Our Review about the book
Naturally, it was in Robert Greene’s nature to write this book. Accustomed as he has been to writing about human activity involving power relationships, Greene has produced yet another extraordinary book jam-packed with fascinating insights about how the mind of homo sapiens often works in dealing with other members of the species.
As Greene describes in the introduction, this book is a codebook for deciphering people’s behavior, with each chapter telling the story of some iconic individual(s) who illustrates the law being covered, along with advice on how to operate successfully (if that’s possible) under this law.
So what laws (all negative aspects or shortcomings, 18 to be exact, of human behavior) does Green focus on in this book? Irrationality, narcissism, role-playing, compulsive behavior, covetousness, shortsightedness, defensiveness, self-sabotage, repression, envy, grandiosity, gender rigidity, aimlessness, conformity, fickleness, aggression, generational myopia, and death denial.
As usual with Greene’s not-inexpensive books, he gives one a lot of ideas and pages to chew on for the money, leaving one well satisfied with the investment. If I do have any criticisms, the main one relates to the stories he uses to highlight the laws. Quite often the characterizations are so extensively detailed and intriguing that one can easily forget the law being discussed. Also, there’s his possible hairsplitting of each of his 18 laws into numerous subcategories, reminding one of the mythical Eskimo vocabulary for the word “snow,” which can get one to question how useful the subcategories are depending upon one’s situation. In addition, some chapters kept me wondering, for example, the one on gender rigidity. Do those things really happen? This brings up a related general criticism: a selected bibliography, yes, but no supporting footnotes to back up a few especially dubious, IMHO, assertions.
All in all, however, I believe you’ll find the book well-written, enjoyable, and educational as regards important strategies the less-than-honorable portion of the population uses and the strategies the more honorable can use to successfully counter.
Editorial Reviews
Praise for The Laws of Human Nature:
“The writing is engaging and the ideas are fascinating… we could all use the insights Greene provides…. a hopeful book that advocates freedom and creativity.” — Quartz
“The lessons have profound implications. There’s a chapter on reading body language that is absolutely profound; each “law” has stunningly vivid descriptions of an historical figure.” — Inc.
“The Laws of Human Nature provides some first-rate comprehensive and in-depth information about how to deal with our fellow human beings effectively. Greene’s intense curiosity about the inner workings of humanity is contagious, as he invites us to join him as fellow sleuths on his investigation of why people, including ourselves, do what we do. He rightly (and frequently) reminds us that in order to understand others, we must first and foremost understand what makes ourselves tick.” — New York Journal of Books
“In this detailed and expansive guide, Greene (Mastery) seeks to … transform the reader into a ‘calmer and more strategic observer,’ immune to ’emotional drama.’ Those are lofty promises, but even skeptics will become believers after diving into Greene’s well-organized text. Overcoming the “law of irrationality,” for instance, leads to the ability to “open your mind to what is really happening, as opposed to what you are feeling.” Greene’s thoughtful examination of self and society will, for the committed reader, deliver a refreshing and revitalizing perspective.” — Publishers Weekly
Praise for Robert Greene:
“Greene’s specialty is analyzing the lives and philosophies of historical figures like Sun Tzu and Napoleon, and extracting from them tips on how to manipulate people and situations–a cutthroat worldview that has earned him a devoted following among a like-minded readership of rappers, drug dealers and corporate executives.” —The New York Times
“Compelling.” —Forbes
“Illuminating.”—The Guardian
Praise for The 48 Laws of Power:
“Machiavelli has a new rival. And Sun Tzu had better watch his back. Greene . . . has put together a checklist of ambitious behavior. Just reading the table of contents is enough to stir a little corner-office lust.”—New York magazine
“Beguiling . . . literate . . . fascinating. A wry primer for people who desperately want to be on top.”—People
“An heir to Machiavelli’s Prince . . . gentler souls will find this book frightening, those whose moral compass is oriented solely to power will have a perfect vade mecum.” —Publishers Weekly
“Satisfyingly dense and . . . literary, with fantastic examples of genius power-game players. It’s The Rules meets In Pursuit of Wow! with a degree in comparative literature.”—Allure