Book Review: Miles Away...Worlds Apart by Alan Sakowitz

By Todd Rutherford

Alan Sakowitz´s Miles Away.Worlds Apart: Empowering Lessons Gleaned from Experiences of a Whistleblower powerfully details the largest fraud in the history of South Florida. The author´s purpose is to expose typical scam artists´ tactics and to demonstrate to the average person, just how simple it is to avoid being conned.

Now more than ever, consumers, amateur investors, and the public at large face a heightened risk of fraud or being scammed. Unfortunately, when someone falls victim to a scam it often affects entire families. Sakowitz presents a simple way to avoid becoming a victim by warning people to listen carefully to the facts of the proposal, instead of the 'reward' being offered. All too often people are so focused on a reward that´s being presented that they are 'reeled in,' and miss the hard facts of the scam altogether. That´s precisely what the scam artist intends to happen. Of course, an ideal way to avoid being scammed is by simply using common sense. However, very early in the book we see Horace Greely´s words, 'Common Sense is very uncommon.'

In one sentence, Sakowitz sums up the problem that the book addresses: 'At the time, I could not have imagined that in a week I would begin a surreal adventure just for agreeing to ´learn more,´ an eighty-four day ride through an exciting, terrifying, intense drama involving the largest fraud in the history of South Florida, and I would witness greed and its blinding powers in truly stunning ways, as well as the dangerous collusion between business and politics.' For those who have often wondered what goes on in some of these schemes that involve fraudulent activity, Miles Away.Worlds Apart does a magnificent job of conveying the distress of being front-and-center in a ponzi scheme.

The corruption and fraud is headed by none other than Scott Rothstein, the main perpetrator of this chaos. Rothstein uses his charismatic personality to forge strong relationships with entertainers, athletes, and other well-to-do individuals. When these people invest in his law firm, he creates fabricated settlement agreements. Scott Rothstein essentially conveys to his clients that anything could be bought for the right price, even law enforcement and government leaders.

Sakowitz contrasts Rothstein´s heinous behavior with the courageous acts and resolve of his neighbors, who lived near Miami Beach-a mere sixteen miles from Rothstein´s world of corruption. Despite the close proximity between the two communities, their respective philosophies and ways of life are worlds apart.

Ultimately, Miles Away.Worlds Apart is replete with themes like responsibility, integrity, and leadership. Overall, Sakowitz´s style is persuasive and there is a solution to every problem. What is so appealing about the book is that it reads like a novel, omitting the dry style and dense, lofty language of an academic text. The take-home message from this book is to develop a deep appreciation for the right way to live, realizing that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Miles Away.Worlds Apart is an innovative and captivating book that will keep readers devouring its informative lessons. Indeed, readers will be turning pages to the very end.

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