Perception and Deception offers stunning examples of misperceptions across a multitude of cultures, with dozens of thought-provoking activities that serve as excellent catalysts for building intercultural competence in schools and all professions that involve working across cultures in this era of globalization.
Barbara Kappler Mikk
Assistant Dean, International Student and Scholar Services, University of Minnesota.
Joe Lurie is a gifted story teller who has given us a fast, fun-filled read that will transform the way you look at the world and yourself. Perception and Deception reveals much about what's really behind many cultural clashes in business and educational settings and as portrayed in the media.
Elyse Weiner
Emmy award-winning television network news producer, previously affiliated with Foreign News for NBC Nightly News, ABC's World News Tonight, and former Executive at CNBC News.
Dr. John (Jack) Condon
Emeritus Professor, University of New Mexico, and Director of The Jemez Institute.
If you are searching for the perfect anecdote to illustrate a point, Joe Lurie has come to the rescue with this engaging collection of intercultural encounters. For the speaker, the writer, the teacher, and the trainer, this charming assortment of examples includes stories from a wide range of cultures. Examples move through language use and abuse, non-verbal communication, interaction styles, and intercultural conflict. Many examples are illuminated with a rich collection of proverbs from around the world. The reader of Perception and Deception is alternately amused and shocked, but
never bored.
Janet Bennett
Executive Director, Intercultural Communication Institute
Perception and Deception is an invitation to be at the table with one of the wisest most broadly experienced interculturalists, whose sense of humor and sense of perspective are revealed in his favorite tales and aphorisms from across the globe. It is a truly wonder-filled book. Joe Lurie shares a delicious feast that will long nourish our spirit and soul. Already, I can hear the reader calling out to a friend across the room, “Wait! You’ve got to hear this!”
No matter your background or age, Perception and Deception will expand your understanding of other cultures (and your own!) in astonishing ways. If only I’d had Joe Lurie’s intercultural awareness while serving in the diplomatic corps in Asia, Africa, and Europe, I’d have understood the deeper cultural messages that escape people who hear largely what they’re used to hearing and see mostly what they are used to seeing.
Martin Brennan
Former U.S. Ambassador to Uganda & Zambia
Don’t leave home without it! No, not your credit card, I mean Joe Lurie's masterclass of miscommunication Perception and Deception. This is a priceless book for anyone who travels and wants to navigate the minefields of misunderstandings that arise because of cultural differences. A life-time of practical experience, a compendium of cultural challenges and a wicked wit combine to make this an indispensable volume for all those planning to step beyond their cultural village. Oh how I wish this had been available when I began my international career, how many less people I would have inadvertently offended.
David Lennon
International Vice President of the Association of European Journalists and a former Managing Editor and Foreign Correspondent, The Financial Times.