Book Review: "The Pillars of Wisdom" By GLO
I'll try to be mostly serious, sort of.
Initially, I wasn’t going to buy this book, but I waited past the pre-order stage, and got it for 40% off. Finally, a deal I could get behind; and a price I wouldn’t feel bad about if I didn’t like the book. Everybody hates the Jews until a good sale comes about, then all of a sudden everyone is wearing those tiny hats. This is how copper wire was first invented; two Jews grabbed the same penny.
Conveniently, I did like the book. I even read it in about a week, which is not normal for me. Perhaps this is because most of what I read is so incredibly dry, but we’ll chalk it up to my short attention span. I am Gen Z, after all. Well, I’m Gen Z for the purposes of this review.
Since I was a poor student, and never wrote any book reports, let us see if I can author a suitable review; for what I can only describe as “Mao’s Little Red Book, if it was written entirely in Internet Speak; and made deeper, more relevant, observations. With pictures.”
I: Quality
The Pillars of Wisdom comes in hardback, as the Lord intended for all books. It measures 6-1/4” wide x 9-1/4” tall x 1-1/4” thick; and I greatly appreciate the neatness of all those measurements ending in 1/4” increments, unless of course I’m not reading the ruler correctly (again). An 1/8” or so off never hurt anyone, and we’re not building a church. Also I’m not giving you dimensions in centimeters, because fuck the metric system. Does metric have an equivalent measurement for a cord of wood? Didn’t think so.
The book fits well in the hands, and is suitable to lay flat, though it will have to be held open. Nobody appreciates the physical size of a book until it comes time to read it, and an uncomfortable book to hold is one that will not be paid attention to.
At 363 pages, it is fairly lengthy, although 6 more pages would have made a more funny number. On the subject of pages, I must mention my disappointment at the thin paper used in this book. It’s hardly better than the cheap, bulk, copy paper I use; my copy of Mein Kampf has superior page thickness. The girth to a book is important, because weight is generally an indicator of quality. I am going to deduct points for cheap paper.
The type is approximately a 10 point, so plenty of text is on each page. However, the backside of the artwork pages is blank, which is a horribly inefficient use of space. Another thing: The smell of this book is generic, which I must deduct more points for.
Now, I hear you: “Quinn, why are you sniffing books?”
I’m not sniffing them, I am smelling them; and the scent of a book is important for determining quality. Just like you smell your motor oil to see how close it is to needing changed, or how you smell gasoline to see if it is good or not; you also smell books to see if they are cheaply made, or quality masterpieces that will withstand the tests of time (and inconsistent room temperatures). The Pillars of Wisdom smells cheap, and bland, as if is was doused in industrial disinfectant. Blech.
I'm willing to bet that very few of you have smelled quality paper. Pro tip: Get some “Rite in the Rain” brand paper, or notebook. That is some good stuff. My Engineer’s Black Book also has nice paper, and it has a good smell to it. Quality works deserve quality paper.
Also there are some spelling and punctuation errors scattered throughout the book. On page 91/92, for example, it reads “Socialization is the process by which” and it stops. This is the error that I made a note of. There are a few more minor errors, but I don’t remember exactly where they are at. This right here is a massive point deduction.
Not everything I have to say is negative, however. The artwork, for example, is very well done. It is far from modern neo-cubist garbage, the type of generic corporate SJW slop that is slathered all over everything these days. Yes, the artwork in The Pillars of Wisdom is what I can best describe as “Old Normal.” It has curves, detail, and effort put into it. It looks like it has soul and purpose to it; but to be clear, it’s not on par with Renaissance or Enlightenment styles. Realism, if you will.
Throughout the book, there are many pages of this quality imagery, strategically placed to break up “text wall drudgery.” This is to say nothing of the detail on the cover, which is quite easy on the eyes. Truly, the art and placement thereof is an excellent tactic employed by the author, and I will add points because of it.
The final thing I must address before we move on, is the publishing location. Being a casual follower of Mr. GLO here on Substack, I could not help but notice that he placed a particular emphasis on the book being published in Greece; and while the book does say “Printed In Greece” at the front, it also says “Made in USA, Las Vegas, NV, March 18th, 2025” at the back.
Most curious, I say.
FURTHERMORE, my copy arrived in an Amazon box. I am assuming this is some 4d logistical chess, required to distribute the book. While I did not expect GLO to personally package, label, and ship each copy; I was expecting something more dignified than an Amazon box. The whole ordeal undermines the advertised “forbidden-ness” of the work. How disappointing.
Interestingly, back when I used to order books from Amazon, they had the same “Made In USA, Las Vegas, Nevada” text at the back. This applied to my copy of “Mao’s Little Red Book” and my copy of the Federalist and Anti-Federalist papers. Again, most curious. Perhaps the author will elaborate on this whole fiasco in the comments.
II: What’s It Like?
The Pillars of Wisdom is written entirely in “Internet Speak,” which seems to be a popular choice for literary works these days.
“Good authors too, who once knew better words, now only use ‘4 letter words’; writing prose, anything goes” -Cole Porter
I am not here to bag on modern authors for the deterioration of their readers’ attention spans and general intelligence; because if you are an author and you want to sell books, you have to sell books people will read.
The Internet Speak style used in The Pillars of Wisdom is a self admitted tactic to retain the readers’ attention. This, coupled with the artwork, is (again, admitted) designed to impart the information with maximum effect. What good is reading a book if you don’t remember it, after all?
GLO is smart enough to recognize that most people nowadays have the attention span of a flea; and while I am slightly better than most in that my attention span is that of a squirrel, it is still lacking. The choice of literary style and text organization makes The Pillars of Wisdom a (mostly) easy to read book. This is a welcome change of pace, since I just finished volume I of Mein Kampf, which is so boring, and so dry; that if the translator (Dalton, if you’re curious) had not put in subject headers as some sort of break, I could not have read it.
This also goes to show that it’s not my attention span that is the issue, but rather, the subject matter and author thereof. I refuse to take accountability for my actions. It’s not my fault, it’s the author. Thankfully GLO caters to my rodent-like attention span. He knows I’m a retard, and he knows you are a retard, too.
The Pillars of Wisdom is not a self-help book, unless you call an intellectual roundhouse kick to the face, “helpful.” This is not a book that strokes your ego and tells you that you’re doing everything right; and it certainly doesn’t come out and tell you that everything is going to be okay. This is not a book that gives you a cheat code to life that you can learn some steps to, punch in, and use inside of a month or two.
This book gives you a bucket of cold water to the face- that is, if you are completely new to its’ concepts. It may not be soft, but at least it’s not the literary equivalent of those “alpha male training camps.” The Pillars of Wisdom can teach you a lot, if you are willing to learn. It does not command you, it informs you. What you choose to do with that information, is up to you.
The author does not waste time trying to tell you who pulls the strings, he just tells you the strings are being pulled; and what you can do to cut them, and act independently.
III: Who’s It For?
This book is not for “normal” people. This book is exclusively for people who are a mix of schizophrenic retards, internet doomscrollers, intellectual extremists, and those with way too much time on their hands. Oh sure, there might be a few outliers who buy and read The Pillars of Wisdom, but most of them are as described above. Most importantly, this book is designed for men. This is not a book women should read, can read, or want to read. They will not understand it.
Truly, you have to be extremely special to read and comprehend The Pillars of Wisdom. It is not for the faint of heart, or the uninitiated. If you are not embroiled in at least level 3 “conspiracy theories” or better, you are not ready to read this book.
Consuming the information imparted by this book requires a rudimentary understanding of “The Red Pill/MGTOW/Manosphere.” If you lack this, then much of what is in The Pillars of Wisdom will not be as impactful to you. The messages and critiques of The Red Pill will fall short, and these criticisms are essential to grasping the concepts imparted by the book. You don’t necessarily have to be MGTOW or Red Pill, you just need to be somewhat familiar with what it is.
If you are a deeply troubled individual, a sensitive young man, if you will; then this book is probably not a good choice for you to read. You need to have a certain degree of mental toughness to read it. Otherwise, your anger and depression will get in the way of receiving the information.
IV: What Does It Say?
This is the operative question: What does The Pillars of Wisdom say? Thankfully, the subject matter in the book is too complex for me to spoil its’ points with a basic summary. You will need to read the book to get the full experience, but I think I can give you an idea of what you’re in for.
The book talks about several things:
Modern western society, and its operation
Man’s position within modern society
Why man behaves a certain way, under modern circumstances
What modern man can do, to improve his station, if he so chooses.
Modern man’s relation to western women, and how to navigate such relation.
Why certain modern men will choose not to heed the above mentioned information.
Overview of certain psychoanalytical theories.
Each of these main points I mentioned (plus some other, minor ones that tie into the main work) are broken up into (usually) short essays, colorfully worded to catch and retain the readers’ focus. No punches are pulled. The thoughts expressed in The Pillars of Wisdom are expressed bluntly.
While this part of the review might seem short, consider that the work speaks for itself; and a more detailed summary would be a grave injustice to the message of the book. I’m just here to tell you what you’re getting, not what you should think about it.
V: My Takeaway
Right now, you’re probably thinking something along the lines of: “That’s it? That’s your analysis of The Pillars of Wisdom? You’re telling me you spent more time talking about cheap paper, and sniffing the book; than you did talking about what’s actually in it!? The fuck gives!?”
Like I said, you probably ought to just read the damn thing if you want the full effect. I’m not here to break it down page by page. I’m not “debunking” The Pillars of Wisdom. I will, however, give you a bit more insight into what the book contains, via my personal takeaway.
As near as I can figure, Mr. GLO is trying to get men to “break away from the matrix.” These are not words he specifically uses, they are words I am using to best encapsulate what I think he’s saying. This entire book is about expressing the problems of modern society, and how YOU can take advantage of them for your own benefit.
The most interesting thing I found about this book, is that the majority of it talks about things I more or less already knew. I’m not saying this to sound smug; rather, I’m saying it because I did not find much of what was in it all that radical, or extreme. Much of what was talked about, I had been thinking about. Some of those thoughts, I have even put to words. What this says about me, I am not certain; but I do know that the book was not as “extreme”, “radical”, or “transformative” as I had been led to believe through the advertising. Sad.
This is not to say I didn’t get some utility out of reading The Pillars of Wisdom. In fact, I found it most useful for putting to words, certain thoughts and feelings that I had trouble articulating. Furthermore, the index at the end of the book was very……..enlightening, let’s say; and I will likely have to re-read this section several times to fully comprehend it. The rest of the book was easy enough to understand, but for some reason, the Index is what really made me slow down. Perhaps I lack the intelligence to comprehend it correctly. Thankfully there isn’t a quiz on it, because I wouldn’t do that well.
Oh yes, some of you (who have read the book already) might be wondering if I’m going to follow any of the advice within The Pillars of Wisdom. Uhhh……..not really. I’m not leaving the US, and I’m not doing a whole bunch of application gymnastics to juggle 2-3 remote jobs. I’m pretty happy where I’m at, and I like what I do. There’s just a few pieces to this puzzle I need to get dialed in, and I’m all set.
I can imagine GLO is reading this right now, saying something such as “No you simpleton, you literally missed the entire point of what I tried to tell you! What an idiot!”
Sorry bud, but moving to Mexico (or any other country) doesn’t really interest me. Call me a loser all you want (I’ve been called worse). The United States is going through some serious growing pains, and I’m not ditching it when it needs me most. Ah, but don’t worry too much; where I’m at, and what I’m doing, are pretty solid bulwarks against the shitstorm that’s coming.
VI: Final Thoughts
Now, we come to the real question: Should you buy The Pillars of Wisdom?
In my opinion, yes. I don’t have a link to it, but I’m sure
will post one in the comments. Maybe you’ll get a deal, maybe you won’t. He offered me an affiliate link, a few days ago, but I’m not interested because that’s too much work.In case GLO doesn’t show up, or he thinks I’m a total retard (or both); I'll link his website right here, so you can buy the book. I sure hope that magic trick works. I am technologically inept and can’t make computers do what I want.
Perhaps you will get far more use out of the book than I did. Maybe it will shake the very foundations of who you are, and transform your whole sense of self. Regardless, I would imagine your takeaway will be different than mine. I don’t think you’ll regret buying and reading it.
Final score:
-3 points for cheap paper
-1 point for Amazon box
-1 point for contradictory manufacturing location
-5 points for spelling errors
+7 points for artwork
+2 points for literary style
+5 points for information
+2 points for physical dimensions
Total: 6/10, it’s got a little something for everyone. Would recommend.
With all that being said, I believe this review is complete. I will re-read it and make sure I don’t have any major spelling errors. Quality is job #1 around here, sometimes.
On An Unrelated Note………..
With this post complete, I will be severely limiting my time on Substack. I’ve already stopped posting notes (not completely, but effectively). I’ve finished or deleted drafts I had, and I don’t plan on writing more articles anytime soon.
Is this because I ran out of ideas? No. It is because all of a sudden, Substack decided not to recommend my content as much. I’ve heard through the grapevine that this is because they’re only interested in recommending “profitable” content; but the real reasons are a mystery to me.
I have been on the internet long enough to have learned my lesson about investing more time and effort into online communities. I am grateful for all of my followers and subscribers, but I’m not putting up more content, when fewer and fewer of you will see/interact with it.
I had some serious plans for Substack. I thought this was a platform I could use, but apparently not. To be clear: I’m not going away, I’m just not going to be around as much. It was fun while it lasted, but recently, it’s not as fun anymore. I don’t like shouting out into the aether, just to be ignored by the algorithm.
Oh, and before one of you suggests that I’m getting funded by USAID: Fat fucking chance. As if I would be so lucky as to get my tax dollars back. Besides, why would they fund some retarded farmer’s shitposting side hustle? No, I do this for free, because it’s the only time I have fun. Womp womp.
-Mighty Quinn, 4-1-25 (not an April Fools’ joke, I already did that)
Thanks for such an honest and thorough review. I deeply appreciate your page sniffing.
As you probably guessed the book is printed in several places to reduce the cost of logistics across a global supply chain. Some of my books are printed in Greece some of them are printed .... elsewhere to make sure I don't get canceled.
I've been censored for over a decade and the first edition of this book has already been censored out of existence.
The fact that the book is printed and distributed at reasonable cost is already a miracle in itself.
I hate to be so blunt about this fact but the Pillars Of Wisdom is published in the style of a Grimoire, that's why all the images have to be on the left side. It's also a Tarrot Card deck hence the astrological attributions at the top of each page.
Most importantly if you didn't find this book to be controversial then I did my job properly of selling you some very hard to sell ideas.
That means I a Russian successfuly got you a Westerner to agree with Hard Leninism, Sorrel, Bataille, Henry Lefebvre, Althusser, Hegel and Lacan while at the same time introducing you to Esoteric Alchemy.
It’s a Manosphere book? Ruh roh. 😆