Tuesday, September 1, 2015

THE BEGINNERS GUIDE TO PARADISE Review

(Blurb from Amazon)
So You Too Can:

- Move to a South Pacific Island
- Wear a Loincloth
- Read a Hundred Books
- Diaper a Baby Monkey
- Build a Bungalow

And Maybe, Just Maybe, Fall in Love! *

* Individual results may vary.

The true story of how a quarter-life crisis led to adventure, freedom, and love on a tiny island in the Pacific.


From the author of a lot of emails and several Facebook posts comes A Beginner’s Guide to Paradise, a laugh-out-loud, true story that will answer your most pressing escape-from-it-all questions, including:

1. How much, per pound, should you expect to pay a priest to fly you to the outer islands of Yap?
2. Classic slumber party stumper: If you could have just one movie on a remote Pacific island, what would it definitely not be?
3. How do you blend fruity drinks without a blender?
4. Is a free, one-hour class from Home Depot on “Flowerbox Construction” sufficient training to build a house?

From Robinson Crusoe to SurvivorGilligan’s Island to The Beach, people have fantasized about living on a remote tropical island. But when facing a quarter-life crisis, plucky desk slave Alex Sheshunoff actually did it.

While out in Paradise, he learned a lot. About how to make big choices and big changes. About the less-than-idyllic parts of paradise. About tying a loincloth without exposing the tender bits. Now, Alex shares his incredible story and pretty-hard-won wisdom in a book that will surprise you, make you laugh, take you to such unforgettable islands as Yap and Pig, and perhaps inspire your own move to an island with only two letters in its name.

Answers: 1) $1.14 2) Gas Attack Training Made Simple 3) Crimp a fork in half and insert middle into power drill 4) No.


From the Hardcover edition.

My thoughts...4 stars  

After starting a dot.com business, Alex begins to feel burned out. One day he has an epiphany. He’ll move to a small Pacific island for a while, read books he’s never read, and discover the meaning of life.

A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO PARADISE is that true story. Alex’s quarter life crisis prompted his running away to the small, mostly unheard of, Micronesian island of Yap and others after and beyond in search of Paradise, with a capital P.

Alex Sheshunoff has both an easy style and sense of humor. I still shudder when the frozen scrambled egg sandwiches story crosses my mind. There are hits and misses as he island hops around Micronesia and the North Pacific. Alex takes an off the beaten path approach as he tries to decide which island is most likely to suit his vision, needs, and druthers. The people he encounters along the way make the story as much as the exotic, rustic locales. In many ways, Alex discovers more than he bargained for.

A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO PARADISE is an easy and humorous vicarious adventure for those who left their “roughing” it days when they left their teens or early twenties. While you obviously can’t experience the whole kit and caboodle you also don’t have to “use the other side of the island” as a toilet or deal with any of the other discomfiting, uncomfortable, and or questionable experiences or activities. That’s the way I prefer adventures like this now, from the comfort of my chair surrounded by my electricity, running water, unexpired food, and toilets that flush. For those still in search of paradise and new exploits to share and reminisce about in the future, A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO PARADISE can potentially be a tutorial, some of the path has been laid for you making it possibly a tad easier. Either way it’s a great trip.

4 stars

No comments:

Post a Comment