I have made it a goal this year to read one new book a month. In Paris, it is a little expensive to become a part of a library program. So, I started using the app, OverDrive, to be able to connect with my U.S. library digitally. I’ve already started my book for February thanks to it! I am reading Paris to the Moon, by Adam Gopnik. A friend told me about this novel forever ago and I happy to finally get around to reading it. The story is based around Gopnik’s experiences while living in Paris in the early 1980s. This was a time when Chirac was president and there was a few unfortunately things hitting the city. The first chapter discussed how it felt to be in the city during the metro bombing sprit of the early 80’s. He described the Parisians reactions as sangfroid. Being in Paris during the November 2015 terrorist attacks, I could see the French people band together in the same powerful way. The public is solid and nothing can puncture that sense of valor.
Sang-froid (masculine word) – courage or strength under pressure
maîtrise de soi, présence d’esprit dans les moments critiques
Ex: Garder son sang-froid.