Apparently, women were designed to seek one man to be the sperm donor (the alpha male) and to seek out another to raise the child (the beta male). These convoluted workings of psychobiology prove one thing: the Bible was right. God does work in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform. Suddenly, the research that claims that a huge chunk of Kenyan men are raising children that are not of their own issue starts to feel dismayingly credible.
Nature is full of realities we find difficult to accept. To our credit, we have created societies built on laws and institutions that delete many Hobbesian forces from our lives.
But not entirely; some do remain, especially in the world of romance, a reality Robert Greene embraces with glee in The Art of Seduction.
Choose the right victim, approach indirectly and send mixed signals: these aren’t pointers taught in Ninja School on how to kill people.
They happen to be the first three out of some 24 dictums of seduction, which Greene lays out in this book.
To many, the notion that a romantic interest is a ‘victim’ to be haplessly played like a banjo until she falls into line is despicable. But that’s because many live in cloud cuckoo land.
The fact is, seduction is a game dependent on chance (running into someone). And when you inflate your achievements or wear a mini-skirt to the pub, that’s manipulation.
Might as well grab a copy of this book and learn to play the game properly.
—By Kariuki Muthui
This book is awful. It is a base, nonsensical story written by a twisted, sick man who needs serious help. I was going to call it ‘Machiavellian,’ but that is crediting the author with too much intelligence.
The subject matter is creepy and distasteful and his treatment of it is deplorably immature.
He attempts to quote famous characters from dodgy literary works to lend a semblance of credence to his weird philosophies, but all it does is clutter the margins.
Exploitation of people’s weaknesses to achieve selfish ends can pass as entertaining reading matter for unstable, anti-social folks who belong behind bars, and require urgent psychotherapy.
For normal, sane, decent folks like you and I, I would strongly advise you not to waste your time or money on Greene’s gibbering. After all, you might not get past the first few pages as they are disturbing enough to convince you that this book belongs in the trash, not on the shelves.
Three thumbs down.
—Tricia Wanjala