Author Guide · Journalism
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Joris Luyendijk was trained as an anthropologist and approaches every subject as a foreigner arriving in a strange tribe. As a correspondent in the Middle East he wrote about the gap between what happened there and what appeared on Western news. In London he spent two years interviewing some two hundred people working in the City for a Guardian blog, and the book that came out of it was the best-selling book in the Netherlands in 2015. Later he turned the same gaze on men like himself. This guide covers all six of his books in order, with which ones you can read in English, and where to start.
By Lisanne Swart · 6 books · Journalism · 2000–2022 · Updated October 2026
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Quick answer
Joris Luyendijk has published six books: on Egypt, the Middle East and the media, Dutch politics, the banks of the City of London, populism and privilege. Two are available in English: People Like Us, translated from Het zijn net mensen, and Swimming with Sharks, translated from Dit kan niet waar zijn. The others are published in Dutch.
Where to Start with Joris Luyendijk
If you want the famous one
→ Dit kan niet waar zijn (2015).
If you want the Middle East
→ Het zijn net mensen (2006).
If you want the most debated
→ De zeven vinkjes (2022).
All 6 Joris Luyendijk Books, in Order
Een goede man slaat soms zijn vrouw
No English edition · available in Dutch
Long before the integration of Muslims became a hot issue in the Netherlands, Luyendijk tried the opposite, integrating into an Islamic country, and talked with Egyptians about love, emancipation and the meaning of life.
Het zijn net mensen
His years as a correspondent in the Middle East, and why what reaches Western audiences is so different from what is really happening there. It also won the Dick Scherpenzeelprijs. In English it is People Like Us.
Je hebt het niet van mij, maar...
No English edition · available in Dutch
A month spent walking the corridors of Dutch politics in The Hague, among politicians, spokespeople and journalists.
Dit kan niet waar zijn
Two years as an anthropologist among the bankers of London, built on some two hundred interviews for his banking blog in The Guardian, and an argument that the financial system remains dangerous. It was the best-selling book in the Netherlands in 2015 and has been translated into eighteen languages. In English it is Swimming with Sharks.
Kunnen we praten
No English edition · available in Dutch
A short book addressed to people who had lost faith in the traditional parties and were considering voting for the PVV, inviting them to a conversation.
De zeven vinkjes
No English edition · available in Dutch
Luyendijk describes seven characteristics, including being male, white, straight and highly educated, that he argues give people like himself an advantage in reaching the top in the Netherlands. The book became a bestseller and set off a wide public debate.
How Many Books Did Joris Luyendijk Write?
Six books between 2000 and 2022, two of them available in English.
- Middle East — Een goede man slaat soms zijn vrouw and Het zijn net mensen. Read the entries →
- Power at home — Je hebt het niet van mij, maar..., Kunnen we praten and De zeven vinkjes. Read the entries →
- Finance — Dit kan niet waar zijn (2015). Read the entries →
In What Order to Read Joris Luyendijk
His books are not a series. If you read only in English, start with Swimming with Sharks; if you read Dutch, Het zijn net mensen and Dit kan niet waar zijn are the essentials.
A reading path
1. Dit kan niet waar zijn (2015)
2. Het zijn net mensen (2006)
3. De zeven vinkjes (2022)
Quick facts about Joris Luyendijk
- Born
- 1971
- Trained as
- Anthropologist
- Correspondent
- In the Middle East for Dutch newspapers and television
- The Guardian
- Banking blog, the basis of Dit kan niet waar zijn; he gave evidence to parliamentary inquiries in Belgium and Britain
- Prizes
- NS Publieksprijs (2007 and 2015); Dick Scherpenzeelprijs (2007)
- In English
- People Like Us; Swimming with Sharks
- Books
- 6, from 2000 to 2022
How Joris Luyendijk Works: The Anthropologist's Eye
Luyendijk works as an anthropologist rather than a classic reporter: he asks naive questions, listens for how a group explains itself, and writes about the unwritten rules that its members take for granted.
He often turns that eye on his own world, from the foreign correspondent's job in Het zijn net mensen to the privileged men of De zeven vinkjes.
Frequently asked questions about Joris Luyendijk's books
How many books has Joris Luyendijk written?
Joris Luyendijk has published six books, from Een goede man slaat soms zijn vrouw (2000) to De zeven vinkjes (2022).
Which Joris Luyendijk books are available in English?
Two: People Like Us, translated from Het zijn net mensen, and Swimming with Sharks, translated from Dit kan niet waar zijn. His other books are published in Dutch.
What is Dit kan niet waar zijn about?
Dit kan niet waar zijn (2015), in English Swimming with Sharks, is based on two years of interviews with people working in the City of London's banks.
Footnotes
Bibliography last verified 1 October 2026.
This list was not put together by a machine.
The notes are all mine,
and the books are all his.
Lisanne x
Written by Lisanne Swart, who has curated reading lists and author guides at lisanneswart.com since 2021.
See more on her personal bookshelf.
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