Michael Cavacini

Audiobook Review: Fake by Robert Kiyosaki

Robert Kiyosaki, author Rich Dad Poor Dad, has a new book entitled Fake: Fake Money, Fake Teachers, Fake Assets. I chose to review the audiobook version of this book, and the narrator did a fine job with the material. That said, Fake is best described as a conspiracy book, explaining how certain key aspects of our society – money, teachers, and assets – aren’t what they appear to be. For example, he argues that U.S. currency is hanging by a thread and that “God’s money” (i.e., “real gold and silver”) is the way to go, for a variety of reasons. Kiyosaki also says that owning gold attracts money, as if it has some supernatural powers. While some of his logic in the book makes sense, the supernatural elements and conspiracy theories make him seem paranoid and out-of-touch with reality. Worse yet, entire sections of this book are copied and pasted throughout. In other words, identical sections and stories in one chapter appear in another. This has been noted in numerous Amazon reviews for the book, and this egregious quality-control error is present in the audiobook. That makes me wonder, did the narrator have to read the same parts over and over again? If so, wasn’t he wondering to himself, “Boy, this sounds familiar? I swore I already read this.” With all of this in mind, I can’t recommend this book. There are some interesting concepts but the quality control issues and goofy content in this book aren’t worth your “fake” money.