The Prince: Second Edition

"To learn that people not in power will do all they can to acquire it, and people in power will do all they can to keep it.”- Neil deGrasse Tyson I decided to pick up this book and give it a try after seeing Neil deGrasse Tyson's list of must read books on Reddit. Yes, there is a lot of good information in this book. Yes, it is a classic. But why only three stars? When I rate a book, I rate it on its 'page turnability' (which is not in the dictionary) and its lack of 'put-downness' (which is also not in the dictionary). There was a lot of good information in here about the manner of obtaining and maintaining power, but also there was a lot of esoteric euro-centric historical references that I am not very familiar with. Additionally, the translation of 16th Century Italian into English is quite obtuse to me. Indeed, I am not a well educated Renaissance Man who can read through this type of text and understand everything clearly. That being said, there was a lot of good information it. Machiavelli came out and said a lot of things that in my subconscious I realized. But when he puts these points down on paper, I can only respond Duh (in the words of another reviewer) when I read them. Looking at this information spelled out for me makes me stop and think about other examples, especially how King Jofrey and Queen Cersei's reigns failed so epically.

While the fundamental approach of Machiavelli to leadership is force and position, but if you stay diligent there are plenty of gems to be found. A great example of his tone, approach, and wisdom is found in the quote: "And here we must observe that men must either be flattered or crushed; for they will revenge themselves for slight wrongs, whilst for grave ones they cannot." It is not a long read and probably worth an evening read.

This book opened my eyes to the kind of government we have and what to truly expect form human beings with authority.