4 out of 4 stars
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Gringo: My Life on the Edge as an International Fugitive is a novel written about the true events of the life of the author himself, Dan "Tito" Davis. Dan takes us on an emotional adventure sharing how he came from a family of "The Great Depression" and his not wanting to be broke and struggling like his parents were as kids growing up in a poor town, he decided to quit school and develop a money-making business. Before quitting school he fell into peer-pressure and began taking drugs to pass exams like the other students and he then realized there was loads of money in the drug business. So, he decided to sell "white crosses" (a drug that was used to give you energy and for depression; technically wasn't illegal as it was a natural drug) to the students at school but soon realized he wanted and needed "more".
His greed led him to quitting school, hurting and losing the people closest to him, getting into more legal trouble (landing himself into jail the first time) and forcing him to be on a 13 year run out of the states constantly watching his back; therefore becoming a fugitive. With all that he subdued, do you think that all his devious work paid off? Did he in the end live a free and happy life? Did he escape the federal prison he was very well running from? I recommend you to read this book to find out.
I would recommend this book for those who have made or are making poor choices and whom are constantly being faced with negative consequences. Or maybe you know or have experiences with someone who's been in and out of jail for making the same mistakes. Maybe this book would be of encouragement to others going through tough illegal situations (especially those making those decisions in order to provide for your family) and the author's story will lead you to a change of person or helping others. I would also recommend this novel to those who want to read a story about growth and change and understand why some people do the things they do, whether for better or worse.
I would not recommend this book for those who are sensitive to derogatory remarks and foul language as there are a few foul words ( even hard "f" words). There is also a scene in the book with reference to homosexuality and beastiality. I also wouldn't recommend this book to Christians who are strong in their belief in Christ concerning adultery and fornication as there are several scenes of sexual immorality and fornication.
What I disliked most about the author's life story was all of the sexual immorality he entertained. He cheated on all of his wives (yes, wives) and not once learned his lesson. He said he "loved" all the women he had intercourse with (that's not the true meaning of love) and this made me very upset.
There weren't many parts that I liked in this book due to my personal beliefs and morals but I kept in mind that this is someone's actual life story and the things that happened, happened. So putting my feelings, thoughts and beliefs aside, I decided to continue reading and learn about the author's life. To my surprise, what I did like and enjoy was that it was very interesting and full of wonder. I was able to be mad and glad throughout the entire novel as his life unfolded, given the effectiveness of the writer's writing craft. I was reading in 3-D motion; It was like a movie.
Overall, I rate this novel a 4 out of 4 stars and here are the reasons why: First of all, I put my morals aside and focused on the fact that this was his life story and it was very well written in that there was only one spelling error. Secondly, he shared many personal details, mistakes and his learnings which allowed me as a reader to understand his behavior better. Last of all, his story was inspiring and allowed me to put my judgments aside when I see people in similar situations as I too have made mistakes and the best of all is it's all in the past.
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Gringo
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