"I was born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1936. By the time I was twenty, I had lived through a Hungarian Fascist dictatorship, German military occupation, the Nazis' 'Final Solution,' the siege of Budapest by the Soviet Red Army, a period of chaotic democracy in the years immediately after the war, a variety of repressive Communist regimes, and a popular uprising that was put down at gunpoint." -Andrew S. Grove, Swimming Across: A Memoir (2001)
On this hot, humid North Carolina morning I'm sitting in a small service station that does not have air conditioning waiting for my car to get an oil change. The truth is, I had an appointment for 9 a.m., but it's now 9:34 and the car has not been moved. Such is life, I guess, but I rarely have to wait at this place. I feel like granting them a little bit of mercy today, since so much mercy has been given to me over the years of my life. However, I do have to be home by 11 a.m. to meet the plumber so that he can fix two of our plumbing problems that have been ignored for too long. I guess I should call this day "FRIDAY FIXES" and be satisfied when the two big fixes get taken care of by the end of the morning. Today there's a little girl in here with her mother, and the four-year-old is getting a little bit restless. She quickly tired of her computerized toy, so then she started talking to herself and moving from chair to chair. As the minutes passed, her little voice got louder and louder, which prompted her mom to tell her to CALM DOWN! She's just being a typical preschoolers whose mom didn't bring enough toys or art supplies to keep her busy. I'd like to tell her mom, "Let her be a kid, but next time pack a bag of books, coloring books, and crayons for the child so that she won't be bored." I guess I should mind my own business though.
Last weekend I read a very good memoir that I borrowed from my parents. The book is Swimming Across by Andrew S. Grove. Grove, whose Hungarian name was Andris Grof, grew up in Budapest as an only child. His family was Jewish, although they weren't active participators in the Jewish faith. This memoir was published in 2001 and it chronicles Grove's life from the time that he was about two years old until he became a well-known business leader in the U.S. Grove's parents were in the dairy business in Budapest, and this sustained them through many difficult times. At the age of four, Grove almost died of Scarlet Fever, but after a long bout with the illness, he finally recovered. He was left with partial deafness that affected his life from then on. In every school where he studied he sat on the front roll so that he could hear, and he was afraid to get water in his ears when he learned how to swim. When Grove was five years old, his father and other Jewish men were sent to serve in "labor battalions" clearing roads and the like, and Grove did not see his father for several years after that. Then one day his dad reappeared in their apartment, but Grove didn't really recognize or know him any longer. His dad was emaciated and weak, but he eventually built up his strength. Grove's life was constantly changing as his family moved from place to place looking for safety. He was able to attend school off and on throughout the time of the war and occupations, and eventually he became very well-educated in America. We can't imagine what he went through, particularly during the years that his father was gone. His life was filled with sirens, fear, worry, and the unknown. His dream was always to be with his parents, to be safe, and to get an education. He loved to learn, especially in the area of Science, and he was notorious as a young many for doing experiments with chemicals which sometimes got him into trouble.
With the help of relief organizations and the support of his parents, Grove was able to immigrate to America when he was a young man. He lived with an aunt and uncle in New York City during his first years and was able to complete his education with the help of scholarships and hard work. He went on to become the found of the well-known company, Intel, and he became TIME magazine's Man of the Year in 1997. He has also become a well-known author of business texts, Only the Paranoid Survive and High Output Management. The title, Swimming Across, is an analogy of the effort that it took for Grove to reach his dreams. He feared for his life so many times, and faced so many obstacles, dangers, and setbacks, that he could have just given up. But he kept hitting the waves of life and never gave up. He eventually settled in California and brought his parents over from Hungary. Today he is an American citizen and has a family of his own. He has never returned to Hungary because he sees that as a completely different chapter in his early life. He started his life all over again when he came to America. If you like "the good guy wins" stories, you will enjoy this book. We all like a good success-story, and this definitely is one. Stories like this make us want to become better people. They make us realize that our lives are way too easy and that we don't appreciate what we have because we have never really had to work to get what we need. You can read this book in one weekend, and I don't think you'll want to put it down.
Here are the next ten books from my list of reading since 1984:
1. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
2. The Greater Journey, Americans in Paris by David McCullough
3. John Adams by David McCullough
4. Lessons From the Mountain by Mary McDonough and Beverly Nault
5. Born to Run by Christopher McDougall (a great book!)
6. Suffering: A Test of Theological Method by Arthur C. McGill
7. The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon
8. Love Me. Never Leave Me by Marilyn Meberg
9. The Zippered Heart by Marilyn Meberg
10. Bonhoeffer, Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas
Have you read any of the books that I've discussed during the past year? Which book did you enjoy the most? Is there a book that you would SCREAM to me, "READ IT!"? I'd love to get your input so please feel free to share.
Have a great day,
Melissa
Book Blogger
www.onegoodbookblog.blogspot.com
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