Buy new:
$16.61
FREE delivery Friday, May 17 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
$16.61
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Friday, May 17 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35. Order within 16 hrs 18 mins
Only 8 left in stock - order soon.
$$16.61 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$16.61
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
30-day easy returns
30-day easy returns
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Returns
30-day easy returns
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$6.20
Former library book; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less Former library book; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less See less
FREE delivery May 20 - 24. Details
Or fastest delivery May 14 - 17. Details
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$16.61 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$16.61
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Ships from and sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the authors

Michele Hutchison
+ Follow
Joris Luyendijk
+ Follow
See all
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

People Like Us: Misrepresenting the Middle East Paperback – September 29, 2009

by Joris Luyendijk (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 58 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$16.61","priceAmount":16.61,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"16","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"61","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"yknT%2FtTGw0qEhvrBT6ZDSdarrqDsDYQRLocpLHn14kKlrz47K0XWcrNSRI744lEfeirNsrckIs3JzQF2tZ8TRIGV2t%2FsbhSULtNUSqfOZKhoyIyuX5M7j2xbDIa4ky6vOIdrFhejjBg%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$6.20","priceAmount":6.20,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"6","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"20","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"yknT%2FtTGw0qEhvrBT6ZDSdarrqDsDYQReil2VsgqGv0DNFp5nn1ZPlR%2Fj3f9rOAl9sXXxdgJRXibzo8FHH8%2BhofriHNCfBOGxI2ENJVBzch2aEMpWZsEuV%2F7E8fmGYkouDuKpniLOTuDhkBddRDo5lZ9TCLc1O0VrqqGijalS0E%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

A war correspondent’s bestselling, “commanding . . . eye-opening account” of five years on the Middle East frontlines (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

In 1998, Joris Luyendijk was stationed just outside of Cairo. It wasn’t for his journalism skills. It was because he was fluent in Arabic. What followed—from the Palestinian-Israeli conflict through the post 9/11 war in Iraq—would be literal trial-by-fire for the young untested reporter. What he had going for him was his ability to communicate.

Determined to cover the conflicts from the inside, Luyendijk spoke with stone throwers and staunch terrorists, taxi drivers, civil servants and professors, victims and aggressors, and all of their families. He chronicled first-hand experiences of dictatorship, occupation, fear, resilience, jubilation, and community. But the more Luyendijk witnessed, the less he understood. He became increasingly aware of the yawning gap between what he witnessed on the ground and what was being reported by the media. As a correspondent, he was privy to a multitude of narratives with conflicting implications, and he saw over and over again that the favored stories were those that would be sure to confirm the popularly held, oversimplified beliefs of the outside world.

“Disturbing, thought-provoking, and ultimately profound,” People Like Us shatters our perceptions of what we’re led to believe—a filtered, altered, and manipulated image of reality in the Middle East that has become a wholly designed theater of war for the western audience (Norman Solomon, author of War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death).
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Print length
    256 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Soft Skull
  4. Publication date
    September 29, 2009
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.7 x 8.3 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1593762569
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1593762568
  8. See all details
Next page
The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. In his commanding debut, Dutch journalist Luyendijk describes the curious five years he spent as a correspondent in the Middle East, stationed out of Cairo. Sent traipsing around the Middle East, Luyendijk struggles to find newsworthy (and trustworthy) stories, usually involving bribery and less-than-honest people. Luyendijk also delivers example after example of oppression and brainwashing techniques used by dictatorships on their citizens, which comes through clearly in his conversations with ordinary people like cab drivers, as well as with high-profile public figures. Sent to the Middle East not for his journalism skills but for his ability to speak Arabic, Luyendijk had to learn on the job, an all-too-literal trial by fire. He takes advantage of his outsider position to break down the myths of war journalism and the very real limitations reporters face outside the Western bubble of free speech. The author also weighs in on 9/11 and Saddam Hussein's regime, making this an eye-opening account with special relevance for American readers.

About the Author

Joris Luyendijk is a commentator and journalist. He was a staff writer for The Guardian and his writing has appeared throughout Europe. He is author of international bestseller Swimming With Sharks: Inside the World of the Bankers and People Like Us: Misrepresenting the Middle East. He lives in London.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Soft Skull; Original edition (September 29, 2009)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1593762569
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1593762568
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.3 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 58 ratings

About the authors

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Previous page
  1. Michele Hutchison

    Michele Hutchison

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    I grew up in the UK and moved to Amsterdam in 2004. Most of my career has been spent in the publishing industry where I worked as an editor for a number of years. I've translated around twenty Dutch books into English and one French book, and when I'm not translating I'm blogging for www.FindingDutchland.com. Together with Rina Mae Acosta, Im the author of THE HAPPIEST KIDS IN THE WORLD: How Dutch Parents Help Their Kids (and Themselves) by Doing Less.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Joris Luyendijk

    Joris Luyendijk

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

    See more on the author's page
Next page

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
58 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Lobewiper
5.0 out of 5 stars People Like Us
Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2010
Verified Purchase
This is one of the most important books about foreign policy, the middle east, and the limits of journalism (especially, as presented in the mass media) that I have ever read. This is not a chatty account of "How I learned to love Egyptian food when I lived in the Middle East." Instead, it is a highly readable but very powerful critique of modern journalism and how difficult it is for middle eastern correspondents to provide the context (background information) necessary for readers of the news to interpret it meaningfully. How the mainstream media manipulate the news (and hence, the reader) is discussed in detail. One of several examples given presents the reasons behind the superiority of Israeli over Palestianian attempts to influence Western public opinion. Also mentioned is the difficulty in obtaining reliable information about countries under dictatorship (no one talks on the record due to fear of official retribution; the absence of reliable statistical data, etc.). The discussion of the profound difference between the absence of free speech/journalism in middle eastern dictatorships (which the USA supports) and democracies is also compelling. Finally, the author points out how journalists routinely fail to mention the diversity of views in middle eastern countries. This is a book that I am certain that the major news networks wish had never been published. Mr. Luyendijk shows what persistent journalistic dedication to telling the truth and discussing alternative views of the same issue can create: enlightenment and understanding.
16 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Jens Guld
5.0 out of 5 stars What the media did not tell
Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2019
Verified Purchase
Where I live we have a saying: Everyone says that Jeppe drinks but no one says why he drinks.
In this book it is explained why the journalism about the Middle East is so bad. In a nutshell, the middle eastern countries are dictatorships and the inhabitants would be foolish to trust foreign journanists more than local journalists.
Mind you, the author doesn't discuss either the Western propaganda nor the Russian propaganda.
Helpful
 Report
Ann
4.0 out of 5 stars world manipulation
Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2013
Verified Purchase
Very informative read showing how the press all over the world has manipulated the information we
receive everyday in our world.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
wannabe
5.0 out of 5 stars inside journalism
Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2010
Verified Purchase
The title of this excellent book is perhaps a little misleading; I think it is as much about the media and the constraints of "on the spot" reporting as about the Middle East. As the author gives us a glimpse into the reality of the basis for the articles we read in the newspaper, including his own reports, I wonder if he is writing for expiation as well as an expose'.
It is well written as a first person narrative of his own experiences in the Middle East. If you are interested in the Middle East and how impossible it is to "know" and thus report what is really happening then this I would definitely recommend this book.
11 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
MvV
3.0 out of 5 stars Great book, bad translation
Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2014
Verified Purchase
I love this book in the original language, bought this mostly so I could make my friends read it. The translation is really bad though, it's not just clunky at times but there are obvious grammatical/syntax errors all over the place. This bothered me so much I didn't want to read it. If you can look past that though, it is a very good read!
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Do Androids Dream
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb insider's view
Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2014
Verified Purchase
Being a foreign correspondent must be fascinating for those with a real interest in how the world works.

Luyendijk does a superb job of describing the nitty gritty of his time as a journalist in the Middle East. The book is at its best when he illustrates the differences between the Israeli and Palestinian's ability to give foreign media representatives material to report.

He also does a genuinely admirable job of explaining the sometimes extreme constraints and impediments put on news gathering in the region's dictatorships. If you want to know why so much news looks the same this book will help make many things clear.

Highly recommended.
Helpful
 Report
Thomas Crane
5.0 out of 5 stars Eye opening
Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2013
Verified Purchase
I'm an American currently living in the Middle East and studying Arabic. This book is so helpful, it paints such a clear picture of "what" and "why" Americans think, when they think, about the Arab world. I am recommending it to all my friends and family back in the States. Hopefully it will help them see through the show that is the Western media and begin to think a little deeper about the average Arab guy and gal who really are just "people like us."
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A great insight how the news is cooked in the Middle ...
Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2016
Verified Purchase
A great insight how the news is cooked in the Middle East, from a guy who it experienced over a period of 5 years. After a 3 year experience of having lived in Saudi Arabia this book provides the best about what takes place (and what does not) by a long shot.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
dfra
5.0 out of 5 stars Inside News
Reviewed in Canada on March 27, 2015
Verified Purchase
A very interesting account by a Dutch newspaper and later TV reporter who covered the Middle East from 1998 to 2003. He relates how differently the news business is from what he anticipated, how it is determined what gets reported and what does not, the difficulty or impossibility of determining general public opinion in a dictatorship or police state, the relative efficiency of various regimes or states PR apparatus, the expectation that the reporter on site will instantly be completely knowledgeable about whatever is occurring, and a multitude of other related topics. A thoughtful account from a credible insider, definitely worth reading.
Report
Cindy
5.0 out of 5 stars Sehr empfehlenswert
Reviewed in Germany on August 14, 2016
Verified Purchase
Jeder der an Journalismus und Politik interessiert ist sollte dieses Buch gelesen haben. Es ist egal ob man nun Student ist oder es privat in der Freizeit lesen moechte, es deckt auf wie Journalismus funktioniert und welche Schwaechen das System hat. Es bietet auch einen Einblick in den Nahen Osten und wie ahnungslos Menschen im Westen doch mit dem Thema umgehen.
Zur praktischen Seite: Das Buch wurde schnell geliefert in die Niederlande und befand sich in einem sehr guten Zustand. Jederzeit wieder!
One person found this helpful
 Report
Independent Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 26, 2015
Verified Purchase
Brilliantly insightful
Report