If you are a fan of Robert Greene books, then you should definitely purchase this book. This text is a lot more brief and simplified than the 48 Laws of Power or the Art of Seduction. The idea of fearing nothing is a critical approach towards increasing power in your life. This book can be considered the law that makes all the other laws powerful. If you are disabled by fear, you can not pursue power.

Think of the 50th Law as the most important law.

This is my first book that I have read from both authors and after completing this book I have become very interested in reading their previous works. I think some of the reviewers are wrong to call this book a simple biography of Curtis Jackson (aka 50 Cent) as written by Robert Greene. This book certainly talks about his upbringing in Southside Queens and his rise to fame and power. But I wouldn't call it a biography as this books is more interested in "how" Curtis became the man he is than just providing a simple chronological narrative of his life. This "how" is what the book is all about as it outlines the steps that one must take to became fearless and draws parallels between Curtis' life and some of the most respected and accomplished individuals throughout history (Napolean Bonaparte, Miles Davis, Frederick Douglas, Malcolm X, etc).

From what I know of Robert Greene his previous works are more about strategy and how to obtain power, money, and sex. His writing style has a somewhat what immoral vibe to it that at first made me feel somewhat guilty in reading. But after simply taking some time to think about what he's written you'll begin to realize that he's just purely stating the cold hard truth about us as people and about life. If its to much for you to take in than that's your loss, as there are real life lessons to be learned here.

There are so many wondeful stories in this book about individuals throughout history who decided to buck the current trend or philosophy and did what they want to do and became fearless in the process. To not read this book purely because you are not a fan of 50 Cent or Robert Greene would be an error in judgement as there is something here for everyone. My personal favorite story in this book is when a young 50 Cent (than currently hustling in Southside Queens) begins to complain about the complexities and hard life of a hustler to an older hustler named Truth. Truth's response is priceless and has become the philosophy from which I now live by. I don't want to spoil it but it really is that poignant and powerful. In summary read this book! You won't be sorry.

I believe that The 50th Law is without a shadow of a doubt Robert Greene's best work. The reason I say this is because unlike his previous books, where he deals with mostly European monarchs and other people of high birth, The 50th Law is the story of a man who was born with nothing, and who had to build an empire from scratch.

Although I'm a fan of all of Robert's works, and read them all annually, I'm very attracted to The 50th Law because as a Black man, I can identify more with Curtis Jackson than I can with Alexander the Great, Queen Elizabeth, Metternich, and Talleyrand, all individuals of European descent who were of noble birth. With these people, you have to question whether or not they would have been successful in life if they had not been born into wealth and royalty.

Curtis Jackson, on the other hand, is superior than all of them because he grew up poor without a mother or father and still managed to carve out a $400+ million empire, in a country where Whites own the majority of the wealth. I highly recommend this book for Black people especially, because it provides them with a road map on how they to can beat a system that is designed to keep them in bondage and prevent them from living the life of their dreams.

The 50th Law is the story of a hustler. I do however feel that some of what is said is a mixture of truth and deception, in regards to the life of Curtis Jackson. For example, the book says Curtis was shot nine times, while I've read in other places that he was shot "at" nine time and only three bullets landed. Then there is the fact that the name "50 Cent" was taken from a real stick up guy named Kelvin Martin who in the 80s was shot and died in a hospital. Curtis basically took the alias of this dead guy to create his own fame, so you have to wonder how much of his story is accurate. Robert admits in the book that Curtis used deception in many ways to alter the public perception of him, and I think this is done in the book as well.

What is accurate is the principles discussed in the book. Regardless of whether certain events in Jackson's life were fictional are not, the truth is that Curtis Jackson is a remarkable Black man who built up an empire in a country which is not designed for people like him to build empires. This book, as well as Robert's other books, are recommended reading, especially for African Americans who are at the bottom of the social economic pyramid and who even today still suffer from economic bondage and discrimination in ways which are difficult for them to fathom.

I've read most of the already existing reviews. I think that there are some valid concerns. I also think that some people have this book wrong, which is why I think some of the reviews are overly low/negative.

I will be honest. I COULDN'T WAIT TO BUY THIS! In case that you don't get it, I really wanted this book. Initially, I was disappointed by it. I was expecting 48 LoP or 39 SoW. Since I was expecting a book following these models, I was disappointed. HOWEVER, as I read this book, I came to realize that this didn't have to do with strategy but about self-help.

I own a few "self-help" books. I own the original and the modernized versions of "Think & Grow Rich" as well as Keith Ferrazzi's book "Never Eat Alone." What I don't like about more traditional self-help books like T&GR is that you have to read the whole damned book to get the "secret" and the book is purposefully written to be vague to accomplish this purpose.

This book was anything but that. It was very accessible. There isn't one "secret" but quite a few. I couldn't stop reading it and I imagine that I'll reread it again. If you go into it understanding that this is a self-help book and not a strategy one like Greene's previous works, then you won't be disappointed.

For those people that called this uneven because of the writing style, they do have a point. I noticed some editing mistakes. In addition, I think that Greene's style was a little "dumbed down." The thing that we need to keep in mind is that this is a different kind of book. Having said this, I would definitely recommend this book. No, there isn't a 49th law (I get this question a lot) and the packaging is rather cheesey. HOWEVER, this is still a good book. I feel that in time, many people will come to see this.

"The 50th Law" written by Robert Greene and rap superstar 50 Cent, is written as a practical guide for becoming fearless, interspersed with examples from 50 Cent's own life, as well as those of famous historical figures like Napoleon, Frederick Douglas, and Thomas Edison among many others. The book is broken down into ten chapters, with each one focusing on a particular idea connected to the book's theme. What I most appreciated about this book was how easy its lessons can be applied to real life. Some of the issues discussed include embracing reality, the ability to keep moving no matter what happens, utilizing aggression and confrontation without fear, as well as the importance of self-reliance, self-belief, and connection with others among other things. Equally interesting was 50 Cent's story, stretched out between the chapters and used to demonstrate Greene's points. Growing up in South Queens with his grandparents, 50 Cent participated in New York's drug industry by acting as a hustler and working the streets from a very early age. The word "fearless," as demonstrated by Greene, applied to his life like no other. Surrounded by hostile competitors, erratic buyers, violence, and the threat of going to jail, 50 Cent's daily life as a hustler was consistently dangerous. What I found most remarkable was 50 Cent's successful integration into the music industry, despite all odds being against him. Perhaps the main lesson of this book is having the right mind set and a willingness to fight despite all obstacles. 50 Cent's quotes are included throughout the book, which is gorgeously formatted with a black leather cover and gold pages. Overall, I found this book fascinating and its lessons very pertinent to everyday life. This is bound to be a good read for not only 50 Cent and Robert Greene fans, but also anyone looking for good practical advice on how to improve their lives.