TRUMP

An ingratiating and candid (to the point of bluntness) apologia from Donald Trump, 41, the brash Wunderkind of Manhattan real estate.

Actions speak louder than words, but developer Trump prefers to take no chances that readers will miss important points in recounting the many achievements and few setbacks of his remarkable career. Taking charge of the family firm in 1973, the author converted it from a solid if stolid builder/manager of working-class apartment houses in New York's outer boroughs into a flashy, high-profile organization that controls such choice urban properties as Fifth Avenue's Trump Tower and the Grand Hyatt (née Commodore) Hotel. His closely held corporation, which owns three Atlantic City casinos, also plans to erect the world's tallest building on a 75-acre site near the Big Apple's Lincoln Center. Paradoxically perhaps, Trump's most celebrated triumph was the expeditious rehabilitation of a municipal skating rink on which New York City unavailingly spent seven years and millions of dollars. The imaginative, competitive, and opportunistic Trump offers little specific counsel on wheeling and dealing, letting vivid briefings on major undertakings speak mostly for themselves. On the evidence of the text, however, patience, persistence, promotional flair, and painstaking attention to detail rank among the key elements in his accomplishments. With stops along the way to commend allies like brother Robert, wife Ivana, and top aides, and to settle scores (with New York City Mayor Ed Koch, the NFL's Pete Rozelle, et al.), Trump offers insights as well as intelligence on what it takes to succeed in big business. If he's not always consistent––e.g., characterizing Barron Hilton as a member of the "Lucky Sperm Club"––Trump manages to make a persuasive, frequently charming case for himself and his varied enterprises.

An engaging account of life as a major-league hustler, notable for its lack of modesty––false or otherwise.