In the Benoit family, there is the father, Pierre, a scientist specializing in infectious diseases; the mother, Dominique, a teacher ; and their two children : Julie and Philippe, both adolescents. It is a French family that is about to make an important decision... or, better yet, about to cross an entire ocean, to spend two years in the United States where Pierre has been invited by the NIH. It is a small group that is understandably a bit overwhelmed by this experience, readying itself to fly off to Washington where it will establish itself, where it will learn and understand the lifestyle of the Americans, will touch all facets of this country, will make friends, study, and live in its own way, the "American way of life". From east to west, from north to south, the Benoit family wanders around the United States of America and, beyond, it embraces the New World in its diversity, its particularities, its thinking patterns, its culture, its customs, its myths. More human and sensitive than a tourist guide, more vibrant than a simple reporting on one or another aspect of American life, it is a veritable invitation to us to peruse the described cities and countrysides. This novel of Norman Gaudrault and Georges Idier offers us a total immersion into a society that is both fascinating and attractive. Turn the pages and embark on an adventure that risks welling up in you many desires !
