1. 48 Laws of Power- Robert Greene
This is one of the crown jewels. Reads like a modern-day version of Machiavelli meets Art of War, the main message is that everyone is terrible and looking for power, so you need to as well or be destroyed. The book covers 48 laws which if followed, you can use to manipulate others to complete your conquest for money, power, and sex. They all play into strategies to alter perception and manage deception so you can lead your enemies down the wrong path.
The author, Robert Greene, has been doing a lot of PR lately saying, “This book is not how to become an awful person, it's to show that these awful people exist, and how to deal with them.” Right, I bet you watch porn too just so you can warn everyone else about bad it is.
Many of the examples of the book are modeled after court decorum in the time of kingdoms. For example, flaunt too much so all the attention goes away from the king, and you may find your head on the chopping block.
Sad thing is, while I may be a bit cynical, a lot of the laws hold pretty true. If you do want to get ahead in life, I think you’ll find this one of your go-to books, but be prepared to throw away your moral compass on the way.
