4 out of 4 stars
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Have you ever considered leaving everything behind and starting a new life? Consider not seeing or contacting your family again - your spouse, your kids. This is what happened to Dan “Tito” Davis when he was falsely accused of drug trafficking, after being released from five years in jail. Following his attorney’s advice, Tito realized his freedom was jeopardized, so he crossed the border into Mexico, not even knowing the language. He took a train from the border to San Miguel de Allende, and then moved to different places, always keeping a low profile. Furthermore, he attempted to blend anonymously, and abstained from socializing with other Americans he might encounter. From Mexico, he moved to Central America and Colombia where he stayed for a while protected by local gangs. As things got rough, he moved to Venezuela where his life improved. In addition, he also spent time in Cuba, Germany, the island of Bali, and India, always using fake identities to cross borders. He never considered returning home because he was sure that the police would be waiting for him to put him back in jail.
Gringo: My Life on the Edge as an International Fugitive by Dan "Tito" Davis is a story of survival, going from town to town, country to country, risking his freedom every second, and sleeping always with one opened eye. I enjoyed the way the author narrates his interactions with local residents, as well as everything he had to do to stay out of trouble. For example, his decision to stay clean and sober for the rest of his life. One good way to describe Tito’s life is as a very lucky one.
There are some situations that I consider inappropriate due to sexual content, so if you object to this kind of material please abstain from reading this book. Let's just say that if it were a movie, these scenes would earn an adult-only classification. If you like a story from real life that will leave you with some very good lessons, this is a book for you.
I found out that most of the words or sentences in Spanish are not written correctly, instead, they are written the way an American would say them. For instance, the phrase "gringo stupido” that is constantly repeated during the whole book, should be "gringo estupido". In addition, I also found some errors in English, however, they did not compromise the story’s content.
I rate Gringo: My Life on the Edge as an International Fugitive by Dan "Tito" Davis 4 out of 4 stars because it kept me entertained the whole time. The narrative is not fast paced like an action movie, but there are moments when you do feel the sweat on your own forehead.
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Gringo
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