My Book Reviews

Similar to his popular debut book, Trump once again writes about the details of his biggest deals, including: the Empire State Building, 40 Wall Street, Maralago (his Palm Beach property that is now a country club). He also talks about the decline of his personal fortunes after the big real estate drop in the early 90s, and ends with a repeat of his "week-in-the-life of Donald Trump" section.

A few useful quotes:

• "Deals are people, they are not deals, and if you don’t have a deep understanding of people and their motives, you can never become a great dealmaker."
• "Get zoning in a bad economic climate, and begin building and a good one."
• "Honesty causes controversy."

Similar to "Art of the Deal", there was some unwarranted criticism of this book. Some reviewers said that this book didn't have any details about the deals that led to his turnaround. They fail to recognize that the crux of his comeback resulted from the simple renegotiation (more accurately, the liquidation) of some of his debt, as well as the bounce-back of the real estate market. And, again, this book is a biography and not a tutorial.

This book is, however, less dynamic, since his formative years were in the past and the growth period of his empire was over. On the other hand, this book is much more personal, and his trademark candid style is especially effective here as he shares intimate details about his relationship and divorce from his wife Ivana. And his often-quoted lessons about being loyal are especially relevant here when he talks about how many of his personal friends didn't stick by him when times got tough.