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Arizona Dream: A true story of a real-life "Ocean's Eleven"
Forced by the gambling, the author commits spectacular casino heist.
436 pages, Paperback
First published April 25, 2014
24 people are currently reading
784 people want to read
About the author
Alisic Adnan
2 books32 followersAfter witnessing terrible war atrocities, Adnan Alisić escaped from Bosnia and came to Phoenix, Arizona where he became a successful businessman. Entangled in a gambling addiction, he was forced to execute this sensational casino heist. He can be reached at Adoo00915@gmail.com or www.Arizonadreambook.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
June 28, 2014
I'm usually not into crime books, but this book is so much more than that. It is about war, shattered childhood, love, hard work, success, addiction, shattered dreams, and crime. It is a reflection of a young man who has been through so much and who has lost everything because of his addiction, wrong choice of friends and a good heart. It is my honest opinion that this book is one of the best I've read so far. I truly hope it gets the recognition it deserves and becomes a top seller in no time. Buy this book, read it, again and again. It is that good! You will love it..
July 3, 2014
Just one word: EXCELLENT!!! You will not be sorry for purchasing and it is true story of real life and it gives you a lesson that life is never an easy journey and obstacles on this journey is what shape person fully..I enjoy it so much....
June 30, 2014
The book is truly excellent! There are many twists and turns that will leave you wanting more. The author does an impeccable job of portraying his life story through the hardships hes endured. A must read!!!
July 1, 2014
Arizona Dream is so descriptive, you'll hear the earsplitting screams, smell the coppery stench, and feel the horrific
dread.
dread.
June 30, 2014
Arizona Dream is an emotional roller coaster -- there are some heartbreaking scenes when the author witnesses the mass killing -- as well as plenty of humor to balance everything out. I recommend everyone to read and own this amazing book.
July 4, 2014
A amazing storyline told from the heart and real life experience of high and lows one can counter on his life journey. Superb writing, graceful and personal, that will stay in your heart forever. Highly reccommend this book not only for the story of the gambling and the casino robbery but because of the auhor's story of his childhood back home and his experiences in a war torn Bosnia- those specific chapters will stay with your forever.
July 4, 2014
A compelling tale about the gambling bane, horrific past, and ordinary human motivations. The story is personal, the writing is excellent and we would reccommend to all to read, not only for The Heist story telling, but to read the author's personal tale which is quite inspiring and at the same time hearbreaking. However, at the end of the book you will realize how a person can forgive and grow from misfotune and bad decisions.
July 4, 2014
Excellent writing style, personal and intimate story, the story will take you on a amazing journey, it will stay with you for along time. The author describes his life path, ups and downs along the way. I would suggest this book to all those that struggle with gambling. I think it can positively impact the reader to reconsider own actions and decisions.
July 7, 2014
I think everyone should buy this book it tells how a young man gets threw how life and has problems on the way and it tells you how he over came them and how he was made a better man a great book everyone should read it
June 30, 2014
Beautifully written, compelling and highly intimate story! Strongly recommended!
June 29, 2014
With this book you will laugh, cry and be entertained, and most importantly be left surprised at the end.
June 30, 2014
From the first page until the end, you will be spellbound by this story.
June 30, 2014
A true-story plotted like a thriller. The ending was so unexpected, but so masterfully pre-planned in the pages preceding it
July 2, 2014
The fast-paced plot with just enough breaks in between so you can catch your breath.
July 8, 2014
This book is so amazing, astonishing that I can't even put it in words. Definitely a great book. Great job!
September 14, 2014
I won a free copy from the Goodreads First Reads Giveaway Program and think that it interesting. I would recommend it to everyone.
August 4, 2014
Wow, what an amazing book!
I read the book in 36 hours, all 425 pages!
This book is so well written, the truth bares it all: pain, war tortures, poverty, love, loss, gain, betrayal and then it bares reformation and forgiveness... The author was able to vividly paint a picture for us of his life back home, his life in the USA, the hardships he had, the ups and then the road of downs that led him to The Haist......What struck me the most is the pain and torture he endured as a young boy during the war in Banja Luka when he was captured by Chetniks. When I read the chapter about Pinokio and Dambo, I had to abandon the book..... I sat down and I cried for the author, I cried for all the innocent kids that were inflicted pain and torture and I cried for all the innocent souls that were killed during the war. It brought back a lot of bad memories for myself as well. I hope the author's pain is gone now and that he's healed as much as one can be after enduring what he had endured. Then... I cried for the betrayal he endured from ones he loved. But at the end, I am proud of the author because he was able to rise from it all and write this amazing book. This is... a must have book! Everybody makes mistakes and everyone deserves a second chance, this young man for sure deserves it! Our society will be a better place once Adnan is back among us.
"Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune; but great minds rise above them."
Washington Irving
I read the book in 36 hours, all 425 pages!
This book is so well written, the truth bares it all: pain, war tortures, poverty, love, loss, gain, betrayal and then it bares reformation and forgiveness... The author was able to vividly paint a picture for us of his life back home, his life in the USA, the hardships he had, the ups and then the road of downs that led him to The Haist......What struck me the most is the pain and torture he endured as a young boy during the war in Banja Luka when he was captured by Chetniks. When I read the chapter about Pinokio and Dambo, I had to abandon the book..... I sat down and I cried for the author, I cried for all the innocent kids that were inflicted pain and torture and I cried for all the innocent souls that were killed during the war. It brought back a lot of bad memories for myself as well. I hope the author's pain is gone now and that he's healed as much as one can be after enduring what he had endured. Then... I cried for the betrayal he endured from ones he loved. But at the end, I am proud of the author because he was able to rise from it all and write this amazing book. This is... a must have book! Everybody makes mistakes and everyone deserves a second chance, this young man for sure deserves it! Our society will be a better place once Adnan is back among us.
"Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune; but great minds rise above them."
Washington Irving
December 15, 2014
This book blew me away . I couldn't put this book down. This is the true life story of Adnan Alisic.
A young man from Bosnia . Who has demons that he is trying to get away from. So he heads to Phoenix Arizona . He finds that gambling is his way of beating stress. But when he runs up a big gambling debt and gets chucked out of the casino. He goes and devises as plan to get back at the casino and at the same time pulling off the biggest casino heist.
This is a very honest and raw true to life crime story. The author takes us from the streets of Bosnia to the casinos in Phoenix with such an honest and almost heart wrenching take on things. You have a boy from Bosnia that comes to America gets the American dream. But to loose it all at the casino. Well then you realize it there is an ocean eleven grand theft from the casino. Now don't tell me that doesn't get your motor running. Will they get caught or will they get away scot free.
You easily fall in love with the main character , you want to hug him, then there are times when you want to shake him to see if there are marbles in his head . That's what makes him so likeable .
So if you are looking for a great book with some great raw emotion, with a true to life story line please check out this book . The emotions you will go through is unbelievable. This would be a great gift to give the reader in your life. Check it out
September 21, 2015
What an incredible story!!
Author, Adnan Alisic hit this gambling addiction and recovery book, written in prison by the way, out of the ball park! As a recovering addicted gambler myself for 8 years, I can not honestly say that I never thought of stealing my money back from a casino. I felt that way many times within my addiction.
But Adnan does a fantastic job of giving insights of his life, coming from a war torn country, seeing the effects of that war on humans, and then coming to America, Arizona to live the American Dream. But sadly, due to the access of gambling casinos here in Arizona, it just didn't work out that way for him and his family. I don't like spoiling the book, so that's all I will share of this true, raw, haunting story. I will tell you though, as a writer and author myself, Adnan was able to capture in words this disease of Compulsive Addicted Gambling.
With 1% of our population being problem gamblers, it doesn't surprise me how fast Adnan's life deteriorated from addicted gambling. He was able to write and share his addiction in-depth to give readers an inside look at how far one person can go and just snap when we lose large amounts of money due to addiction. And he is still taking ownership of what he has done while still in prison.
A must read and I highly recommend this book to everyone to see just how ugly gambling addiction can get. Great Job Adnan!
Author, Catherine Townsend-Lyon
November 14, 2014
Given To Me For An Honest Review
Arizona Dream: A True Story of a Real-life "Ocean's Eleven" by Adnan Alisic isn't a must read it's a HAVE to read it's that good. This book will grab you from page one and hold you down until you finish reading it. It's full of twists and turns and talk about a page turner. You'll find yourself turning pages and turning more and turning and turning and keep on turning. This is a true story about Adnan Alisic who was a Bosnian refugee that was resettled in Arizona from Bosnia. He tried his best to achieve the American Dream and he did until he discovered gambling. Then things changed. What happens to Adnan? Does he keep all he achieved? Does he lose all he has obtained? I loved reading this book and it is a re-read one. I gave this book 5 stars but it deserves many more. I highly recommend this to everyone. I look forward to more from Adnan Alisic.
Arizona Dream: A True Story of a Real-life "Ocean's Eleven" by Adnan Alisic isn't a must read it's a HAVE to read it's that good. This book will grab you from page one and hold you down until you finish reading it. It's full of twists and turns and talk about a page turner. You'll find yourself turning pages and turning more and turning and turning and keep on turning. This is a true story about Adnan Alisic who was a Bosnian refugee that was resettled in Arizona from Bosnia. He tried his best to achieve the American Dream and he did until he discovered gambling. Then things changed. What happens to Adnan? Does he keep all he achieved? Does he lose all he has obtained? I loved reading this book and it is a re-read one. I gave this book 5 stars but it deserves many more. I highly recommend this to everyone. I look forward to more from Adnan Alisic.
July 24, 2014
Awesome book,highly recommended! Very informative and continuously entertaining. Not only that but, since this is a book based on a true life experiences, the author's character is so masterfully written so that you, as a reader feel his aches, his doubts and his success in each chapter. Additionally, author Adnan Alisic has given readers a deeply personal view of his surroundings as a child, his life in the USA, gambling addiction, and incarceration. Indeed, your heart breaks, you laugh, you cry, and you hold your breath until you turn blue as you race to finish reading this book.
July 9, 2014
This was a great summer read for me by far. I went into this not necessarily knowing what to expect but after just a couple pages I was hooked. The pages are filled with stories of happy, sad, and exciting times. This book is very well written and breaks up peaks and lows in a very particular way. Definitely recommend this for anyone interested in digging their nose in a book that cannot be put down until its completely been read.
July 12, 2014
WOW!!! The moment I opened this book I could not put it down! Absolutely amazing! So descriptive that it makes you feel like you are there in the moment as he describes it. The fact that the author is from the same country that I am, Bosnia that is, really hit home as he described what he went through during the war because I have family members who went through similar atrocities. I highly recommend this book!
November 18, 2014
I have to say this is my favorite book I read this year. It is very well written and you would not know the authors first language is Bosnian. I actually found myself rooting for him and have a lot of respect for him.in how he survived through turmoil. Not only did he survive the Bosnian/Serb war but day to day chaotic life in Arizona keeping care of family, friends and even the parasitic nere do wells he found himself involved with.
July 11, 2014
Amazing book! The author wrote in such a way that the details make the story come to life; therefore, it created emotions and made you feel like you were reliving his journey with him. From beginning to end, the life events are unbelievable and may even seem unrealistic to some who had a much easier life. Great read and I highly recommend it to others.
July 14, 2014
An amazing story told from the heart of a great man! The moment I picked this book up I couldn't put it down! The book is filled with highs and lows one can go throughout life. It was beautifully written defiantly a must read!
July 16, 2014
I took this recommendation from my friend Armin, and I'm glad that I did. Not really into reading these days, but this book had me hooked. Go for it, if you want an enticing story. All the best to the author!
July 16, 2014
What an emotional ride for me as I read through these pages. The author did an exceptional job at portraying vivid details of his life experiences. The book is well written, with splashes of fear, sadness, success, and even betrayal. I highly recommend this read!
July 16, 2014
Love the Bosnian people and their community, so I understood some of the stories in this book. It is nice to see the author do positive things while in such a dark place. Best regards and make sure you get a copy of the book!
July 3, 2014
A close and intimate portrait of ethnic hatred incomprehensible by our society.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews