Book Review: Escape from America by Vinnie Apicella

Escape from America
Author: Vinnie Apicella
Publisher: PublishDrive
Rating: 3.5/5

To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. To not dare is to lose oneself.
– Søren Kierkegaard

Often we take a leap of faith when it comes to carving out a niche for ourselves in this populated world. One of the disadvantages of not knowing what the unchartered territories hold for our future is that testing the waters becomes all the more difficult. But even then, the will power and the desire to reach the apex keep us going. Escape from America is based on a similar idea. It is a reflective account of the author’s journey to China. It comprises the lessons learnt and the experiences gathered- all put together using several anecdotes.

Escape from America is divided into three parts: the first part elaborates upon how the author was desirous of leaving his country and travel to a distant land looking for better opportunities. The second part describes what all the author learnt about China as a ‘visitor’ and the last part describes China as it is seen by its ‘residents’. Breaking several stereotypes associated with people from different cultures, the author deftly weaves a narrative that is unbiased and introspective too. One would wonder why does an American present an unprejudiced account of his admiration for China, a growing world power. That’s the bait. The author bluntly confesses that he wouldn’t shy away from airing the dirty laundry. Even though America is all about ‘the best’ of everything, there are other countries, especially China in this case, who are equally equipped to reach the summit.

Read the complete review here.

Buying link: Amazon