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.

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

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