On his 100th birthday, Allen Karlsson decides he does not want to go to his birthday party in the nursing home. He's tired of the director telling him what to do and what not to do and being forced to live out his meager days in the old folks home. Acting spontaneous, Allen steps out his bedroom window and starts walking. With no plan or clue of where to go, Allen begins an extraordinary and unexpected adventure, one that involves a borrowed suitcase filled with millions in cash. Along the way, he makes new friends and new enemies with both police and reporters hot on his trail. While he travels, he tells his life story and his new friends quickly release that this strange adventure they are all on is very ordinary for him. From multiple wars, to making bombs and even being held in a prison camp, Allen Karlsson has seen it all.
This book is similar to the movie Forrest Gump in that Allen seems to live the most fascinating and interesting life and is totally unaware of this fact. As a younger man, Allen faced many difficult and dangerous circumstances and seemed to be saved by pure luck. He even calls himself one of the luckiest men in the world. This story is an exciting and humorous read that reminds us that even as we get older, life still has many new adventures in store for us just around the bend.
~Abigail C.
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