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A review by camsbookcase
The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino
2.0
I probably wouldn't have bothered writing a review for this book if it weren't for the ending, as I simply wouldn't have had much to say about The Greatest Salesman in the World. This book is primarily a self-help book that gives business and life advice in the form of a 110-page parable. While I found most of the advice to be helpful, perhaps I have read too many self-help books as I have heard most of the lessons before. The book was written in the sixties, so it makes sense that a lot of the information has been recycled. I will also say that I found the format to be rather wordy and I got bored several times while reading.
The ending is where things got interesting. Mandino essentially implied that the advice given in this book is what Paul (as in New Testament Paul) used in order to "sell" the idea of Christianity, and therefore the presence of widespread Christianity as we know it is thanks to these "sales tactics". Assuming that Og Mandino is a Christian, we can see how this is a problematic implication. Assuming that he is not a Christian, then suggesting that by reading his book you will become as great a "salesman" as Paul was actually a pretty smart sales tactic for this book! Certainly, it was a controversial ending either way.
The ending is where things got interesting. Mandino essentially implied that the advice given in this book is what Paul (as in New Testament Paul) used in order to "sell" the idea of Christianity, and therefore the presence of widespread Christianity as we know it is thanks to these "sales tactics". Assuming that Og Mandino is a Christian, we can see how this is a problematic implication. Assuming that he is not a Christian, then suggesting that by reading his book you will become as great a "salesman" as Paul was actually a pretty smart sales tactic for this book! Certainly, it was a controversial ending either way.