4 out of 4 stars
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Gringo: My Life on the Edge as an International Fugitive by Dan ‘Tito’ Davis is a memoir about the thirteen years Davis spent living in Latin and South America on the run from the FBI, after skipping bail on drugs charges. It is a well-written, fast-paced autobiography that follows Davis from the US to Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Germany, Bali, and numerous places in between. Gringo begins with Davis in his hometown in South Dakota, a typical small town where everyone knows everyone else’s business. He describes an idyllic childhood, along with an interesting segue into horse racing at the end of his high school years. He then charts his time at college, where he got involved in drug dealing and transferred from a college in South Dakota to one in Las Vegas. Davis describes his marriages, relationships, time in prison and various legal and illegal business ventures, all of which ultimate lead him to the life that results in him becoming an international fugitive.
I enjoyed reading this book a great deal. There’s a lightness and levity to it that balances the sometimes heavy subject matter. Davis is a genuinely likeable narrator, and there’s a good balance in the narrative between enough detail to keep you interested, and not too much that you’re overwhelmed. At times, I laughed aloud; other times, such as at the death of Davis’ infant son, I was genuinely moved. I think it’s easy to start reading a book like this with a lot of prejudices and preconceptions; this memoir, however, does manage to make you sympathise at times with a major drug dealer! It is certainly fascinating to get a different perspective on something I think most people already have preconceived opinions about. The ultimate ending with Davis and Mary Luz definitely tugs on the heartstrings.
Davis is aided in the writing of this book by Peter Conti, an already-established author. It is clear the attention to detail that has gone into both the substance and structuring of the book - it was not hard to keep track of the sequence of events or the different players in the storyline. The character descriptions were particularly excellent; it was easy to conjure up an image of the different people in the book without the narrative being bogged down by too much overt exposition.
In being rigorous in reviewing, I would say there are a few points to consider: there are some typos, but not many at all, and the beginning lines of each chapter are formatted slightly strangely; this latter point just might be due to the e-book version. I would also say that the cover art doesn’t do the book justice; this is, however, a minor point. It’s also worth remembering that the subject matter, and therefore the language, can be coarse; the descriptions of women in the book do sometimes leave a sour taste in the reader’s mouth.
Overall, I have awarded this book four out of four stars. Gringo was an easy and enjoyable read - I read it in a lazy afternoon. I’d recommend it to anyone who’s interested in Latin America, or who likes travel memoirs, and is looking for something a little different. It was an interesting book, and the minor points mentioned above do not detract from what is a very enjoyable read.
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Gringo
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