4 out of 4 stars
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“Gringo: My Life on the Edge as an International Fugitive” is the true story of Dan “Tito” Davis, who finds himself on the run from the authorities for making some ‘choices’ in life that did not turn out to be very smart. As he constantly refers to himself as ‘Gringo Stupido’ in the book, Tito finds himself on the run even at times when there is actually no one chasing.
The book follows the story of his life from Pierre, South Dakota, where he was born, to Las Vegas, prison, Mexico, south America, Europe, Asia, and finally in Venezuela where his run comes to an end after the authorities finally catch up with him after almost 15 years on the run.
I rate the book 4 out of 4 as the book does not only explore the life of a fugitive but also explores other important themes such as family life, investments, HIV-Aids, culture, and globalization among others.
The protagonist is a bright and athletic student who has the possibility of becoming a top executive in corporate America or a professional jockey or wrestler. Regrettably, he chooses the easy way out to make money and thus finds himself caught up in the drug business. Although he does make money and becomes wealthy, the money cannot guarantee him a comfortable life. After being arrested once and serving time in prison, he does not learn his lesson but instead adopts a new strategy that he thought he would be much safer from the authorities. However, this does not work out; as he is setup for a crime he did not commit, and thus finds himself on the run.
Tito has to leave his wife and stepdaughter behind and run to prevent serving time. In his journey, Tito meets people of various characters and through them we get to learn more about his life and issues that affect people from different parts of the world. Issues of poverty, the HIV-Aids stigma, socialism, family values, and fate are explored explicitly in his travels.
What I like most about the book is that the author is able to include different themes in the book, flashback to earlier times, and still offer a continuous flow to the story that the reader can follow succinctly to the end. Additionally, even when exploring the negativities associated with life in crime, the author is also able to bring out the good characteristics of the villains such as compassion, care, love, protection, and trust. I recommend the book to everyone who loves crime dramas, romance, betrayal, humour, and adventures. The writing and editing of the book is done professionally, apart from a few errors of omission.
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Gringo
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