What goes through a man‘s head after sitting innocently on death row for twenty-three years and has been dubbed a monster for over half his life? How does a woman cope with the idea of surviving a major catastrophe like a miracle? Isn‘t it possible that the man with the tattooed face could be a kindergarten teacher?
All too readily people are judged and categorised by their external characteristics. We judge them by their way of life and appearance. Everyone does this, usually without even realising it. So why don’t we listen to the stories of our fellow human beings? Often we would then realise: Although our biographies are so different, our emotions, fears, dreams and wishes are so similar. “People like us” is a book about people and the most influencing moments in their lives. We wanted to give a few people and their uniqueness a voice to be heard.
It was 1988 and Angola was still in the midst of a civil war. I was fifteen years old and knew what could occur to boys my age – forceful and violent recruitment by the …
Christina looks back at her life with tears in her eyes. She lives in Willoq, a small community in Peru. There she has neither electricity nor running water. She has been working from early morning …
Natalie was raped at the age of seventeen. A few years later she received her diagnosis: HIV positive. Her tormentor had infected her.
"Would anyone ever come close to me again let alone touch me? …
Mark followed his dream of being a Marine and at the age of nineteen, he became part of the best fighting force in the world. In Iraq, he fought for his homeland, the USA. He …
Cindy is 5 foot 8, weighs 174 pounds and has 11 % body fat. Within seven years, she transformed from a delicate woman into a bodybuilder.
"I was fascinated by the world in there from the beginning …
Sheilagh's grandmother was a beautiful woman. She could turn small things big and make five dollars look like a million. She had eleven children and eighty grandchildren. Thanks to her, the word ‘family’ had a meaning. She had eleven …
Nicole weighed a mere 36.4 kilograms, and her body temperature had sunk to 35 degrees celsius. She was cold and shaking. Her heart rate was at 22 beats per minute on the day her parents brought Nicole …
Carlos took the leap to Hollywood and got a role in James Bond. Driven by the goal of winning an Oscar, he was still trying to become better and more important. He began to lose …
Steve jumped out of the plane several thousand times. He chased after adventures and sought the adrenaline rush. Skydiving then Base Jumping – the lower the height, the bigger the kick. An extreme sport that …
Tertulien grew up with the cult of the Assemblies of God, a free-church Pentecostal movement. With clear rules on how to dress and behave. Also the rules about music were strict: He was only allowed …
Elisabeth is the youngest nun in Switzerland. At eighteen, she decided to go to the monastery. This spring she has made the eternal profession – the final decision to go her way with Jesus.
"A lot …
Already children are taught what is right and what is wrong, how they have to behave and how they should be. But what is wrong with her looks? Sandy's passion is simply the body cult.
"You …
Emanuel had to cross a dangerous river every day so he could go to school barefoot. One way took three hours. His family could not even afford bread. He did not know what it was …
Felicia married under pressure from her family at the age of sixteen. She experienced a violent marriage, suffered severe fractures and fought daily for the safety of her seven children.
"Three years ago, I was forced …
Nick was sentenced to death at the age of twenty-one for alleged kidnapping, rape and murder. He spent twenty-three years innocent on death row in Pennsylvania – one of the USA's toughest prisons known for …
