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REVIEW: CATCH AND RELEASE BY GUILLERMO VIDAL




Quintin Bauer Press


To all the girls I’ve loved before…

Guillermo Vidal is grateful for all the women who came into his life to teach him many valuable lessons about beauty, love and hope.  He’s also grateful to his brother Roberto from whom he got the title for this book.

 Guillermo Vida’s new memoir -- CATCH AND RELEASE: One Man’s Improbable Search for True Love and the Meaning of Life -- is funny, surprising and entertaining.  It’s Golden Girls meets Grumpy Old Men.  Readers will be please to learn that men also angst over meeting women, about what to wear, what to say, what to reveal.  A cute read about a man looking for love.

Guillermo had a hard upbringing as he came to this country from Cuba as a child and a political exile.  He was raised in a Colorado orphanage, but he grew up to be Mayor of Denver, and almost Governor of Colorado and almost a member of Obama’s cabinet.  But two divorces and some negative politics landed him in Vero Beach, Florida.  He’s now 64 years old, retired, alone, single and lost.  He must literally start from scratch – finding friends and getting back into the dating game. 

With a little help from his friends and some social media advice from his daughter, Guillermo discovers the wonderful – and perilous! – world of online dating.  With much trepidation and excitement, he begins to seek out worthy companions in hopes of finding his new soulmate; what he finds is… enlightening.  There was the psycho who refused to breakup with him; the woman who took all of 10 minutes to size him up and dump him; and the one who felt he was just too old.

Guillermo almost gives up a few times, but new lessons in meditation help him realize that all his life experiences, even the divorces, were lessons to be learned.  And when the lessons fail, his brother has some sage advice.  Roberto’s philosophy about “catch and release” is that dating is like fishing: when you catch one, measure the size and quality and, if not satisfied, release them.  Sort of like the adage about trying on clothes until you find the one that fits you.  And that is what Guillermo sets out to do on his quest to find a true love
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  Guillermo Vidal is a native of Camagüey, Cuba. He spent most of his life growing up and working in Colorado. After graduating as a civil engineer from the University of Colorado, Denver, he went on to a long career in the public sector. During that time, he held various government positions including serving as the executive director for the Colorado Department of Transportation under Governor Roy Romer. He also went on to serve as the executive director for the Denver Council of Governments. Later, he worked as deputy mayor and manager of public works for then Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper. In 2001, he became Denver’s first foreign-born mayor. Following his public sector career, Vidal became president and CEO of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Denver. He served in this position until he retired to his writing, speaking, blogging and mentoring. Vidal considers himself a citizen of the world. He feels at home in his heart and lives wherever his passion takes him. Catch and Release is Vidal's second book. His first, Boxing for Cuba, depicts his challenging and inspiring immigration story in the United States. Follow Guillermo online at guillermovidal.me and on Twitter @Gvidal33V.





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