Amazing true story of a young exchange student in the 1960’s Philippines during the Marcos regime. Escaping the clutches of the man himself. A riveting read and very evocative of those times. I would highly recommend reading this true account.

I had heard many of the stories from Steph, BUT when I got my hands on the hard copy it was very much a time costumer as I couldn't put it down as in each chapter and the heading title gave you a sense of 'wanting to know more' .... a page turner it is. Well done Steph x

This book is a memoir of 10 months of Stephanie McCarthy’s life in 1968 while she was 17 and a Rotary Exchange student living in the Phillipines. It describes the people she stayed with, the multiple friends she made and the many experiences she had, some really memorable and some very challenging. This absorbing book is in three parts: her early months with her host families, her incredible meetings with President Ferdinand Marcos and a timeline of Marcos’s brutal rule until his death in exile in 1989. Apart from the host families there was little or no chaperoning provided which meant Stephanie had free rein a lot of the time. This of course was a surrealistic treat for a 17 year old girl. The book very colourfully describes her outings and adventures in her first experience of a tropical country. Her studies whilst there eventually led to an unbelievable (to Stephanie) opportunity to meet with the President of the Phillipines. Absorbing reading then turned into riveting reading as Stephanie trod a dangerous path. A must read.

I thought I had heard most of the story over the years from the author, my sister in law, but I was intrigued and horrified and didn’t want to stop reading late into the night, until my eyes couldn’t focus any more.

It only took 2 days to read because I was busting to know how it ended. And I wasn’t disappointed.. There is lots of useful information but the story line is easy to follow because it is so well written. Definitely the best read I have had in years!