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Beyond the American Dream: A Family’s Unscripted Journey Abroad Kindle Edition

5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars 17 ratings

They had it all. Then, they chose to walk away from the American Dream.

This is the journey of a young family of five that questioned their conventional path and explored a life beyond chasing the American Dream. They changed their environment by moving from their comfortable lives in the San Francisco Bay Area to become wide-eyed expats, first in Berlin and then Hong Kong, surrounding themselves with the unknown.

Do they find what are they looking for?

Will they have regrets about leaving?

Will it be worth it?

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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CXTNBG32
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ (April 23, 2024)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 23, 2024
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3081 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 333 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars 17 ratings

About the author

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James Roxas Balagot
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James is the father of three curious children and husband to an ambitious wife. While he will always consider the San Francisco Bay Area home, he has had life-changing experiences in Los Angeles, New York City, Berlin, and Hong Kong.

In a previous life, he played a key role in expanding a technology start-up from 100 employees to over 4,000, transforming it into a widely recognized brand.

He enjoys suffering more than most and is an endurance athlete with a few half-Ironman triathlons, over 50 marathons, and a growing number of trail ultramarathons under his belt.

Stay up to date with the adventure, complete with weekly updates and photos, on his blog Purposefully Lost.

Customer reviews

5 out of 5 stars
5 out of 5
17 global ratings
Great read
5 Stars
Great read
5 star rating. James Balagot is able describe his adventurous journey abroad and places you in the front seat of his experiences. Witty by nature, the level of detail through his thought processes is impressive. James takes you through the highs and lows of his family's travel experiences, often making the most out of any situation they find themselves in.
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Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2024
In "Beyond the American Dream," James Balagot crafts an inspiring narrative that challenges the conventional metrics of success and fulfillment. This book arrives as a beacon for those entrenched in the comforts of a well-paying job and stable community but is haunted by a sense of mundanity and a reluctance to merely settle. Balagot masterfully questions the legacy of first-generation immigrant parents who strive to provide material wealth and security at the expense of imparting the deeper values of life's true riches—experiences and personal growth.

Balagot’s philosophy resonates deeply as he articulates a vision where happiness is derived not from material abundance but through the rich tapestry of experiences that include hardships, failures, and the awe-inspiring beauty of natural wonders. His journey of inverting the American dream to showcase a life of meaningful experiences over material wealth offers a compelling blueprint for his children. He advocates for a lifestyle that prioritizes environmental appreciation and experiential learning over conventional wealth, teaching his kids that living on a budget to explore the world’s marvels holds immeasurable value.

As a first-generation immigrant, endurance athlete, and father of two children, I found "Beyond the American Dream" to be more than just a memoir or a travelogue. It’s a manifesto on redefining success and a practical guide to living fully. Balagot’s writing is filled with humor, warmth, and wisdom, from entertaining anecdotes that will have you laughing to reflective lessons on parenting that offer both caution and direction.

"Beyond the American Dream" is an essential read for anyone looking to step away from the grind and embrace a life defined by more than just financial success. Whether you're a parent, adventurer, or anyone in between, Balagot’s story offers valuable insights that challenge the status quo and inspire a journey toward a life rich with purpose and passion. Don’t miss this transformative exploration of what it truly means to live well.
Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2024
This was a really fun read....imagine the already huge challenges surrounding leaving your home to live in other countries and experience other cultures and then turning the game settings to max difficulty by doing it with 3 young kids right before a global pandemic. Somehow they make it seem so simple and almost easy. It's a quick easy read full of funny (even if only in hindsight) moments and really interesting self reflections that make you wonder if maybe you can do it too. Honestly, the book really gets you to get out of the mindset of always finding reasons not to do things and flip it so you're finding ways get you to do the hard things you've always said you'd do one day.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2024
This is truly a great non fiction story where James shared his family's experiences without hiding the challenges they faced. I love how James and Maricar(his wife) are truly a team in raising their children to an adventure of a lifetime. The children must be so much more rounded because of all that they had to endure as a family. I like the parts where the children were given a chance to share what they learned in eCh phase of their lives. It felt like I was with them in their journey. The sights and sounds and smells were clearly shared. It's an easy reading and soooo interesting that I could not put it down. I'm a slow reader but I finished reading it in two days. I keep wanting to know what's next. No boring episode. So action packed. Get's a ten out of ten 🌟 stars from me. I recommend this to young people, young parents and even older adults.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2024
Who hasn't dreamed of moving off the "recommended" career and life path and doing something completely different and amazing for years? Most of us don't have the courage to do something like this, so it was fascinating and heartwarming to read about the adventures of James and his family as they moved out of the Bay Area and over to Berlin and Hong Kong. As a person who enjoys travel and has similarly aged children, I loved reading all of the stories of the family's ups and downs with lots of unexpected and memorable twists and turns, whether they were navigating COVID-19 protocols or trying to stay on a highway in Iceland during a blizzard. Very much appreciated the life lessons learned by the entire family, and I also enjoyed hearing the kids' perspectives on it all!
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