Recommendation
Becoming a successful real estate developer in New York, one of America’s most difficult cities, requires laser focus and ruthless tactics. So that’s what Donald Trump and, to a lesser degree his father, Fred, brought to the job as they rose to power and fame. Journalist Gwenda Blair does a masterful, thoroughly reported job of describing the various forces, conflicts of interest, power plays, politics, personalities and near-criminal behavior that resulted in three FBI investigations (but no indictments) of Trump’s various real estate deals. Blair provides insights about the family relationships and friendships that shaped Trump’s personality and his business. This is a careful study of the underside of the real estate development business and what it really takes to get big projects done in complex political and financial environments. Would most corporate managers find this book useful? Certainly. getAbstract thinks it provides fuel for thought and a new perspective on being relentless and persistent, as well as being pretty clear about the downside of lying and of having what Donald Trump himself calls a “killer instinct.”
Summary
About the Author
Gwenda Blair, the author of the bestseller, Almost Golden, has written for The New York Times, New York, Newsweek, the New York Daily News, Esquire, Smart Money, The Village Voice and other newspapers and magazines. She teaches at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. This book is an adaptation and update of her earlier book, The Trumps.
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