http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2014/01/13/140113fa_fact_gopnik
In last week’s New Yorker, which I just got around to reading yesterday, one of the strongest pieces of non-fiction storytelling appeared in the form of Adam Gopnik’s feature “The People Who Pass: Pickpockets and Paranoia in France.”
The beauty of the New Yorker’s style is most evident in the way that articles are never just the facts in cold hard type. In this six page spread the real-life drama behind France’s policy towards Romani immigrants comes to life.
The Romani , known more commonly in pop-culture as gypsies or in french as the tsigane, have a long history as a displaced people. This article hilights the rising tension in France between the influx of Romani into the country. Under European Union policies citizens of member states can live and pass freely into all other member states, and so the influx of Romani has caused friction lately.
Glopnik, mixes in history, interviews with politicians and academics with his own observations to draw an image of modern discrimination and stereotyping. According to even the modern french, the Romani are nothing but thieves and public nuisances.
“A waitress, coming out of the cafe, sees the reporter’s cell phone on the table. ‘Pay attention to your phone,’ she says anxiously ‘because there are…’ She notices the company. ‘There are people who pass,’ she says.”
Though this issue is not exactly pertinent to an American audience, Glopnik weaves together a story that is poignant and moving. Definitely worth a read.