Book Review: The 48 Laws Of Power by Robert Greene

This book was written over 20 years ago (2000), so it's nothing new. Many of you have probably read it or heard about it. It took me a couple months to get through it, as I was reading it along side some shorter books and audio books. With small print, and containing 48 chapters and 450 pages, it was a hefty read. I don't really think the laws are true laws, and are more situational. I think if you followed this book to the letter, you'd be considered a psychopath and would contradict yourself constantly. That being said, you might be confronted with a situation that needs a different approach, and this book could potentially help you with that. It can also help you recognize when these methods of power and influence are being used against you, which is also useful. People either love or hate this book in the ratings on Amazon. Most of them that hate it have an idealized view of humanity that this book violates. They say it is evil and manipulative. The irony here it must be somewhat true if people are so offended by it.

One thing I really liked about this book is the historical examples he provided for each law. This included the benefits of when the law was successfully observed, and catastrophe that was created when the law was transgressed. Along the margins of many of the pages the author included various passages from throughout history in red font. These passages were interesting and reinforced the chapter, they were difficult to read in dim light though.

Some of the more provocative chapters include:

Law 2: Never put too much trust in friends, learn how to use enemies
Law 3: Conceal Your Intentions
Law 8: Make Other People Come to You — Use Bait if Necessary
Law 11: Learn to Keep People Dependent on You
Law 14: Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy
Law 15: Crush Your Enemy Totally
Law 17: Keep Others in Suspended Terror: Cultivate an Air of Unpredictability
Law 21: Play a Sucker to Catch a Sucker – Seem Dumber Than Your Mark
Law 33: Discover Each Man’s Thumbscrew
Law 42: Strike the Shepherd and the Sheep Will Scatter

This book is popular in prisons, so much so that many have banned it (src).

You shouldn't blindly do what any book tells you, but you can compare some of the scenarios in the book with past scenarios you were involved in, and think 'wow I could have approached that differently'. The key to reading this book is to not take it too seriously. Read through each law, enjoy the anecdotes, and think about how they may apply to you.

Have you read this book? If so, were you outraged and offended by it?

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