There are countless books about obtaining wealth and personal fortune. I have acquired many such books in my personal library. For several years, I subscribed to the theory that one can get very rich by gaining extensive knowledge in areas such as sales, marketing, and real estate. Although, I always felt I was missing a piece of the puzzle which was not based on knowledge.

It was only after reading the book How to Get Rich by Donald J. Trump that I realized knowledge is only half of the equation. The other half is inspiration. If knowledge is the engine of a car, inspiration is the fuel. No matter how refined the engine, you cannot move forward without continuously refueling with inspiration. Though the title of the book may suggest that it is simply about money making techniques and strategies, more than half of the book is about the “Trump lifestyle.” In fact, the book could have been aptly titled Donald J. Trump: An Autobiography (though I am not sure whether such a title would have placed him on the best seller list).

How many times have you purchased a book with good intentions only to make it a few pages in? Even I have been guilty of this. After several years of cumulative guilt, I have come to the conclusion that it is not my own shortcomings that cause me to abandon a book, but rather the shortcomings of the author. If the book is interesting enough, why would I stop reading? I now know that only a few books are worth finishing.

The title and popularity of a book performs the initial marketing that causes potential readers to buy the book. The first chapter of the book should do the marketing that causes the reader to finish the book. Since I have been involved in marketing for quite some time, I understand this dynamic well. Donald Trump is within the small percentage of authors who understand this concept. You first cause people to make a purchase, then you capture their attention — both of which are scarce commodities in today’s fast-paced world. However, I find that today the landscape of the market has turned upside down: first you garner attention, and then people are willing to pay money. While this is an interesting dynamic, I better return to reviewing the book!

The book starts with “Five Billion Reasons Why You Should Buy This Book” – a chapter which truly sells you the book. Trump toots his own horn as he talks about the success of his previous book, The Art of the Deal. He claims that if you don’t tell people about your success, they probably won’t know about it. He further explains that there are several books written by millionaires, but only a very few books written by billionaires, and that is why you should read his book.

The remainder of the book is divided into six parts. Here is a brief preview of each:

Part 1: “The Donald J. Trump School of Business And Management”

Most of the lessons in this section are similar to what you would read in a conventional success or leadership book, such as staying focused, thinking big, having great employees, etc. Trump narrates each lesson through a related personal experience. There are no “aha!” moments in this part, but it is worth the time invested to read it.

Part 2: “Your Personal Apprenticeship”

While the lessons in the previous part are geared toward business owners, part two is for job seekers. Again, you will hear much of what you have heard before. Trump relates basic tips alongside his personal experiences. There are two articles about public speaking at the end of this section, but reading them will not make you a great public speaker. If you have read books about public speaking in the past, the articles may help some important points resurface.

Part 3: “Money, Money, Money, Money”

This section is quite short with just four articles, and it feels like something you are reading simply because you bought the book and want to move ahead. If you want serious financial advice, I recommend reading Robert Kiyosaki.

Part 4: “The Secrets of Negotiation”

I have read the work of a lot of successful business owners, and most of them tell me that the highest point of leverage in business is found in marketing and salesmanship. But for Trump, the highest leverage point is negotiation. This is particularly true if your business is real estate development. Most of the articles in this part come from Trump’s personal experience, and many of his teachings break conventional wisdom. Some of the articles altered my paradigm, such as the one which preaches this point: If someone “screws” you, you need to screw them back. He backs this bold claim up with a personal experience.

Part 5: “The Trump Lifestyle”

Part five is the meat of the book; it is what makes the reading completely worth the time and money. At first it may seem that Trump goes too far when tooting his own horn, but he ends up providing stunning inspiration. He talks about the properties he owns and his lifestyle. There are also some photos in the middle of the book which take you behind the scenes of his organization. At the end of this part, he includes a fairly lengthy article titled “A week in the life.” He recorded a week of his life, writing down what he did each hour of every day. This section was a little tedious to read, but by the time I finished, I felt the information was worth remembering. It gives you the feeling that you have been with Trump for a whole week, causing you to realize that this old billionaire works incredibly hard.

Part 6: “The Apprentice”

In this part, Trump takes readers behind the scenes of his reality show “The Apprentice.” He describes the making of the show, from its conception to the big screen, in a spectacular way. It makes you feel as if you are a part of the production crew. For those who do not know about the show, “The Apprentice” is a hit reality television series. From over 250,000 applications from all over the world, Donald Trump selects 16 young people. They are divided into two groups, eight men and eight women, which compete against each other. Each week the winning team gets a reward and the losing team meets Trump in the board room where one of them is fired. The last one who survives will work for Mr. Trump as a president of one of his companies. Each show is packed with thrill and suspense.

Overall, I rate Trump’s book a 7 out of 10. While it does not provide a groundbreaking knowledge base, it reinforces the concepts of leadership, business, and success. This book will help you significantly if you have learned about business already, but have not yet found the inspiration to take action – and that inspiration is the crucial puzzle piece you might be missing.