Review by Marcho -- Gringo by Dan "Tito" Davis

Marcho · Post by **Marcho** » 16 Mar 2019, 10:29

[Following is a volunteer review of "Gringo" by Dan "Tito" Davis.]

4 out of 4 stars

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Gringo: My Life on the Edge as an International Fugitive is a memoir written by Dan “Tito” Davis with Peter Conti. Dan Davis, born in South Dakota in a middle-class family delves into his life story in this book and comes out with an absolutely riveting tale around the themes of justice, love, friendship and betrayal.

Dan Davis begins the book by giving a detailed account of his background, explaining how he grew up and its influence on his subsequent life-changing decisions. He tells the story of how he got into the business of dealing drugs as a student, amassing a lot of wealth while still in his early twenties before a string of bad decisions leads him to lose everything. Rebuilding his life would initially prove to be a tough task but things gradually take a positive turn. The moment everything seems to start running smoothly again, he gets framed by a close friend. Looking at the possibility of a long prison sentence for a crime he didn’t commit, Davis chooses to flee the United States. This sets the ground for a very thrilling fugitive story based on the adventures of one man across South America and further.

This book is filled with incredible happenings and suspense that left me in anticipation of the next occurrence at almost every step. When I finished it, I could hardly believe this was non-fiction and everything there took place in the life of one man. It has all the action, intrigue and twists of a deeply imaginative work of fiction. Considering the conclusion, a sequel to this wouldn’t be far-fetched as it leaves the reader with a lot to imagine.

What I liked most about this book is how it unwittingly exposes the reader to so many important issues beyond the main character it is centered on. In the book, we get a picture of international law, the fickle nature of relationships, the contrast in cultures across different parts of the globe, criminal operations and the failings of the justice system. Also, another thing that makes this a really enjoyable read is the writing style; the vivid description of events and the quality storytelling mixed with humour.

I give this book 4 out of 4 stars. I barely came across any spelling or grammatical errors which means it was professionally edited. The writing was good and the story itself was captivating. My only issue with this book is that most of the Spanish terms that are used are not directly translated. Instead, the translations are made in the endnotes which I felt would’ve been better appearing in the main content. Besides that, I really had fun reading it and would recommend it to all especially readers interested in non-fiction memoirs and biographies.

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Gringo
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