Getting Out

October 1, 2006
Taking a decidedly pessimistic view of the current American moment, Ehrman's well-designed, all-encompassing guidebook provides detailed instructions for fleeing "before America comes crashing down upon you." Ehrman includes a large number of first-person stories from folks who did just that, starting new lives in China, Australia, Slovakia and Israel, among other destinations. The majority of these voices come from 20 to 30-year-olds, and some of the advice here skews to a younger sensibility, listing, for example, how each country prosecutes pot possession. However, there is valuable and comprehensive information here for a wide range of readers, including a globe-spanning country-by-country guide on how to immigrate-including Old Europe standbys as well as a number of countries in Latin America, Africa and Eastern Europe-with helpful sections on visa and residency requirements, acclimating to foreign culture and how to earn a living, as well as a handy list of online resources. Though the negative tone of the book might prove off-putting for readers planning an overseas move for reasons unrelated to politics, the wealth of information it carries-as well as its wide range of expatriate perspectives-will prove valuable. Illustrations.