Actress and sex symbol Brigitte Bardot had a stunning career in France and America in the mid-20th century. Since the 1970s, she has dedicated her life to the welfare and protection of animals, with much personal involvement. In this book the author makes the case that, far from being just a pretty face or a spotlight grabber, Bardot was an accomplished actress and has always been an intelligent, sensitive individual.

This engaging, knowledgeable book traces the American path France has followed since resolving its searing Algerian conflict in 1962. Barnett Singer convincingly demolishes two pervasive cliches about modern France: first, that the country never has been fit to fight wars, including wars on terror; and second, that the French always have been and remain overwhelmingly anti-American. Drawing on a wealth of archival sources, Barnett Singer clearly demonstrates that a serious and organized France fought strongly until its own divisions, international pressures, and the actions of de Gaulle ended...