Laws Of Human Nature Paperback – January 1, 2018

I was blown away by this audiobook. Very well done! The narration was perfect. I plan to buy the physical book for reference - since I will return to the knowledge complied here over and over again. A brilliant addition to anyone's library.

At the time of this review, I'm only halfway through reading this book, but I love it SO much. I am going after it hardcore with a highlighter and sticky tabs. I have read over 300 pages (this is a BIG book btw) and have not read a single page that was not worthwhile.This book is easy to comprehend and apply. I recommend taking your time in digesting it, as the lessons are quite practical in daily life. It is truly helping me understand myself and others and why we all behave the way we do.Each "Law" is a different chapter and the author explains the law, how to recognize it in yourself and others, and how to address such. He also includes a story about a real person from history and an interesting anecdote that applies to the lesson. I have never been much of a history buff but these stories are fascinating and therefore I'm learning not only about psychology but history as well.I cannot wait to keep devouring this book. I would STRONGLY encourage any human being who wants to intentionally become more self-aware and tolerant to read this book. I will definitely be checking out more books from this author.

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.Of possible consideration for those interested in a book distilling five main life strategies from 87 of history’s master strategists: Strategic Advantage: How to Win in War, Business, and Life

Delightful. Delicious. Dangerous.This book doesn’t just peel back the layers… it DETONATES them.Each chapter reveals how the very systems we live in today are rooted in the rawest, most repulsive aspects of human nature. From Eisner and Katzenberg to Nixon’s deep insecurities leading up to the Watergate scandal, from Anton Chekhov’s defiant mindset to Coco Chanel and Abraham Lincoln, no one is spared.I can even see how leaders in power today, like Trump, built the bases that feed them. Appealing to some that someone else is really going to come in to make things “great again,” and how as a believer, they’ll maybe feel that greatness. Even though the reality of what they should be feeling is the hollowness creeping in as their rights are stripped and trampled in the name of that so-called greatness.Beyond the entertainment, this book does a devastatingly brilliant job of breaking the fourth wall and turning your gaze inward. It’s powerful, incisive, and masterfully constructed.I’m loving every minute of it.