In this tidy one-volume history, Pierre Goubert fairly encapsulates the social, political, and economic evolution of France, from the blurry edges of the monarchy in 987 to the present (about 1980). More fluid and narratively organized than a textbook, but too sweeping to fit neatly with most modern nonfiction historical works, The Course of French History maintains enough momentum to avoid drying out, but never approaches being a page-turner. Goubert, who has done his research, tempers and delivers his own informed judgements passively. This volume suits anyone doing independent study of French, European, or
even World History, giving you all the basics with just a taste of the details.
Note Recounting the contents here would be pointless.
I wanna give, I wanna give, I want to give everything up for grabs. I wanna say, I wanna say, I wanna say all the little things. I wanna make, I wanna make, I wanna make all of the good times. I want to shake, I want to shake, I want to shake, I want to shake your hand.
But what I really want to do is dance. I wanna dance. I wanna dance. I wanna dance. I wanna dance. I wanna dance. I wanna dance. I wanna dance. I wanna dance. I wanna dance. I wanna dance.
I wanna feel, I wanna feel, I want to feel lake water. I wanna think, I wanna think, I wanna think, Oh, man, I want to think something fine. I wanna take, I wanna take, I want to such a long long time. I wanna wake, I wanna wake, I want to wake up and see your shoes in the stairwell.
It takes a good friend to say you've got your head up your ass. It takes a good friend to meet you in the park in the dark. It takes an enemy to help you get out of bed. It takes your lover to leave you, to feel loneliness.
I wanna dance. I wanna dance. I wanna dance. I wanna dance. I wanna dance. I wanna dance. I wanna dance. I wanna dance. I wanna dance. I wanna dance.
I want you, I want you, I want you, I want you to sew a button on my shirt. I want you, I want you, I want you, I want you to come home. I want you, I want you, I want you, I want you to help us out. I want you, I want you, I want you, I want you only to love me for my black eyes.
It takes a good friend to say you've got your head up your ass. It takes a good friend to meet you in the park in the dark. It takes and enemy to help you get out of bed. It takes your lover to leave you, to feel loneliness.
Watered, green escape; a little unkempt but altogether perfect. Garden beds along the path hugging in the grass. Clothesline, birdbath, roses and dogwood. The big pecan tree and shade freckled with sun. Even back then this was already a place protected in the warm trust of memory. Greened my hands with the broken skins of unripe pecans smashed against the tree trunk. Grandpa's Lava soap cleaned my hands, and his knowing it would was better than my hands returned unstained
In this tidy one-volume history, Pierre Goubert fairly encapsulates the social, political, and economic evolution of France, from the blurry edges of the monarchy in 987 to the present (about 1980). More fluid and narratively organized than a textbook, but too sweeping to fit neatly with most modern nonfiction historical works, The Course of French History maintains enough momentum to avoid drying out, but never approaches being a page-turner. Goubert, who has done his research, tempers and delivers his own informed judgements passively. This volume suits anyone doing independent study of French, European, or
even World History, giving you all the basics with just a taste of the details. 
