A Child's Machiavelli: A Primer on Power

By Claudia Hart

No matter your age, September signals a return to the shark-infested waters of school or workplace. Here is a darkly comic and enticingly designed primer for survival. Right in tune with the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0670880213
• ISBN13: 9780670880218
• Release Date: September 1998
• Publisher: Penguin Studio
• Length: 64 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.8" x 0.5" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

The Ironic Machiavelli

This book distills Machiavelli's cut-throat advice into the the simple language and context that a child can understand. It contains such gems as:"When you take over some place, kill off everyone who's against you, pronto, then act really nice to everyone else."The beauty of this book is that cute illustrations aside, it is hardly for children at all. Claudia Hart has cleverly transformed Machiavelli's formal discourse into the playground phrases of a primary school student. For example:"If you want to take over some place, don't forget to kill not just the boss, but also all his kids!"This book will appeal to anyone with a sense of irony and a love of history. Even fans of the master of real politik himself are bound to appreciate it.

The wussy child's handbook for gradeschool domination

Brillint, utterly brilliant. If only some thoughtful relative had given me this instead of Pat the Bunny for my fourth birthday, I might not have been subject to the despotic reign of my neighbor, Keenan McCoy for so many years. (Along with other things that are too horribly embarassing to mention, she used to pull down my mint green with white polka-dot polyester shorts and spank me bare-butted in full public view. Talk about a kid who knew about ruling by fear. Sheesh.) Anyways, for all you high school sophmores who were planning on weaseling out of reading The Prince and scanning the cliff notes an hour before class, this little number is a way better bet. It meets the required standard of hitting all the relevant points, but in about a twentieth of the time. Also, it is funny and has nifty Dick and Jane-esque illustrations resplendant in pink, yellow, and the same exact mint green of my aforementioned polyester shorts. All in all, it's a great little book that I am still kicking myself for not buying two years ago when I stumbled across it in a bookshop in Park Slope. Alas.

Nasty Pleasures

I am a fan of South Park and Beavis and Butthead, and this little bonbon follows in that tradition. It's not for kids but for the 'child within', and my child at least, has horns. Its a great guide book for everyone engaged in business, and I found it to be incredibly insightful!

THE END JUSTIFIES THE MEANS

Interesting book to hand a teenager

Stunningly clear, direct, and simple.

You wouldn't think it was possible. This book has all the subtlety, insight, and importance of the original, and goes it two better: 1) The ideas are that much more powerful (their impact strikes like lightning) since the presentation is so brief. 2) the examples, taken from everyday childhood existence, are better (clearer, more illuminating, more obviously to the point) than many of those offered in the original. And with apparent innocence, this approach offhandedly exposes the childish immaturity of Machiavelli's (and his modern adherents') ruthless approach to human relations. A truly inspired work of genius. This book could be the basis of a very profound disucssion of schoolyard relations with five-year-olds, of international relations with graduate students, or anywhere in between.