Review of Odyssey of High Hopes

[Tristan Outhier]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Odyssey of High Hopes" by Cyrus A. Ansary.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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A native of Iran, Cyrus A. Ansary was the youngest of six. Life was hard growing up in a developing country. In Odyssey of High Hopes: A Memoir of Triumph and Adversity, Ansary retells his life story. From a childhood of poverty, to a successful lawyer and financier in the United States, Ansary’s story is full of endearing lessons and funny happenings.

With a supportive family to back him, Ansary had high expectations for his life from a young age. As the top of his class in grade school, he stood out as a child. Among other achievements for his intelligence, Ansary was selected to participate in the New York Herald-Tribune World Forum For High School Students in 1950. This is where Ansary first became acquainted with the U.S. From then on, Ansary’s goal was to find success in America. This spurred the drive he would have to accomplish a burgeoning career in finance. Ansary’s innovative ideas led to the creation of sovereign wealth funds, leaving his mark on the entire world.

This memoir was genuinely lovely. Ansary is a gifted storyteller. He has a brilliant mind and witty humor. Ansary has rubbed elbows with some of the most elite people in the world, yet manages not to come off as a braggart while rehashing his journey. My favorite part of his story is the way Ansary demonstrates how reaching beyond racial bias has impacted his life on such a personal level. Not only did this impact his life, he went one step further and created that value on a large scale in the world with his ingenious ideas. There were also zero grammar or spelling errors in this book. For these reasons, I am giving this book a five star rating. I would recommend it for people that enjoy nonfiction works with a message of inspiration.

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Odyssey of High Hopes
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