French Service Research Articles

Intercultural competence in the context of intercultural service encounters: A multilevel and dynamic approach

This article proposes a multilevel and dynamic approach to analyzing intercultural competence (IC) to understand how IC components at individual and collective levels articulate in intercultural service encounters (ICSEs). The articulation of IC levels is analyzed using a dynamic approach that covers the three service experience phases: pre-core, core, and post-core ICSEs. Analysis of data collected from a French language services business unit shows that service businesses need to adjust the two levels of IC in each service experience phase in order to achieve a quality service experience. A multilevel approach is taken to illuminate the role of the team as a whole, rather than individual staff members, in service encounter outcomes. The study represents a contextualized explanation of the dynamic nature of intercultural interactions within the team and between staff and customers, validates the concept of collective IC, and contributes to the literature on ICSEs.

Olon acquires French biotech services firm

Olon acquires French biotech services firm

Etiology of Acute Febrile Illnesses in Adults in the Defense Community in French Guiana.

In tropical countries, acute febrile illnesses represent a complex clinical problem for general practitioners. We describe the prevalence of different etiologies of acute febrile illnesses occurring among French service members and their families, excluding children, in general practice in French Guiana. From June 2017 to March 2020, patients with a fever ≥ 37.8°C with a duration of less than 15 days who sought medical care at the army medical centers in Cayenne and Kourou were prospectively enrolled. Based on clinical presentation, blood, urine, nasopharyngeal, and stool samples were collected for diagnostic testing for viruses, bacteria, and parasites (by direct examination, microscopic examination of blood smears, culture, serology, or polymerase chain reaction), and standardized biological tests were systematically performed. Among 175 patients retained for analysis, fever with nonspecific symptoms was predominant (46.9%), with 10 Plasmodium vivax malaria cases, 8 dengue infections, and 6 cases of Q fever. The second most frequent cause of acute febrile illness was upper respiratory tract infections (32.0%) due to influenza virus (n = 18) or human rhinovirus (n = 10). Among the causes of acute febrile illness in French Guiana, clinicians should first consider arboviruses and malaria, as well as Q fever in cases of elevated C-reactive protein with nonspecific symptoms and influenza in cases of signs and symptoms associated with upper respiratory tract infections. Despite an expanded microbiological search, the etiology of 51.4% of acute febrile illnesses remain unknown. Further investigations will be necessary to identify the etiology of acute febrile illnesses, including new pathogens, in French Guiana.

What do vegetable farmers expect from climate services to adapt to climate change by 2060? A case study from the Parisian region

Climate services are an important tool providing information for many sectors to adapt to climate change. For agriculture, the impacts of climate change vary between regions and between crops, and farmers' needs for climate information are also determined by local context. The purpose of this paper is to identify the climate information needs of vegetable farmers, and to discuss these needs within the specific context of the Parisian region. Based on participatory workshops in three areas of the Parisian region, and using regional downscaled data from the French climate services, this study addresses the following question: what do vegetable farmers of a peri-urban area expect from climate services to adapt to climate change by 2060? Participatory workshops with agricultural expert allowed us to build a preliminary set of climate variables based on crops' vulnerability to high temperatures, mild temperature in winter, late frost, low relative air humidity, low precipitation, and climate extremes such as drought, heat waves and floods. Based on this set of variables climate projection on monthly, seasonal, and annual scales were provided to farmers for the near (2021–2040) and distant (2041–2060) future, as well as for past period (1990–2020) and discussed during 3 participatory workshops. Based on farmer’s feedbacks, we made a synthesis of climate information required by farmers which was validated and further discussed in a last round of workshops involving farmers and agricultural advisers. Three main findings emerge from this participatory study. Our first finding shows the need for both climate and non-climate information for vegetable farming adaptation. Specific needs include information on wind speed peaks and directions, soil moisture, climate analogous spaces (or sites), and urban planning regulations (constraining the possibility to build greenhouses or tunnels to adapt to climate change). Our second finding is that farmers expect from climate services to visualise a comprehensive climatic situation, that is, a whole conjunction of several inter-related variables, rather than precise and detailed variations of a single one. Seasonal and annual time scales seem to be the most relevant for farmers’ adaptation strategies (except for frost requiring more precise information). Our third finding is that these needs remain context-specific and depend on water access, the market demand (here Parisian), and the peri-urban location.

HOTVOLC: the official French satellite-based service for operational monitoring and early warning of volcanic ash plumes

HOTVOLC: the official French satellite-based service for operational monitoring and early warning of volcanic ash plumes

Evaluation of surface shortwave downward radiation forecasts by the numerical weather prediction model AROME

Abstract. With the worldwide development of the solar energy sector, the need for reliable surface shortwave downward radiation (SWD) forecasts has significantly increased in recent years. SWD forecasts of a few hours to a few days based on numerical weather prediction (NWP) models are essential to facilitate the incorporation of solar energy into the electric grid and ensure network stability. However, SWD errors in NWP models can be substantial. In order to characterize the performances of AROME in detail, the operational NWP model of the French weather service Météo-France, a full year of hourly AROME forecasts is compared to corresponding in situ SWD measurements from 168 high-quality pyranometers covering France. In addition, to classify cloud scenes at high temporal frequency and over the whole territory, cloud products derived from the Satellite Application Facility for Nowcasting and Very Short Range Forecasting (SAF NWC) from geostationary satellites are also used. The 2020 mean bias is positive, with a value of 18 W m−2, meaning that AROME on average overestimates the SWD. The root-mean-square error is 98 W m−2. The situations that contribute the most to the bias correspond to cloudy skies in the model and in the observations, situations that are very frequent (66 %) and characterized by an annual bias of 24 W m−2. Part of this positive bias probably comes from an underestimation of cloud fraction in AROME, although this is not fully addressed in this study due to the lack of consistent observations at kilometer resolution. The other situations have less impact on SWD errors. Missed cloudy situations and erroneously predicted clouds, which generally correspond to clouds with a low impact on the SWD, also have low occurrence (4 % and 11 %). Likewise, well-predicted clear-sky conditions are characterized by a low bias (3 W m−2). When limited to overcast situations in the model, the bias in cloudy skies is small (1 W m−2) but results from large compensating errors. Indeed, further investigation shows that high clouds are systematically associated with a SWD positive bias, while low clouds are associated with a negative bias. This detailed analysis shows that the errors result from a combination of incorrect cloud optical properties and cloud fraction errors, highlighting the need for a more detailed evaluation of cloud properties. This study also provides valuable insights into the potential improvement of AROME physical parametrizations.

Comparing stigma between French people experiencing schizophrenia versus bipolar disorders.

Among the multiple challenges that people experiencing mental illness in general, and schizophrenia or bipolar disorders in particular, have to face, stigma appears to be one of the most difficult to tackle. In France, the body of research about stigma regarding people experiencing schizophrenia or bipolar disorders is growing, but not as much as in other western countries. In this context, our study aims to explore and compare stigma in French people experiencing schizophrenia or bipolar disorders, along with their respective mental healthcare system experience, in order to better address them within public health policies. 20 French mental health service users experiencing schizophrenia and 20 experiencing bipolar disorders answered the Stigma Scale, which assesses three dimensions of stigma (discrimination, difficulties of divulgation and lack of positive aspects). A semi-structured interview was used to collect information about the experience of the mental healthcare system (level of information, access to diagnosis, treatment, access to psychoeducation, etc.). People experiencing schizophrenia and people experiencing bipolar disorders are different populations in terms of social impairment. However, they share a comparable negative experience of the mental healthcare system and a comparable level of information about their illness, to the exception of diagnosis divulgation, as people experiencing bipolar disorders have a better access to their diagnosis. People experiencing schizophrenia perceive a higher actual discrimination than people experiencing bipolar disorders. Public health policies should take into account the strong perception of actual discrimination of people experiencing schizophrenia, with capitalizing on what seems beneficial for people experiencing bipolar disorders.

Needs assessment for pharmacy program creation designed to serve minority Francophone populations in Canada

ObjectivesCurrent literature provides little insight into the need for French language pharmaceutical-services in Francophone minority settings in Canada. This study aims to understand the pharmaceutical care and services offered in French in Canada. It also aims to conduct a needs assessment in the context of curriculum development, by validating whether pharmaceutical needs are being met in Francophone minority settings in Canada. MethodsAn online survey was sent to community members and healthcare professionals. Respondents were asked to identify the perceived importance of pharmaceutical needs, and the degree to which they perceive these to be fulfilled in French and in English in their communities. Results113 community members and 109 healthcare professionals completed the survey. Most respondents were from Ontario (64.84%), Quebec (10.50%) or Atlantic provinces (10.05%). >95% of survey respondents identified that pharmaceutical needs assessed were of very high importance. The rate of pharmaceutical need fulfillment was lower in French than English across all pharmaceutical needs assessed. The greatest difference in rate of pharmaceutical need fulfillment was seen with "Having safe access to required medication". The perception of pharmaceutical needs being met was congruent between community members and healthcare professionals. ConclusionThese results confirm a lack of pharmaceutical needs being met in French in Canadian Francophone minority communities. There is a lack of French language services that limits the ability to receive care in one's own language. Pharmacy education in French may be an effective approach to improve pharmaceutical care services received in French in francophone minority communities.

Access to healthcare services and confidence in healthcare professionals’ management of malaria: the views of Francophone sub-Saharan African Immigrants living in western Canada

BackgroundThere is a paucity of knowledge about the healthcare attitudes and practices of French-speaking immigrants originating from Sub-Saharan Africa (FISSA) living in minority settings. The purpose of this study was to characterize FISSA healthcare experiences and confidence in the malaria-related knowledge of health professionals in Edmonton.MethodsA structured survey was used to examine a cohort of 382 FISSA (48% female; 52% male) living in Edmonton. FISSA general healthcare attitudes, experiences and satisfaction with the Canadian healthcare system were studied. Healthcare Competency Perception (HCP) was characterized by using an index score. Statistical analyses were performed to evaluate the impact of healthcare experiences and other outcomes.ResultsIntriguingly, while only 42% of FISSA had a French-speaking family physician, 83% (197/238) of those who had received health care services in Alberta found that access to medical treatment was easy, and 77% (188/243) were satisfied with received care. Although 70% (171/243) of FISSA did not receive services in French, 82% (199/243) surprisingly reported having good levels of comprehension during their visits. Satisfaction with care was associated with having a family physician (p = 0.018) and having health insurance (p = 0.041). Nevertheless, confidence in the healthcare system’s ability to treat malaria effectively was significantly lower, with only 39% (148/382) receiving a positive score on the HCP index.ConclusionThis study provides an important insight into FISSA experience with and perception of the Alberta’s healthcare system.

Santé publique France's cross-sectoral response to the climate and environmental changes

Abstract Heat is one of the most rapidly changing climate-related health issues. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) considered that current existing and planned adaptation measures will not be sufficient to limit the health impacts of heat in Europe. The French heat wave alert system, set up in 2004, was one of the first and most innovative in the world thanks to a close collaboration between the French weather service Météo-France, the national public health agency and the ministry of health. It also benefits from a reactive syndromic surveillance based on emergency room visits and general practitioners emergency consultations. Yet, it is now challenged by the increase in frequency and intensity of heat waves due to climate change. The impacts of recent years show that short-term responses based on timely behavioural changes during heat waves are now insufficient. Structural adaptation measures are an asset, and should not only consider adaptation to heat, but also wider opportunities for mitigation and reduction of inequities, in order to promote robust healthy environments that protect against climate disruption. This presentation will share how Santé publique France is developing a set of interdisciplinary studies and an advocacy strategy to encourage stakeholders involved in urban planning and housing to better take into account the impact of heat in their projects.

At (Red) cross purposes: American Red Cross humanitarian ‘arrogance’ and France’s Great War relief and reconstruction, 1917–20

ABSTRACT Directors of American Red Cross (ARC) 1917–20 French civilian relief electively addressed and ignored France’s First World War-triggered needs. ARC leaders’ programmes during the organization’s three-year period of active French service voluntarily embraced and discarded Francophile policies endorsed by their subordinates, their colleagues and their superiors. ARC wartime assistance allotments increasingly, and sometimes perplexingly, favoured US servicemen over French non-combatants. Post-War ARC aid allocations deliberately advanced embryonic Eastern European activity over enduring and extensive known and indefinite French privations. ARC executives even periodically proposed and imposed orders that made France and its people unwitting underwriters of the American Red Cross’ focus on Eastern Europe, even as that process expressly reduced French civilian aid. Their self-confident, repeated and arbitrary conduct vis-à-vis Great War-afflicted French non-combatants advanced ARC purposes at Frenchmen’s expense. It thus meets current definitions of ‘arrogant’ humanitarianism.

Factors associated with smoking cessation in exclusive smokers and dual users of e-cigarette and conventional cigarettes from CDTnet registry

Dual use of electronic cigarettes and conventional cigarettes may be a transitional state towards cigarette smoking cessation. However, maintaining dual use may increase tobacco-related consequences as smoking behavior persists. The aim of our study was to describe characteristics of dual users and explore factors associated with their one-month abstinence in comparison to exclusive smokers in French smoking cessation services (SCS). We retrospectively studied 5116 smokers registered in a national SCS registry between 2015 and 2018 and who attended at least two visits. We matched the retained exclusive smokers and dual users by age, sex, professional status and education level. We compared baseline information and validated smoking abstinence at one-month follow-up between the two groups. Predictors of abstinence were assessed using a multivariate model. Retained exclusive smokers and dual users had similar cessation rates (37%). Compared to exclusive smokers, dual users presented more comorbidities and a higher level of nicotine dependence. Factors positively associated with cessation in dual users were: being employed or retired, declaring three or more previous quit attempts, presenting with low nicotine dependence and high motivation to quit and benefiting from at least four follow-up consultations. Our results suggest that dual users seeking help to quit in SCS seem to benefit from support as much as exclusive smokers to reach abstinence, despite a higher level of nicotine dependence and comorbidities. Further research, especially qualitative, is needed on this specific group of smokers to provide tailored interventions to quit.

Burnout among French pediatric healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT The objectives of our study were: (1) to establish the prevalence of burnout among French pediatric healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic; (2) to identify the psychosocial factors that predict burnout in these healthcare workers. To achieve these objectives, a total of 99 physicians and 55 nurses from various French pediatric services completed a protocol questioning socio-demographic characteristics, the specific stress of pediatric care workers, the stress related to the COVID-19 pandemic, occupational stress (JSS), coping strategies (WCC-R) and burnout (MBI). Descriptive analyses (frequencies, means, and standard deviations) were used to address objectives (1). Multiple linear regressions were performed to address objective (2). The prevalence of burnout was 48% (95% CI [40–56]). Occupational stress and stress related to working conditions were the main factors predicting emotional exhaustion. Being female, years of practice, social support-seeking and stress related to confrontation with suffering and death negatively and significantly predicted depersonalization. Being a nurse, problem-focused coping and the sense of impact of the pandemic on the daily work significantly predicted personal accomplishment. In conclusion, our study showed a high prevalence of burnout among French pediatric healthcare workers, but the impact of the pandemic on this prevalence did not seem significant.

DIC offers $97 million for Seqens facility

Seqens, a French pharmaceutical services firm, says the Japanese chemical maker DIC has offered to acquire its Canadian subsidiary, PCAS Canada, for $97 million. The Canadian unit specializes in the custom manufacturing of phenolic resins, photoactive compounds, dyes, and other materials used in the production of semiconductors and printed electronics. Seqens got the Canadian facility when it acquired a controlling interest in PCAS in 2017.

Empathy of dental students and educators in French hospitals: A cross-sectional study.

Empathy is a key factor in the dentist-patient relationship. The aim of this study was to determine empathy in dental students and educators in French hospital dental services. A cross-sectional study was conducted among dental students and educators who practiced in 10 hospital dental services affiliated with the Faculty of Dentistry of the University of Lorraine in France. A questionnaire was self-administered online using the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy (JSPE). The study included 209 participants comprising 50 students in fourth year, 66 students in fifth year, 48 students in sixth year, and 45 educators. Participants were 63.6% females, aged 27 ± 8 years. The mean empathy score was 109.40 ± 11.65. The sub-scores of the three dimensions were 57.02 ± 6.64 for Perspective Taking, 42.56 ± 6.22 for Compassionate Care, and 9.78 ± 2.61 for Walking in the Patient's Shoes. Females showed significant higher empathy scores than males (111.36 vs. 105.84). The empathy score was correlated with age and insignificantly decreased during clinical training (from 110.06 in fourth year to 106.63 in sixth year). French dental students and educators showed high levels of empathy.

Reducing the Burden of HIV and HCV among Sex Workers Who Use Drugs in France

Context:The far-reaching effects of the Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated the adverse working and living conditions of Sex Workers (SWs) in France. These consequences, coupled with illicit drug use, and reduced access to prevention measures raise concerns for the transmission of the Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Hepatitis C virus (HCV) among Sex Workers Who Use Drugs (SWWUD), creating an urgent call for targeted interventions. There is an acute need for accessible, ongoing care for SWWUD to prevent HIV and HCV infections and mitigate adverse health effects. Current French health services such as harm reduction and HIV/HCV prevention services often operate separately and seldom address SWs and People Who Use Drugs (PWUD) simultaneously. Given the compounding set of challenges that SWWUD face, a holistic approach to policy interventions must be considered.Policy Options:Firstly, integrated services are particularly effective in promoting harm reduction and improving the health of their users. When these services include substance use care and HIV services, uptake of these interventions and primary care utilisation increases due to enhanced accessibility. Secondly, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and needle and syringe programs (NSP) are clinically effective prevention methods that, when coupled with point-of-care-testing (POCT), can reduce the prevalence of HIV and HCV and improve the monitoring of these viruses. Finally, willingness to engage with health services is impacted by the attitudes of healthcare staff. Sensitisation training can promote trauma-informed care, a non-judgemental approach in health workers, encouraging SWWUD to seek care and achieve better health outcomes. Recommendations:A three-pronged approach to implementing integrated services is recommended. First, facilitating access to care can be attained through the linkage of patients to treatment, primary care, sexual and reproductive health, and social services. Existing service providers can be supported with interdisciplinary teams and telemedicine to reduce care fragmentation. Additionally, prevention and testing measures can be enhanced through the coordinated provision of needle and syringe programs, point-of-care testing, PrEP, and harm reduction supplies. These services should be linked to established integrated service centres to ensure a continuum of care. Finally, peer leaders may deliver sensitisation training for service providers to reduce stigma and improve understanding of the unique health needs of SWWUD. Integrated service providers should further employ peer leaders as peer navigators to promote the vision of community empowerment and inclusion.

A single dose of ciprofloxacin reduces the duration of diarrhea among service members deployed in Africa

ObjectivesTo assess the effectiveness of the adjunction of a one-gram single dose of ciprofloxacin to a symptomatic treatment for the early treatment of uncomplicated diarrhea during military operations of the French service members in Africa. Patients and methodsThis phase IV, multicentric, randomized, open-label, controlled trial was conducted in Chad, Mali, and in Central African Republic. A total of 267 French service members having at least one loose stool in the previous 24 hours were enrolled from May 2015 to June 2016. Participants were randomized to receive ciprofloxacin 1 g and a symptomatic treatment (racecadotril 100 mg three times a day and ad libidum oral rehydration solution) or a symptomatic treatment alone. The primary outcome was the duration of the diarrhea. Secondary outcomes were evaluated at the 72-hour endpoint and included recovery status, number of loose stools, frequency and duration of associated symptoms and safety of treatments. ResultsAmong 267 participants, 242 completed the trial. Participants receiving ciprofloxacin and a symptomatic treatment (n = 124) were significantly more likely to be cured at the endpoint than those who only received a symptomatic treatment (118): 94.4 % versus 74.6 % (OR = 5.7; 95 %CI: [2.4–13.6]; p < 10-3). The antibiotic therapy reduced the average diarrhea duration by 30 % (p = 10-4). Fever at inclusion was associated with a longer episode (HR = 0.61; 95 %CI: [0.41–0.89]; p = 0.012). No adverse event of medications was reported. ConclusionA single dose of ciprofloxacin was effective and safe in treating uncomplicated diarrhea among service members in Africa.

Against the Dangers of the Night: The Compline Versicle Custodi nos domine and its Tropes in Medieval France

While few proper chants, let alone tropes or polyphony, survive for compline from medieval Europe, monastic and secular clergy across France between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries bestowed compositional and poetic attention upon one of its simplest chants, the psalmic versicle Custodi nos domine. Contrasting with its customary formulaic recitation, the brief versicle appears in song-form tropes as early as the twelfth century, initially linked to the troping of office liturgies for Christmas octave feasts (Epiphany and Circumcision) and then associated with the newly established feast of Corpus Christi. This article explores the previously unexamined practice of monophonic and polyphonic troping of the compline versicle, tracing iterations of the troped versicle in French service books and among liturgies for the feasts of the Circumcision, Epiphany, and Corpus Christi, as well as in non-liturgical music collections. I illustrate how such tropes contribute to the festal and musical flexibility of the Custodi nos domine versicle, which serves chiefly as a prayer for protection against sin, evil, and the dangers of the night, and thus foregrounds the central themes of compline and the versicle rather than of any single feast day.

Language Use in the Catholic Church in Cameroon: The Case of the French Service and the Bulu Service in a Parish of Sangmelima

This paper examines language practices in two services offered in the main Catholic Church in the town of Sangmelima in the South region of Cameroon. The research is motivated by the need to find out what languages are used in this church and what the terms “French service” and “Bulu service” imply in the multilingual city of Sangmelima. The informants were the priests, catechists, choir leaders, and some parishioners of this church. Three main instruments were used to collect data in these two church services, i.e., interview, questionnaire and participant observation. The frame adopted for the analysis was Kouega’s structural-functional approach (2008). The findings revealed that the services in this church include 28 parts. In the French service, the languages used to realise these parts were found to be French, Bulu (Sangmelima), Ewondo (Yaounde), Fang (south of Cameroon and north of Equatorial Guinea), Fe’efe’e (Bafang), Ghomala’ (Bafoussam), and Medumba (Bangangte). In the Bulu service, on the other hand, the languages used were: Bulu (Sangmelima), Ewondo (Yaounde), and French. These languages were chosen for a variety of reasons. First, a language like Bulu was chosen because it is understood by the parishioners as it is the main language of the locality. Second, French is the official language of the territory; third, some languages like Fe’efe’e, Ghomala, and Medumba were chosen on the basis of the involvement of the speakers of these ethnic languages in the activities of the church. Fourth, the availability of printed religious materials in a language was an important factor.

French St. Louis: Landscape, Contexts, and Legacy ed. by Jay Gitlin, Robert Michael Morrissey and Peter J. Kastor

Reviewed by: French St. Louis: Landscape, Contexts, and Legacy ed. by Jay Gitlin, Robert Michael Morrissey and Peter J. Kastor Alice J. Strange Gitlin, Jay, Robert Michael Morrissey, and Peter J. kastor, eds. French St. Louis: Landscape, Contexts, and Legacy. UP of Nebraska, 2021. ISBN 978-1-4962-0684-8. Pp. 319. This volume assembles ten essays from a 2014 symposium commemorating the 250th anniversary of the founding of St. Louis. The city grew from an eighteenth-century village in the mid-Mississippi Valley, inhabited by settlers and traders from New France. These French colonists and their descendants engaged in a wide network of activities, documented in archival sources and brought to light in this work. The colony was not officially approved by French authorities. Being located far from imperial control, the St. Louis French settlers could make local decisions more freely. Since they were vastly outnumbered by the Indigenous population, the French devised practices that served the interests of both parties. They maintained good relations with Native Americans by trading European goods for their furs and bestowing additional gifts on them to foster peace. In daily life, clothing styles and adornment conveyed social information, according to letters, wills, and estate inventories. Physical appearance functioned as an indication of status and identity among the French and their Indigenous neighbors. The beads, body coloring, and hairstyles worn by Native Americans told of their roles and achievements. The French elite class, consisting of the colony’s founding families, possessed elegant clothing and household goods from Europe. This group intermarried, controlled commercial interests, and maintained contacts with distant family members. Wealthy St. Louis residents visited relatives and sent children to be educated in New France by means of waterways from St. Louis to Montréal and Québec. The colonial era ended with the Louisiana Purchase, shortly after France sent its last prefect to Louisiana in 1804. The prefect accumulated a valuable trove of personal papers before carrying out his final duty, the ceremonial transfer of the Louisiana Territory to the United States. Although no structures survive from the French regime, a visualization of the 1804 village has been created by a National Park Service team using computer-generated technology. Dimensions and layout of the structures were taken from surveys, land records, and maps. This three-dimensional digital rendering may be seen in the museum beneath the Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis. Under American control, St. Louis continued to maintain a strong French identity. A French-language newspaper, La Revue de l’Ouest, established in 1854, contains notices for dozens of French shops and services. French-speaking free people of color, less well-known than their counterparts in Louisiana, had lived and prospered in St. Louis since the early days of the colony. They maintained their culture throughout the nineteenth century. By1860, St. Louis rivaled New Orleans in population and surpassed it in industrial activity. With a thriving manufacturing sector, St. Louis became a crossroads of commerce and profited greatly by supplying goods to [End Page 184] homesteaders heading west. To the present day, an array of organizations and events sustains the French heritage of St. Louis. This work is highly recommended for its innovative discussions of French St. Louis’s contributions to American life. It will appeal to all readers interested in the French history of the American Midwest. [End Page 185] Alice J. Strange Southeast Missouri State University, emerita Copyright © 2022 American Association of Teachers of French