--- product_id: 1744891 title: "The News: A User's Manual" price: "497 DH" currency: MAD in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.ma/products/1744891-the-news-a-users-manual store_origin: MA region: Morocco --- # The News: A User's Manual **Price:** 497 DH **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The News: A User's Manual - **How much does it cost?** 497 DH with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.ma](https://www.desertcart.ma/products/1744891-the-news-a-users-manual) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description The news is everywhere. We can’t stop constantly checking it on our computer screens, but what is this doing to our minds? We are never really taught how to make sense of the torrent of news we face every day, writes Alain de Botton (author of the best-selling The Architecture of Happiness), but this has a huge impact on our sense of what matters and of how we should lead our lives. In his dazzling new book, de Botton takes twenty-five archetypal news stories—including an airplane crash, a murder, a celebrity interview and a political scandal—and submits them to unusually intense analysis with a view to helping us navigate our news-soaked age. He raises such questions as Why are disaster stories often so uplifting? What makes the love lives of celebrities so interesting? Why do we enjoy watching politicians being brought down? Why are upheavals in far-off lands often so boring? In The News: A User’s Manual, de Botton has written the ultimate guide for our frenzied era, certain Review: Another entertaining and stimulating volume from de Botton - I have read and enjoyed most of Alain de Botton's books, but I loved this one. When I saw the title, I wondered whether I would get much out of it - I mean, how can one get much of a philosophical challenge out of the daily news? Well, I felt enthralled and challenged from page one, This book made me think about the very way I take in my daily doses of news, and it has already changed my behavior. Furthermore, de Botton has made me think about how news could operate more effectively to help improve the lives of people on the planet. It has lead to a number of stimulating discussions with friends and provided perspectives that none of us have considered before. Highly recommended. Review: A visit that will enrich you - Reading De Botton is like visiting a monastery, the beautiful sentences flow gradually, the thoughtful and peaceful architecture of the book is revealed and the reader discovers all sorts of insights he never thought of. Having said this, I quickly add that I do not agree with many of De Botton's Utopian prescriptions for a more enlightening world of news. As long as he dissects why we spend so much time with the news, he is marvelous at revealing our foibles. When he becomes a philosopher who wishes that our daily ingestion of news serve to better us, to teach us the good life, to improve our awareness of the real world, his prescriptions are not good sociology. For example, when he suggests the news writer manipulate his material to make it more artistic and therefore more educative (page 82), he inadvertently tangos with a prescription for propaganda. So the central question of this review remains: should you read this book? By all means. De Botton is a very gifted writer, consequently you always learn from him. Like your visit to a marvelously preserved monastery, you may not want to take the vows, but the visit enriches you. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #1,413,949 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #817 in Journalism Writing Reference (Books) #2,403 in Communication & Media Studies #3,104 in Popular Culture in Social Sciences | | Customer Reviews | 4.0 out of 5 stars 336 Reviews | ## Images ![The News: A User's Manual - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61M7JYSGLtL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Another entertaining and stimulating volume from de Botton *by G***S on April 9, 2014* I have read and enjoyed most of Alain de Botton's books, but I loved this one. When I saw the title, I wondered whether I would get much out of it - I mean, how can one get much of a philosophical challenge out of the daily news? Well, I felt enthralled and challenged from page one, This book made me think about the very way I take in my daily doses of news, and it has already changed my behavior. Furthermore, de Botton has made me think about how news could operate more effectively to help improve the lives of people on the planet. It has lead to a number of stimulating discussions with friends and provided perspectives that none of us have considered before. Highly recommended. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A visit that will enrich you *by G***Y on February 18, 2015* Reading De Botton is like visiting a monastery, the beautiful sentences flow gradually, the thoughtful and peaceful architecture of the book is revealed and the reader discovers all sorts of insights he never thought of. Having said this, I quickly add that I do not agree with many of De Botton's Utopian prescriptions for a more enlightening world of news. As long as he dissects why we spend so much time with the news, he is marvelous at revealing our foibles. When he becomes a philosopher who wishes that our daily ingestion of news serve to better us, to teach us the good life, to improve our awareness of the real world, his prescriptions are not good sociology. For example, when he suggests the news writer manipulate his material to make it more artistic and therefore more educative (page 82), he inadvertently tangos with a prescription for propaganda. So the central question of this review remains: should you read this book? By all means. De Botton is a very gifted writer, consequently you always learn from him. Like your visit to a marvelously preserved monastery, you may not want to take the vows, but the visit enriches you. ### ⭐⭐⭐ Fresh and original but dissapointing towards the end *by C***R on June 21, 2014* I saw an interview with Alain de Botton on TV and I was immediately intrigued by the book. I ordered a copy right away. The first few chapters were interesting and the author-philospher definitely makes his point well. His ideas about the news and how it influences our society are fresh and original. But pretty soon he reverts to repeating the same theories in every chapter. In one chapter he puts forward the point of how important it is to have role models and people held in high esteem by the media, in the very next chapter he knocks the fact that we're such a celebrity obsessed society - contradicting what he said previously. I'm glad I read the book but it was dissapointing towards the end. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.ma/products/1744891-the-news-a-users-manual](https://www.desertcart.ma/products/1744891-the-news-a-users-manual) --- *Product available on Desertcart Morocco* *Store origin: MA* *Last updated: 2026-06-02*