Phillip Boon Lim, owner of the Asia Café Inc. located at 6714 B Central Avenue Pike, has announced the release of a book he co-wrote with local historian and writer, Martha Rose Woodward.

Lim’s biography, “Escape to Riches”, details the lives of his Malaysian-Chinese family. The story begins in 1899 with his great-grandfather, Lim Lian Keng, who escaped the brutal Chinese dictatorship by boarding a sampan-a small fishing boat-with 15 other men. The boat, headed towards Malaysia, landed 60 days later in Melaka. Of the 16 who began the journey, only 6 survived dehydration and starvation. Lim’s great-grandfather and his son, Lim Sian Soon, were two among the survivors.

Great-grandfather and his son hired on as rubber tappers extracting latex from trees in rubber forests. Within 10 years, by saving money and by shear determination, brilliance and awareness as a businessman, Lim Keng and son purchased a rubber processing factory and became  millionaires.

Lim writes,“ This is my story; the story of an international businessman firmly grounded in American soil, whose roots are buried deeply in the darkness of war-torn China and poverty, and whose branches bear the fruit of both love of family and fabulous riches.

My name is Phillip. A man who was raised in great wealth, but one who did not know the value of money.  It became necessary for my family to send me away from the safety of  comfortable nest to fly into the world. I had to determine how to capture my own character and discover my abilities. I had to learn how to build my own nest.”

Escape to Riches is a book you cannot put down.

Available on line from www Amazon.com; www Kindle.com and from www. NaturalAlternativesInc.net OR at both locations of Asia Café: 6714-B Central Avenue Pike Knoxville Tennessee, (www. AsiaCafe.org ) or Asia Café West,  8111 Gleason Drive ( www. AsiaCafeWest.com  ). Phone 865 951 0319 to arrange for autographed copies.

A book signing will be held at Asia Café North on March 18, beginning around 6 PM.

Check www. Marthasunsphere.blogspot.com  for updates on future book signings