"You're crazy!" A number of family and friends Why crazy? Could be he moved to the Middle East after the Gulf War and stayed for eight years. Could be he moved there a second time, staying for nearly seven more. Could be he retired at 44, agreeing to buy his retirement home, in South America, on his first day there without seeing the nearest town in the daytime... for starters. Does this small-town boy from humble beginnings live in another reality? Yes, after realizing at an early age that if he lived a life like most everyone, he'd get a life like most everyone. John wanted something different. John got something different, and then some, and then some more. His unique perspective on life will leave you enlightened. From his earliest memories to his latest doings, in MISFIT 3, the third book in the series, John recounts 36 more of his make-you-laugh, make-you-cry, make-you-think stories. Like jigsaw puzzle pieces, as you continue putting them together, you'll see more of the big picture, the story of John's life unexpected. BookLife Reviews This third volume of autobiographical tales spiked with wit and wisdom finds Mister John beginning, in familiar fashion, by addressing a broad, relatable subject-in this case, his disliking the sound of his voice. From there, he proceeds in a manner that will be familiar to readers familiar with previous "Misfit" installments, telling stories about his Wisconsin childhood, his time spent teaching in the United Arab Emirates and his early retirement in rural Ecuador. Amusing asides abound, with John noting that Floridians "pick and choose what weather to brag about" and that the "they" in "they say you're supposed to spend three months' salary on [engagement] rings" certainly "wasn't a financial advisor. Or an accountant." Several chapters deal with serious incidents: learning that his stepfather has cancer and facing the deaths of a family friend and also of a favorite teacher, whom readers of Misfit 2 will recall. These tales of loss give this collection a slightly more melancholic tone, as does the conclusion of a star-crossed romance, though that's balanced out by wry wisdom and amusing anecdotes, some putting a new spin on familiar settings, like a pungent recollection of the rigors of cleaning the facilities of a tour boat he captained. A few stories will seem familiar to readers of earlier entries. But there are still some surprises, including how the author got a job teaching in the Middle East. And we also get a closer look at his life in Ecuador, in a house of rammed-earth walls on a road that "aspire[s] to gravel," John's manner of exposition remains as roundabout as ever, taking unpredictable swerves- a yarn about seeing a porn film in a small Midwest town begins with Jaws and ends with an aside about UAE brothels. But the journey, however elliptical, is most of the fun, and brief mentions about witnessing an execution indicate John has more yarns left to spin. Takeaway: Amusing, surprising stories about growing up, living abroad, and finding yourself. John's life took a sharp turn to the different on April Fools' Day 1991 when he accepted a position to teach computers and math at United Arab Emirates University located in the desert oasis city of Al Ain. On the Men's Campus his first year, he taught on the Women's Campus for the next seven, one of the first unmarried Western men permitted to do so.He returned to the UAE in 2001, the Higher Colleges of Technology hiring him to develop a CAD/Interior Design program at Sharjah Women's College. Where he met Sue, a native of Canada and his wife-to-be. With the program in place, John transferred to Dubai Women's College to again teach computers and math.In 2007, John and Sue retired, at the age of 44, moving to their riverfront property off a dead-end dirt (they aspired to gravel) road in the mountains near Vilcabamba, Ecuador, where they currently reside. In 2017, they purchased a property on the Haida Gwaii archipelago in British Columbia, Canada where they will one day make their last international move. A Wisconsin native, John graduated with honors from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a B.S. in Architecture, a B.A. in Economics, and a Master of Architecture degree. To help finance his education, for 10 seasons, he captained the Chief Waupaca, an authentic sternwheel paddleboat based at Clear Water Harbor on Waupaca's Chain O'Lakes.