TRUMP: HOW TO GET RICH Donald Trump/ Meredith McIver
Donald Trump has become a household name over recent years as a result of his TV stardom as the Boss in The Apprentice. Real estate titan, owner of casinos and worldclass golf courses, holder of broadcast rights over glamorous beauty pageants, successful author, caring father, and a member of the exclusive Billionaires’ Club. Though touted, mostly by himself, as controlling assets in excess over $5 Billion dollars, more conservative--and likely reliable-- estimates value his worth at $2.6 Billion, placing him at number 278 on the list of the world’s 746 billionaires. Certainly nothing to sneeze at but the exaggeration of his net worth is indicative of a theme that runs through this book. After all, besides “The Donald”, and maybe Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and The Queen of England, how many of the other 740+ billionaires could you name? Donald Trump is at his best when talking about his favorite subject i.e., himself. Trump is a truly charismatic character who uses every opportunity in life and in this book for selfpromotion and to gain attention for the Trump Organization. Certainly not an academic step-by-step approach to get rich, as the book’s title implies, his book is written as a series of vignettes that address events, daily activities and milestones in his life often intending to offer some bit of advice that led to his success. Cutting through his penchant for personal promotion, the book is entertaining and humorous and there are lessons for us to learn. He reminds us about the importance of a great education [Trump went to The Wharton School of Business]. He encourages us to find our passion in life because you have to love what you do to succeed. Trump extols to need to have a strong work ethic and exhibit energy and drive. He talks about how business can be tough and how not all people are straight shooters, but he reminds us of the importance of maintaining our moral center and to do the right thing—even when it’s the hard choice. Trump, ironically into his third marriage, tells us how important family is to success in life and how much he loves his children. And throughout the book he gives us glimpses of his life of luxury perhaps as a motivation of the prizes waiting at the end of hard sought success. In summary, this is an entertaining and worthwhile book that helps us to better understand “The Donald”—clearly one of the movers and shakers of our times.
Review from Holly Dale Corners