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The Adventures of Herbie Cohen: World's Greatest Negotiator
The New York Times bestselling author Rich Cohen tells the story of the king of Bensonhurst, the world’s best negotiator ―and Cohen’s wise, wisecracking father.
Meet Herbie Cohen, World’s Greatest Negotiator, dealmaker, risk taker, raconteur, adviser to presidents and corporations, hostage and arms negotiator, lesson giver and justice seeker, author of the how-to business classic You Can Negotiate Anything. And, of course, Rich Cohen’s father.
The Adventures of Herbie Cohen follows our hero from his youth spent running around Brooklyn with his pals Sandy Koufax, Larry King, Who Ha, Inky, and Ben the Worrier (many of them members of his Bensonhurst gang, “the Warriors”); to his days coaching basketball in the army in Europe; to his years as a devoted and unconventional husband, father, and freelance guru crossing the country to give lectures, settle disputes, and hone the art of success while finding meaning in this strange, funny world.
This book is an ode to a remarkable man by an adoring but not undiscerning son, and a treasure trove of hilarious antics and counterintuitive wisdom. (Some of this stuff you can use at home.) It’s a bildungsroman, a collection of tall tales, the unfolding of a unique biography coiled around Herbie’s great insight and guiding The secret of life is to care, but not that much.
Includes black-and-white photographs
Meet Herbie Cohen, World’s Greatest Negotiator, dealmaker, risk taker, raconteur, adviser to presidents and corporations, hostage and arms negotiator, lesson giver and justice seeker, author of the how-to business classic You Can Negotiate Anything. And, of course, Rich Cohen’s father.
The Adventures of Herbie Cohen follows our hero from his youth spent running around Brooklyn with his pals Sandy Koufax, Larry King, Who Ha, Inky, and Ben the Worrier (many of them members of his Bensonhurst gang, “the Warriors”); to his days coaching basketball in the army in Europe; to his years as a devoted and unconventional husband, father, and freelance guru crossing the country to give lectures, settle disputes, and hone the art of success while finding meaning in this strange, funny world.
This book is an ode to a remarkable man by an adoring but not undiscerning son, and a treasure trove of hilarious antics and counterintuitive wisdom. (Some of this stuff you can use at home.) It’s a bildungsroman, a collection of tall tales, the unfolding of a unique biography coiled around Herbie’s great insight and guiding The secret of life is to care, but not that much.
Includes black-and-white photographs
240 pages, Hardcover
First published May 10, 2022
44 people are currently reading
479 people want to read
About the author
Rich Cohen
36 books474 followersRICH COHEN is the author of Sweet and Low (FSG, 2006), Tough Jews, The Avengers, The Record Men, and the memoir Lake Effect. His work has appeared in many major publications, and he is a contributing editor at Rolling Stone. He lives with his family in Connecticut.
For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rich_Coh...
For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rich_Coh...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
July 12, 2022
Herb Cohen was a well-known successful negotiator who, from what I've read before about his life, kept a suitcase packed and ready to leave town on short notice. Presidents--corporate and elected--involved him in treacherous situations and when they called, they usually couldn't wait long for you to get there.
He also had a family, and one of his sons, Rich Cohen, has given breadth to what we know about him. In reading this book, one thing is certain. Without saying so, or using that syrupy language that is supposed to convey positive emotion, Rich Cohen loved his father very much, something that lunges at us as the story of Herb Cohen--as told by Rich--unfolds. I know this because Rich Cohen was paying attention to what his father was doing and how his father led his own life.
Even before I read Richie's account of his dad, I knew about Herb Cohen through Herb's book, You Can Negotiate Anything. That book was so good and so smart that I loaned it to a college professor friend of mine who taught Negotiations at a West Coast college.
Whether he intended to or not, Rich Cohen has given us in story form the rules of negotiation, which really are the protocols or "rules" of life and how to negotiate within it. These are my extractions of those rules from Richie's book.
1. Everyone negotiates.
2. Everything is negotiable.
3. You are never out of options.
4. Negotiate in earnest, but don't care, or act that you don't care, that much. In other words, act
with engaged (focused) detachment.
5. What you say is often less important than how you say it.
6. "Those who can live with ambiguity and still function do the best. Those who can't stand
uncertainty, get their certainty, but pay for it." This is critical to remember.
7. Power is based on perception. If you think you've got it, you have it.
8. Understand that everyone has something at stake. Life is a game, and to win, you must consider
other people as players with as much at stake as yourself, if not more. If you understand their
motivations, you can control the action and free yourself from every variety of jam. Focus less
on yourself and more on others.
9. Never negotiate to attain something you have a personal self-interest in.
10. If you say something long enough, loud enough, and with enough confidence, people will
believe you, and once they believe you, "you can take as many donuts as you want."
11. Some occasions require that you act less smart than your adversary. "The fool knows
something hidden from the wise man."
12. If the other guy walks away from a deal or negotiation feeling bad about what happened, the
deal is going to fall apart and you are going to end up with nothing. Strive to make sure
everyone wins or appears to win.
13. You don't know what's going to happen. Don't act like you know, because you don't.
"A man with one watch thinks he knows the time but a man with two watches knows he can
never be sure".
14. Our fates are intertwined, and the only way for me to win is if the other person also wins. See,
number 12 above.
15. By ceding power, you gain power. See the story of Abraham on page 105.
16. The most powerful words in business are 'I don't know . . . you lost me . . . Could you repeat
that . . . I don't understand. Help me.'
17. Don't regard yourself as someone who wants to buy a product. Regard yourself as someone who
wants to sell money. Generate competition, because the more people there are who want your
money, the more your money will buy.
18. Maybe my favorite whose effectiveness in negotiating something is ambiguous. The way to deal
with a bully is to hit back quickly, and so hard, they curse the day they started up with you."
19. The most important symbol (in negotiation) is money. Symbols stand for reality.
20. Although not a rule or protocol, this anecdote has meaning in negotiation to avoid thinking you
know something you don't know, or being a 'know it all'. Herbie's heart doctor told Herbie
he'd accompany him to the airport when Herbie insisted on leaving the hospital to fly back to
New York from Florida to find a heart doctor to perform surgery that the Florida doctor said
had to be performed immediately. Herbie asked the doctor 'why?' The doctor replied, 'because
someone will have to sign the death certificate.' That was enough for Herb to remain in
Florida.
21. Recognize that there are some things that there are just too important to ignore or concede.
Herb's uncle was named Itzhik. Itzhik was sick with multiple diseases. He required us of an
electronic synthesizer in order to speak. The doctors had restricted his diet severely. Herb's
brother, Nathan, nonetheless, brought a corned beef sandwich from a NY deli which Itzhik was
sitting up eating in the hospital. Herb became very angry and started yelling at Nathan. Itzhik
place the speaking device to his throat and said to Herb, "if you can't have a good corned beef,
then what's the point of living." Case closed.
22. Leave the other side feeling they have not lost respect. "If you want to end a war, quit while
your opponent is still confident and strong. You must leave him with self-respect if you don't
want an enemy for life."
In the world of business, government, families, and other aspects of life conflict exists and where resolution of disputes resides at the core of success (in virtually every situation where conflict exists, negotiation is tried first), Herb Cohen was the master and Rich Cohen was paying attention all along the way. But, what accounts for Herb's success as a negotiator?
Rich asked his father before Rich wrote this book, what exactly is the meaning of life, Dad?
Herb's response: "The meaning of life? Don't you know? The meaning of life is that there is no meaning of life, none you can know. That's not your business anyway. Your business is to be a decent person, raise nice kids, and keep going as long as you can. The meaning of life is more life."
With an attitude like that how could Herb Cohen, or any of us for that matter, go wrong?
He also had a family, and one of his sons, Rich Cohen, has given breadth to what we know about him. In reading this book, one thing is certain. Without saying so, or using that syrupy language that is supposed to convey positive emotion, Rich Cohen loved his father very much, something that lunges at us as the story of Herb Cohen--as told by Rich--unfolds. I know this because Rich Cohen was paying attention to what his father was doing and how his father led his own life.
Even before I read Richie's account of his dad, I knew about Herb Cohen through Herb's book, You Can Negotiate Anything. That book was so good and so smart that I loaned it to a college professor friend of mine who taught Negotiations at a West Coast college.
Whether he intended to or not, Rich Cohen has given us in story form the rules of negotiation, which really are the protocols or "rules" of life and how to negotiate within it. These are my extractions of those rules from Richie's book.
1. Everyone negotiates.
2. Everything is negotiable.
3. You are never out of options.
4. Negotiate in earnest, but don't care, or act that you don't care, that much. In other words, act
with engaged (focused) detachment.
5. What you say is often less important than how you say it.
6. "Those who can live with ambiguity and still function do the best. Those who can't stand
uncertainty, get their certainty, but pay for it." This is critical to remember.
7. Power is based on perception. If you think you've got it, you have it.
8. Understand that everyone has something at stake. Life is a game, and to win, you must consider
other people as players with as much at stake as yourself, if not more. If you understand their
motivations, you can control the action and free yourself from every variety of jam. Focus less
on yourself and more on others.
9. Never negotiate to attain something you have a personal self-interest in.
10. If you say something long enough, loud enough, and with enough confidence, people will
believe you, and once they believe you, "you can take as many donuts as you want."
11. Some occasions require that you act less smart than your adversary. "The fool knows
something hidden from the wise man."
12. If the other guy walks away from a deal or negotiation feeling bad about what happened, the
deal is going to fall apart and you are going to end up with nothing. Strive to make sure
everyone wins or appears to win.
13. You don't know what's going to happen. Don't act like you know, because you don't.
"A man with one watch thinks he knows the time but a man with two watches knows he can
never be sure".
14. Our fates are intertwined, and the only way for me to win is if the other person also wins. See,
number 12 above.
15. By ceding power, you gain power. See the story of Abraham on page 105.
16. The most powerful words in business are 'I don't know . . . you lost me . . . Could you repeat
that . . . I don't understand. Help me.'
17. Don't regard yourself as someone who wants to buy a product. Regard yourself as someone who
wants to sell money. Generate competition, because the more people there are who want your
money, the more your money will buy.
18. Maybe my favorite whose effectiveness in negotiating something is ambiguous. The way to deal
with a bully is to hit back quickly, and so hard, they curse the day they started up with you."
19. The most important symbol (in negotiation) is money. Symbols stand for reality.
20. Although not a rule or protocol, this anecdote has meaning in negotiation to avoid thinking you
know something you don't know, or being a 'know it all'. Herbie's heart doctor told Herbie
he'd accompany him to the airport when Herbie insisted on leaving the hospital to fly back to
New York from Florida to find a heart doctor to perform surgery that the Florida doctor said
had to be performed immediately. Herbie asked the doctor 'why?' The doctor replied, 'because
someone will have to sign the death certificate.' That was enough for Herb to remain in
Florida.
21. Recognize that there are some things that there are just too important to ignore or concede.
Herb's uncle was named Itzhik. Itzhik was sick with multiple diseases. He required us of an
electronic synthesizer in order to speak. The doctors had restricted his diet severely. Herb's
brother, Nathan, nonetheless, brought a corned beef sandwich from a NY deli which Itzhik was
sitting up eating in the hospital. Herb became very angry and started yelling at Nathan. Itzhik
place the speaking device to his throat and said to Herb, "if you can't have a good corned beef,
then what's the point of living." Case closed.
22. Leave the other side feeling they have not lost respect. "If you want to end a war, quit while
your opponent is still confident and strong. You must leave him with self-respect if you don't
want an enemy for life."
In the world of business, government, families, and other aspects of life conflict exists and where resolution of disputes resides at the core of success (in virtually every situation where conflict exists, negotiation is tried first), Herb Cohen was the master and Rich Cohen was paying attention all along the way. But, what accounts for Herb's success as a negotiator?
Rich asked his father before Rich wrote this book, what exactly is the meaning of life, Dad?
Herb's response: "The meaning of life? Don't you know? The meaning of life is that there is no meaning of life, none you can know. That's not your business anyway. Your business is to be a decent person, raise nice kids, and keep going as long as you can. The meaning of life is more life."
With an attitude like that how could Herb Cohen, or any of us for that matter, go wrong?
May 21, 2022
If I ever suffered under the illusion that I lived a unique life, The Adventures of Herbie Cohen: World’s Greatest Negotiator by Rich Cohen fully dispelled this myth for me. It was slightly unnerving to read how similar my own life was to that of the author. This is in part, but not exclusively, due to the fact that Cohen and I grew up in the same bedroom community of Chicago.
Despite the simularities between Cohen and myself, I learned a great deal from this biography about Cohen's father, Herbie. In fact, the Adventures of Herbie Cohen read a bit like a self-help book, chuck-full of Herbie's useful and sometimes positively freeing aphorisms. One in particular soothes my slightly bruised ego realizing the lack of originality in my own life--I care about this, but not that much.
Two tiny grievances: Cohen dedicates his book to his mother (nice!) yet, in that very dedication, he also references her dislike of Herbie’s life-long friend Larry King. And Cohen refers to a college professor that he disliked as "Kenneth Schlichter," our social studies teacher in middle school. Both digs seemed small and unnecessary to me and ever-so-slightly diminshed my view of this otherwise talented and accomplished writer.
Despite the simularities between Cohen and myself, I learned a great deal from this biography about Cohen's father, Herbie. In fact, the Adventures of Herbie Cohen read a bit like a self-help book, chuck-full of Herbie's useful and sometimes positively freeing aphorisms. One in particular soothes my slightly bruised ego realizing the lack of originality in my own life--I care about this, but not that much.
Two tiny grievances: Cohen dedicates his book to his mother (nice!) yet, in that very dedication, he also references her dislike of Herbie’s life-long friend Larry King. And Cohen refers to a college professor that he disliked as "Kenneth Schlichter," our social studies teacher in middle school. Both digs seemed small and unnecessary to me and ever-so-slightly diminshed my view of this otherwise talented and accomplished writer.
May 27, 2023
Audiobook. Laugh out loud awesome
December 14, 2021
I picked up the latest by a favorite author, Rich Cohen, with some trepidation. Here is a sentimental biography by Cohen of his dad, Herbie Cohen - surely this is a recipe for love-blind devotion, the adoration of a father by a son, rather than compelling read.
I shouldn't have worried - at all. First, Cohen's dad is an incredibly colorful character with truly fascinating lifetime of stories to tell. Second, while author Cohen's love for his dad permeates (almost) every page, he sees him with pretty clear eyes. His dad's brilliance, his headstrong nature, his triumphant contrarian traits - all of this comes through. But so does a recognition that his father does a certain amount of self-mythologizing, and has a degree of narcissism that was not entirely benevolent in its impact on Cohen and his family. He also finds the time to give sensitive recognition to his mom, and others in the extended family. Readers of Cohen's fantastic Sweet And Low: A Family Story, will welcome back his mom's feuding family - dysfunctional is too kind a word.
This is a breezy, sweet, thoughtful, emotional book - far from the hagiography I feared. This is the fourth book Cohen has written about his family, and he and they continue to be his most reliable, fascinating subjects.
Many thanks to FSG and NetGalley for the advance reviewer copy.
I shouldn't have worried - at all. First, Cohen's dad is an incredibly colorful character with truly fascinating lifetime of stories to tell. Second, while author Cohen's love for his dad permeates (almost) every page, he sees him with pretty clear eyes. His dad's brilliance, his headstrong nature, his triumphant contrarian traits - all of this comes through. But so does a recognition that his father does a certain amount of self-mythologizing, and has a degree of narcissism that was not entirely benevolent in its impact on Cohen and his family. He also finds the time to give sensitive recognition to his mom, and others in the extended family. Readers of Cohen's fantastic Sweet And Low: A Family Story, will welcome back his mom's feuding family - dysfunctional is too kind a word.
This is a breezy, sweet, thoughtful, emotional book - far from the hagiography I feared. This is the fourth book Cohen has written about his family, and he and they continue to be his most reliable, fascinating subjects.
Many thanks to FSG and NetGalley for the advance reviewer copy.
December 20, 2021
Thanks to Netgalley and FSG for the ebook. Last year I read a fantastic book by the author about the last pirate of New York, and he comes back with another interesting character in Herbie Cohen, a man born on the streets of Brooklyn of modest means to become a man who has a legendary career as a negotiator, starting with an insurance company and eventually consulting two different American Presidents and happens to be the author’s father. Herbie has a great family which we meet (Although he can’t stand his father-in-law, who created and distributes Sweet’N Low) and one of his childhood friends grows up to be Larry King, but it’s the wit and wisdom that Herbie displays throughout his life that are what makes the book so memorable.
October 13, 2025
A Fascinating Look at Herbie Cohen — Through His Son’s Eyes
The World’s Greatest Negotiator by Rich Cohen is an engaging, affectionate portrait of Herbie Cohen — the legendary dealmaker and larger-than-life personality who advised everyone from presidents to corporations. What makes it especially fun is learning that Herbie grew up surrounded by an incredible cast of real-life characters — Sandy Koufax, Larry King, and other Brooklyn originals who went on to shape American culture. Those early friendships add great texture to the story and help explain Herbie’s mix of street smarts, humor, and confidence.
Rich Cohen is a skilled writer, and the book flows beautifully — equal parts biography, family memoir, and social history. That said, it’s also clear that this book probably wouldn’t exist if Rich weren’t writing about his dad. The admiration and insider access make it both intimate and inevitably partial.
Still, it’s an above-average read — sharp, funny, and heartfelt. If you’re curious about Herbie Cohen, or just want a good story about a man who taught the world how to win without being a jerk (although I definitely wouldn't trust Herbie as he seems to have a different view of right and wrong), it’s worth your time.
Erik Qualman
The Focus Project: The Not So Simple Art of Doing Less
The World’s Greatest Negotiator by Rich Cohen is an engaging, affectionate portrait of Herbie Cohen — the legendary dealmaker and larger-than-life personality who advised everyone from presidents to corporations. What makes it especially fun is learning that Herbie grew up surrounded by an incredible cast of real-life characters — Sandy Koufax, Larry King, and other Brooklyn originals who went on to shape American culture. Those early friendships add great texture to the story and help explain Herbie’s mix of street smarts, humor, and confidence.
Rich Cohen is a skilled writer, and the book flows beautifully — equal parts biography, family memoir, and social history. That said, it’s also clear that this book probably wouldn’t exist if Rich weren’t writing about his dad. The admiration and insider access make it both intimate and inevitably partial.
Still, it’s an above-average read — sharp, funny, and heartfelt. If you’re curious about Herbie Cohen, or just want a good story about a man who taught the world how to win without being a jerk (although I definitely wouldn't trust Herbie as he seems to have a different view of right and wrong), it’s worth your time.
Erik Qualman
The Focus Project: The Not So Simple Art of Doing Less
July 5, 2022
What a wonderful little journey into nostalgia and a son's love for his father, as well as his family. The book starts off with small "micro chapters," all numbered and you feel you're really scooting along almost at a comedy club with a master stand-up. It devolves into a series of health issues with the heart at the heart of it (get it?) as the story continues. Herbie's parents (the writer's grands) figure in a major way as the book moves from humor to pathos. "It's not about the money, it's about the (italicized) money." Relationships with God are explored, probably in the Jewish way, certainly opposite of an evangelical Christian's up close and literalist personal manner. These mirrored my own philosophy; I feel comfortable with this.
At age eighty, I enjoyed a section that described the five generations of the author's family, previous and present, as well as the two that follow (children and grands). It brought home to me this important aspect to the human experience in a very up-front and personal way.
Basically, this is not a story about a life, no matter how unique and interesting. It's a story about (italicized) life!
Jim George
At age eighty, I enjoyed a section that described the five generations of the author's family, previous and present, as well as the two that follow (children and grands). It brought home to me this important aspect to the human experience in a very up-front and personal way.
Basically, this is not a story about a life, no matter how unique and interesting. It's a story about (italicized) life!
Jim George
July 27, 2022
Closing the circle
This is an obvious labor of love.
When you're a kid, especially a boy, your father looms large in your life. He's your first role model, whether for good or for bad, and if your father is successful and self-made, like the author's, he can only loom larger.
Mr. Cohen has written a book about his father, Herb Cohen, a kid from Brooklyn who improbably ended up as part of, among other things, missile negotiations. And not because of his international relations knowledge but because he could, "negotiate anything." The author clearly loves his father and loved his mother and it shows.
Yet, the book is also his reckoning with growing up in the shadow of that success and his mother's illnesses.
In one of his earlier books, "Tough Jews," he wrote about his father's friends from Brooklyn in late middle age, all successful. This book ends with them in their 80s, at the funeral of one, and it feels like the author is finally closing the circle with his father, reconciling the good and the bad.
This is an obvious labor of love.
When you're a kid, especially a boy, your father looms large in your life. He's your first role model, whether for good or for bad, and if your father is successful and self-made, like the author's, he can only loom larger.
Mr. Cohen has written a book about his father, Herb Cohen, a kid from Brooklyn who improbably ended up as part of, among other things, missile negotiations. And not because of his international relations knowledge but because he could, "negotiate anything." The author clearly loves his father and loved his mother and it shows.
Yet, the book is also his reckoning with growing up in the shadow of that success and his mother's illnesses.
In one of his earlier books, "Tough Jews," he wrote about his father's friends from Brooklyn in late middle age, all successful. This book ends with them in their 80s, at the funeral of one, and it feels like the author is finally closing the circle with his father, reconciling the good and the bad.
May 29, 2022
The title is very descriptive -- what adventures Herbie Cohen had! He grew up with Larry King and went on to lead workshops and write a best-selling book on Negotiations. You can tell how much Rich Cohen admires his father in this book and I really liked that at the end he realized he left out his mother's story so added it too. There are a lot of amusing anecdotes about growing up and some of the embarrassing situations when his father took on a persona to go to Rich's schools to get him out of trouble or deal with grades. This was a quick read and was an interesting story about family. I had also read an earlier book by the author called "Sweet and Low: A Family Story" which is much more bittersweet and this part of his family history is also mentioned in this book. If you are looking for a quick read about a really interesting man told from his admiring son I recommend this!
October 12, 2022
First, I think Rich Cohen is an excellent writer. Read his "Pee Wees" about parenting a kid in pee wee hockey to see how he writes well.
I found Herbie to be interesting at parts, but for the most part this fell a little short for me. I wanted to read, I guess, more about Rich's interactions with his dad rather than just about his dad alone. The feel of reading this took on the Brooklyn street corner where Herbie grew up and I'm sure that's the intention of Rich. However, it wore old after a bit.
Still, not a bad book and because it's Cohen's stuff, I tend to grade it higher. Best to read his The Curse of the Cubs for an excellent book first.
I found Herbie to be interesting at parts, but for the most part this fell a little short for me. I wanted to read, I guess, more about Rich's interactions with his dad rather than just about his dad alone. The feel of reading this took on the Brooklyn street corner where Herbie grew up and I'm sure that's the intention of Rich. However, it wore old after a bit.
Still, not a bad book and because it's Cohen's stuff, I tend to grade it higher. Best to read his The Curse of the Cubs for an excellent book first.
December 12, 2021
Just tremendous. The fascinating biography of Herb Cohen, the master of negotiation, by his son, author Rich Cohen. Marvelously readable and not just the story of his father but the story of his family,starting in Brooklynin the thirties and forties to the present in the suburbs of Chicago. Cohen displays an ape or ours depth of feeling and understanding of what made his family tick which makes this exploration and excavation of what makes him tick even ,oremintersti g. Funny, fast paced and well,written - treat yourself to this one
September 22, 2022
Feels familiar
I grew up a generation later, but there's something super familiar about Herb Cohen. I realized I saw parts of my father and myself in Herb, and parts of myself in Rich. Being someone who gets his Captain Ahab up against bullies, Herb is both a kindred spirit and a warning. Still, he seems like a mentor I never met. Most of the places are familiar because my in-laws lived in Howard Beach and Boynton Beach. Reading about him is like reading about your next friend.
I grew up a generation later, but there's something super familiar about Herb Cohen. I realized I saw parts of my father and myself in Herb, and parts of myself in Rich. Being someone who gets his Captain Ahab up against bullies, Herb is both a kindred spirit and a warning. Still, he seems like a mentor I never met. Most of the places are familiar because my in-laws lived in Howard Beach and Boynton Beach. Reading about him is like reading about your next friend.
February 9, 2025
My rating is generous. The material has it's moments, but overall not that interesting. Way too much detail about family members, I just could not follow the author to all the family outliers of the family. I know the book is about the authors dad, but don't make it read like a novel. Otherwise, dad was a remarkable and smart man, interesting in his own right. Dad authored the book 'How to Negotiate Anything.
September 4, 2023
Tales of Herb Cohen's remarkable life told by his son. Other than some parental advice and philosophy, not much is said here about negotiation itself (which presumably one would get from Herb's book You Can Negotiate Anything). Cool anecdote: Herb was integral behind the line in Glengary Glen Ross that second place gets a set of steak knives.
July 14, 2022
I think I might like Herbie Cohen's own books better than this. I thought the part about Larry King was interesting but the rest was just about the author's dad who had a way to make things happen and his family.
August 9, 2022
this was a really great book. maybe it doesn’t quite quite deserve 5 stars but it really was a good read. entertaining and funny but also heartfelt and helpful. a real human interest book disguised as a sort of biography
December 25, 2022
Herbie Cohen presented at an IBM event I attended many years ago. He was fantastic. This book about him is very entertaining and includes many of his best Herbie-isms. One of my favorite is "Never talk to the monkey when the organ grinder is available."
January 8, 2023
Simply Awesome. Amazing story about an amazing man. Rich does a great job of sneaking in a shadow memoir (he’s great at this!) without being overly nostalgic or making it about himself. A wonderful tribute to a father from a son.
Want to read
May 19, 2022Recommended by Airmail
May 23, 2022
Good but not satisfying. Too much was left untold, other than a sentence or two.
June 10, 2022
Another excellent book from Rich Cohen. Funny and sad and wise all at the same time. Long live Herbie Cohen!
June 30, 2022
Read Sweet and Low or Tough Jews or Banana King -- if you haven't read them--and then read this!
July 3, 2022
Interesting about Herbie. Less so about the family. Except the crazy aunt and the family dysfunction she caused.
August 9, 2022
Entertaining and had some sweet portions. Cohen is a good writer.
August 21, 2022
Herbie may indeed be the "world's greatest negotiator," but his wife, Ellen, was his greatest supporter.
August 27, 2022
An extraordinary life, full of stories. And lessons. Fascinating for me after hearing the stories from another side (Larry King, via Cal Fussman on Tim Ferriss podcast).
December 11, 2022
honest and hilarious
December 13, 2022
Super cool look into the life of a very interesting man. Thanks, Rich.
January 4, 2023
That was a really fun book to read.
February 10, 2023
Enjoyed listening to the audiobook
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews