Asshole: How I Got Rich & Happy by Not Giving a Damn About Anyone & How You Can, Too
by Martin Kihn
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Book Summary Information
Author: Martin KihnEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2008-04-08
ISBN: 0767927265
Number of pages: 256
Publisher: Broadway
Book Reviews of Asshole: How I Got Rich & Happy by Not Giving a Damn About Anyone & How You Can, Too
Book Review: Go with your gut instinct - be like Donald Trump!
Summary: 5 Stars
"Go with your gut instinct. Have an ego. There's nothing wrong with ego."
One look at the title of Martin Kihn's book A@@hole: How I Got Rich & Happy by Not Giving a D@mn About Anyone & How You Can, Too is enough to make some people just pass it by, others to grab it just because of the scatological term in the title, and still others to pick up just wondering what the hell it was all about. I'm in that last category (and please note that the title of this book cannot be used in this review).
Didn't know if this was going to be an arrogant statement from a megalomaniac, a Trump-wannabe or a witty satire, but within fifteen minutes I was thinking of some combination of Walter Mitty and the original Underdog cartoon series. It's profane at times, and can be outright vulgar as well, but for some reason it seems to fit this book and its message.
All you nice guys, pushovers, soft-touches and suckers: are you fed up with being walked all over, tired of having the beach bully kick sand in your face like in the old Charles Atlas cartoon advertisements from comic books and magazines? Are you now "ready to demand the respect you deserve?"
Author Martin Kihn really doesn't care what your answers are, because (of course) you need this book. Read it and you'll learn how he was the proverbial nice guy, walking other people's dogs, going out of his way to fetch complicated lunch orders for associates and doling out money to any charity or sales scam asked for it. The result of these nice-guy actions was a dead-end job and a second-rate apartment.
So he decided to make some changes, picking up tips from the winners, the masters that he had observed. He paid close attention to the worst examples that he could find at his work, in the street and on television, and then copied their behavior. Kihn studied Tony Montana's body language from the film Scarface and was motivated by such people as the people who attend National Rifle Association conventions, and even signed with the NRA. He started kickboxing, screamed at colleagues at work and ate garlic bagels on public transportation. He was further inspired by a man in his building with a tattooed face, and of course by the master himself, Donald J. Trump.
In this book, Kihn lists a 10-step program for anyone those who wish to acquaint themselves with their darker side. It tells you all of the necessary steps to worsen yourself, yet it's sort of refreshing in that it offers an antidote to those simpering self-help books about making a better person of yourself.
Don't want to put a spoiler here, so I'll just say that Kihn claimed that his project led him on "a voyage of months which succeeded beyond my wildest dreams".
Martin Kihn's Ten Step ####### Program:
* Fake it `til you make it
* Find a@@h@le role models
* Hire a life coach
* Become the alpha dog
* Be a fighter, not a lover
* Show no interest in others
* Criticise in public, praise in private
* Keep your eyes on the prize
* Never, ever admit a mistake
* Leap before you look
It's worth noting out that Martin Kihn also wrote an excellent comedy expos? on the world of management consultancy called House of Lies: How Management Consultants Steal Your Watch and Then Tell You the Time, and received an Emmy Award nomination for his writing on MTV's Pop-Up Video. You may not like him after you've finished this book, but there are parts that will make you smile, and possibly think of a few people who should read it, if just for the tips that he offers.
Kihn's ironic take on what it takes to be successful offers a number of belly laughs. He's a funny man, maybe even a true comedic genius. It make one wonder what the result would be if he were to team up with the likes of a Mel Brooks to produce and/or direct a movie. Even a script draft would be hilarious from such a combination.
Let's just say that this is a great parody, and Martin Kihn is a better read than Donald Trump. See for yourself.
More Asshole: How I Got Rich & Happy by Not Giving a Damn About Anyone & How You Can, Too reviews:
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