was a large factor in how Americans crafted their national identity. Interwoven with that thesis Blower also promotes an idea of a cycle of Americans influencing Parisians and Parisians therefore reacting differently to Americans forcing them to change.

Blower starts the book with a foray into the initial changes after World War I, mainly the Americanization of Paris.

In this section, the readers are introduced to the idea that rich American tourists influences Parisian shop owners and city officials to Americanize to attract customers. Consequently, creating a hub for Americans that influences Parisian and can be influenced by Parisians. She focuses on how this hub changed views on both sides. Americans seeing it as an exclusive club, Parisians understanding it as a betrayal of the ‘true’ Paris. Tensions from the preferential treatment of Americans become the basis for many of Blowers subsequent chapters.

After setting up the colony and its impact Blower focuses on the political ramifications. Parisian politics were significantly impacted and shaped by the weight of American tourists, and Blower dedicates her second section to outlining such changes. These changes start with the famous Sacco-Vanzetti riots, caused by the American justice system executing Italian immigrants Bartolomeo Vanzetti and Nicola Sacco. Such riots cause a desire for more peace keeping forces, giving rise to Prefect Chiappe. The next chapter is on Prefect Chiappe’s domineering police force and its impact on the colony and native

Parisians.
Finally, Blower discusses continental America’s direct political impact on Paris and its intellectual elite’s education.

The American Legion’s impact is a key factor in how the North American continent directly interacted with Paris. Blower’s sources fluctuate between this visit as being an ‘invasion’ and a ‘peaceful event’. This event and its aftermath provided both an outpouring of pro- and anti-American sentiments, thus creating tensions on how Americans are considered. Blower also brings expatriates, American writers, artists, and journalists who live outside America, into the reader’s focus. Through these mobile Americans Blower focuses on the impacts of Americans in other countries, and how their brief stays connect them with other like-minded individuals. Consequently, Blower tries to change the common misconception of ‘Gay Paris’ to an academic and cultural Paris.

Becoming Americans in Paris set out to display the influence Paris had on American culture, overall it achieved that goal. Blower utilizes personal sources such as journals, newspapers, and personal accounts to create a highly descriptive story. One advantage of her book is her use of both French and American sources, this provides a holistic view of Americans in Paris. Along with the holistic view it also allows the reader to understand what each side takes away from the same event. Showing the American side is key to this process as it is the American identity that is being changed by these

interactions.
Nevertheless, there are some focus problems within Bower’s book. Inside Brower’s book she makes many detractions from her thesis that seem unnecessary. For example, in the chapter on the Sacco-Vanzetti affair much of the chapter on the communist and socialist parties in Paris and around the world. If she connected these ideas by stating how it affected American views it would be great, but there is little to no reference to American identity. Similarly, chapter six focuses on famous expatriates, but this time there is too much expansion into unimportant details. Instead of identifying the Parisian influences on the expatriates and bolstering that argument, she tries to quickly explain each expatriates career. However interesting those stories are the detour from the topic draws the reader away from her argument.
Clever writing and use of sources overwhelms these minor issues, and Blower proficiently explains her thesis. This book clearly silhouettes the intertwining French and American spheres, how Parisian politics affects Americans, and American politics affect Parisians. Blower presents a holistic approach to Americans abroad, that captures both sides of the street. Americans in Paris is an in-depth analysis of Parisian culture that is accessible to most casual readers.

Jacob Werner