 "Nice Compilation, Nothing More" | 2008-07-29 |
| - Reviewed By xepharalon |
"The 33 Strategies of War" is an interesting and accessible collection of various strategies and ways of understanding conflict. Easy to read it has a wealth of well organized information - to include the Greene's explanations of strategies, historical anecdotes to support his convictions and ideas to approach various situations. These approaches are much more than simply how to maneuver an army - one of the book's strong points is it's ability to help you understand and embrace conflict. It does this by clarifying what conflict is and demanding you to see it all around you as a sort of generative opportunity.
Of course everyone will take something different from this work - and with the multitude of history stories and quotes it has a lot to offer. The almost overwhelming resources contained within this book are well organized (unless you have a Kindle version in which case the quotes are highly disruptive, breaking into the text in what one could only hope was a completely unintentional manner).
Organization and an over abundance of sources make this a nearly encyclopedic collection of strategies, and the writing style aggressively asserts the importance of conflict in day to day life. At the same time, the interpretations and suggested strategies are often times nothing but a restatement of previous thinkers' strategies, which have just been quoted. These interpretations seem to have no applicability: they are not for people in day to day situations (dealing with motivating the troops, coordinating attacks ect.), and they are far too general to be of any use to either a business manager or a soldier.
One of the most glaring examples of this work's sloppy construction and over simplification marketed as wisdom and power is the sections in which the author himself supports and states arguments against learning strategy from a book.
In conclusion this book is short, easy to read with a multitude of sources and information - ultimately providing an experience that is too general to prove particularly beneficial for any one person or group. However, it does have some strengths in it's collection of general tenets and approaches. The only real benefit you should be able to claim after reading this book (unless supplemented by personal knowledge and investigation) is a wider understanding of some of the elements and aspects of conflict and warfare.
As a soldier and academic I can't help but personally feel that this is an uppity self-help book with little to offer the professional soldier or business person who would be better reading a more detailed, better applied, and more reasonably and thoughtfully argued analysis of applicable methods of dealing with material, personnel, adversity, confrontation and outright conflict.
The average reader, with no particular needs or demands, may still find this an interesting, perhaps helpful book (I don't mean to disparage this audience) but the seeming simplicity of 33 turns into expansive sources and glossed over analyses of partial strategies leaving the reader with a mound of partially formed ideas of questionable relevance and applicability. |
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 "An Excellent Primer for Daily Warfare" | 2008-07-22 |
| - Reviewed By User: A360AK0PQE1ZRW |
Robert Greene writes in a powerful and concise manner with a focused topic. Previously, he wrote the "48 Laws of Power", an amazing book which took forms of power and breaks down the use and methodology of power with historical cases. He does the same here but with Warfare. The topic is not limited for use by real warriors. Indeed, if Clausewitz said that "War is diplomacy by another means," then one would have to ask if "Diplomacy is War by another means." If so, then the diplomatic exchanges that we all have every day in business, politics, personal relations (not all are positive!) are indeed a form of warfare with the stakes being our present and future circumstances.
For the individual who wants to become a stronger `warrior' in today's world, this book is essential. One can become a warrior in a number of important causes: Freedom, Democracy, the Environment, Education, etc., It depends on one's interests, but the labrynthine corridors of power and strategy still apply. With this diverse perspective, Greene deftly uses strategists from various disciplines: Lyndon Johnson, Julius Caesar, Joan Crawford, Ted Williams, and more. These historical cases provide excellent studies for the student warrior. His story about Alfred Hitchcock (whom my aunt worked with in the film industry) was very telling in terms of his perceived detachment but total control.
"Qui desiderat pacem, praeparat bellum." An old Roman generals advice: "Whosoever desires peace, prepares for war." This is not an urge toward conflict but one of defense against complacency. I enjoyed Green's use of military terminology throughout, especially the use of grammar that suggests a timeless quality to his observations and truths. The format of the book is excellent. People from many backgrounds will appreciate its knowledge.
Michael Mandaville, Author "Stealing Thunder"
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| "Excellent Strategy Book" | 2008-06-19 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2KQJH4PW18H3G |
| I truly enjoyed this book. There are very few strategy books that are as detailed, yet readable. As part of my kendo training, I've read a number of Japanese strategy books such as Book of 5 Rings, which are essentially incomprehensible unless you have training. The best strategy book I've read prior to this was The Way and the Power by Lovrett, which is also readable and excellent. |
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| "Excellent Book, Author!" | 2008-06-17 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3KN7Z58B1K3MC |
| This is my third Joost Elffers book and along with the others, it is a great example of using historical references for learning how to become better. This can be a pleasure read, a historical text, or a self-help book. The quotes are very relevant and bias breaking, and the stories are taken from all types of civilizations and cultures. I am a big fan of this book as well as other Joost Elferrs books |
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| "Fight, fight to survive!" | 2008-06-06 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2ORY2CDUPTS9R |
When I mean powerful, I mean POWERFUL. I couldn't have read a more influential book--aside from the 48 Laws of Power--than the 33 Strategies of War. At first, I thought this book was only about war and the strategy of blowing people up. Instead, it's about survival. What intrigues me about Robert Greene's masterful work is that he doesn't make things appear perfect. He's not your typical motivational speaker where if you have a tinge of hope, everything will be juuuust fine. No, that's not how it works. It's the law of attraction plus action. We all go through trials and tribulations, and Robert reminds us that to survive in today's world, we can't lead a life of boredom and slothiness. Remember the famous question, "What do you want to be when you grow up"? Well, I believe that more than half of the human population still can't come up with a clear answer. And I don't want to place myself above anybody else because I could include myself in that bunch. However, after reading this book, it made me realize that it's a dog-eat-dog world, and to survive you must " fight like hell" to get out alive.
That's as far as I will go with my review on Robert Greene's work of art. If you cross this book in a bookstore or library, pick it up; take it home; and start to change your life.
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| "Can't Wait to read this" | 2008-06-01 |
| - Reviewed By User: A4WMZ6MMDL9R4 |
| Robert Greene is great at giving examples and historical stories on his topics great book. |
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| "Not what I thought but not bad all the same" | 2008-04-30 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3P2MB4DONL9JN |
| My girl friend got me this book for Christmas because I picked it up one day while walking around a book store. I started reading it and soon became aware of some things that I was not real keyed up on. The book breaks down into 33 chapters laying out each of the 33 strategies for war. Within these chapters there are stories and examples of the strategies to help explain how they work. Often these stories are historical but there are others. After that there are sections that reflect on the stories and try to explain how they can be applicable to your life. I am not a reader of self help books and a good 1/3 of these chapters are much like a self help book. If you like books that give you ideas about how to deal with situations at work or school this book is right up your ally. However if you are more like me and like books about history then this book may miss for you. The stories are good and I did finish the whole book but I did not read many of the sections. It got to be a little preachy some times. |
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| "Robert Greene's books are work their weight in diamonds." | 2008-04-17 |
| - Reviewed By jpturnage |
Many people don't want to get near a war; I certainly don't. Greene's primary purpose is to help us succeed in the battlefields of ideas, of business, of personal relations. The warrior's vocabulary and viewpoint are extraordinarily useful in these endeavors. Don't think you can stay away from conflict; you can't. If you achieve anything of value in your life, you must be prepared to defend it against those who will lay claim to it. If you try to escape to someplace safe--a family, a church, an academic cloister--you'll find the vicious dynamics of war have set your ivory tower on fire.
I used Greene's strategies to defeat a man who violated a contract. I also succeeded in removing--non-violently, of course--several unpleasant individuals who were making my life miserable. I employ Greene's ideas with my spouse, with our child, on my job, every day. |
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| "Robert Greene's books are worth their weight in diamonds." | 2008-04-17 |
| - Reviewed By jpturnage |
Many people don't want to get near a war; I certainly don't. Greene's primary purpose is to help us succeed in the battlefields of ideas, of business, of personal relations. The warrior's vocabulary and viewpoint are extraordinarily useful in these endeavors. Don't think you can stay away from conflict; you can't. If you achieve anything of value in your life, you must be prepared to defend it against those who will lay claim to it. If you try to escape to someplace safe--a family, a church, an academic cloister--you'll find the vicious dynamics of war have set your ivory tower on fire.
I used Greene's strategies to defeat a man who violated a contract. I also succeeded in removing--non-violently, of course--several unpleasant individuals who were making my life miserable. I employ Greene's ideas with my spouse, with our child, on my job, every day. |
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| "Great Read!!!" | 2008-04-09 |
| - Reviewed By evan_ackerman |
| This is a fantastic read. I highly recommend this book to anyone in a stressful or political work environment looking for strategies to survive and influence others. It helped open my mind and I refer to various chapters regularly. |
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