GOD AMONG MEN
Why the French hate Emmanuel Macron
After striding triumphant into the courtyard of the Louvre in 2017, it’s been a stormy nine years for the French president.
The Gilets Jaunes, #MeToo, COVID-19, historic protests against pension reforms, police killings, the Olympic Games, a reckoning with violence against women and the rise of the Far-Right, the era of Macron has been politically turbulent and emotionally charged.
Through the lives of ordinary people in France, CNN journalist Joseph Ataman’s first book dissects how twice-elected Macron has become so detested by the French.
Internationally, Emmanuel Macron is one of the most extraordinary – and misunderstood – politicians of our time.
Dynamic, centrist, a statesman, he’s respected and appreciated across much of the world.
At home though, it’s a different story. His ambitious vision for France and his bullish approach to enacting it has repeatedly clashed with the cultural norms and democratic expectations of the French people.
After nearly a decade in power, he leaves behind a legacy of bitterness and discontent that will mark France for years to come.
God Among Men will be published by Full Set books on February 9, 2027.
About the author
Joseph Ataman
Ataman, a London-born journalist living and working in France, ran CNN’s coverage of Macron’s 2022 election. A field producer for the network in Paris, he’s spent years covering the twists and turns of French politics and interviewing people across the country.
Ataman studied at the University of Cambridge and was a Fulbright Scholar at Harvard University during his master’s degree in Middle Eastern studies.
