Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Many of us are told growing up that the world is a utopian place and to adjust our behaviors accordingly. We told to "treat others how you want to be treated", "turn the other cheek", "everything happens for a reason and works out in the end" and "pardise awaits us after we die". Most people realize that this view of the world, especially once they leave the nest, is in fact false. There is suffering and death occurring on scales at the moment that are beyond human comprehension (nature has a 99% extinction rate). People are, and quite willing, to hurt and use you for their own ends. And that if you expect to get anywhere in the world you have todo more than work hard and be kind, you must hustle, be lucky and sometimes use and push people aside. Robert Greene in "The 48 Laws of Power" is first and foremost making you aware of the way the world is. Not as we want it to be but as it is. He goes through 48 "laws", which are really just techniques/actions, that people use to protect themselves, advance their own interest and "gain power". Each chapter starts with short description of the law and then proceeds to detail the law through accompanying stories and reasoning. Overall I feel the author has created an absolute masterpiece. He's engaging, articulate, funny and smart in his writing. Personally once I really got into the book I couldn't put it down. I found myself reflecting back on my own experiences, those close to me and society at large and I saw people utilizing the laws all the time (whether they know they are is a different story). I was also suprised, in a good way, at just how diverse and applicable they were to so many different areas of your everyday life. The only real downsides I found with the book is that it is long (probably unnecessarily so) and a bit depressing (since the laws can and often are used for evil). But that's a complaint about human nature, not the authors fault. So what is the real purpose of the book, what do people take away from and use it for? Well the laws are really just like a diverse tool kit to be used at different times in your life. So first and foremost it's about awareness and protecting yourself. Even if you don't use the laws, or at least don't intend to use them in a bad way, other people will try to use them on you and you can adequately defend and protect yourself. As they say "a ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" to any problem/conflict. Second it's about using them to advance your own interests. And this where the negative reviews are entirely unwarranted. Any weapon or tool, such as a car, is not itself good or evil. Only the person wielding it is. So you can use them for good or evil. And at the end of the day really is their anything wrong with protecting and advancing you own interests (if they are noble)? The answer is no and if you want to do anything meaningful in life you must both defend and attack. Another thing, for those still hesitant on reading the book, is this. In recovery from any major problem there is typically five steps people go through (whether they know they are going through them or not). They are "Denial", "Anger", "Bargaining", "Depression" & "Acceptance". This is what you will likely go through with this book. At first you'll "deny" the laws, you'll become "angry" as you see that they are in fact true and be utilizing people (how awful they are for doing so), you will start to use them for yourself and see results ("Bargaining"), "depressed" as you come to terms that they really work and used for evil in some cases (why does it have to be this way) and lastly you'll "accept" that this is just how the world works and your better of knowing about them and using them for both defense and offense. Do you want to be a victum the rest of your life and be used, abused and hurt and left behind? Or do you want to Man (or Woman) Up to the world so you can survive and thrive in it? The answer is obvious. I have seen people, including myself, get used, abused and hurt (in some cases ending in death) because they were unaware of these laws or refused to let go of the utopian/disney view of the world. Grow up or get left behind. As Saint Paul said "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.". I would recommend you check out Greene's other books in particular "The 33 Stratgies of War" and the "The 50th Law" (with 50 Cent). The help complete your personal technique arsenal for effective defense and offense. My last piece of advise is to follow the unwritten "49th law" which is "to not talk about the laws of power". It is to your advatge for others not to know this stuff as they will often use it agaist you or they will resent you because they may think your using it on them. (This is the real motivation behind a lot of the negative reviews, they don't want you to know them because they put themselves at a disadvantage). I would only educate perhaps your children and a long term significant other as you want them to be protected and thrive as well. However if you can be sure you safe from harm you may want to pass it on (as someone likely did to you since your reading this review). But again be wary, when so many other people suck it makes it easier for you to stand out. As they say a good magacian never revels their secrets.