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Fleeing the Nazis, Surviving the Gulag, and Arriving in the Free World My Life and Times
Victor Zarnowitz
ISBN: 0-313-35778-1
ISBN-13: 978-0-313-35778-7
200 pages
Praeger Publishers
Publication: 8/30/2008
List Price: $39.95 (UK Sterling Price: £27.95)
Availability: In Stock
Media Type: Hardcover
Also Available: Ebook
Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4
Subjects: Reviews:
  • "Prize-winning economist Victor Zarnowitz is internationally known for his professional contributions to his field -- particularly his insights on business indicators and economic forecasts -- but this book reveals that he is also an excellent storyteller. ... After sharing his Holocaust memories, Zarnowitz describes his life in America and his professional career. His observations of other economists, his contributions to economic theories, and his perspectives on recent American history make this an educational read."
    —Catholic Library World     3/1/2009
Description: Victor Zarnowitz is a world-famous economist. Victor Zarnowitz is also a man who grew up in the Polish town of Oswiecim, known in German as Auschwitz. Zarnowitz and his brother fled the area as the Nazis advanced in September 1939. Moving eastward, he landed right in the arms of the Soviets and was sent to a Siberian Gulag. How did this brilliant young man, who nearly died at the hands of the Soviets, end up a renowned University of Chicago economist? That's exactly what this inspiring, lyrical memoir—told in simple, captivating prose—is all about.

The recipient of many prizes and honors, Zarnowitz is still, at age eighty-seven, one of the six economists who decide officially that the U.S. is in a recession. He is also a captivating writer and his memoir a thrilling page turner:

-In September 1939 Victor and his brother walked the entire width of Poland with the blitzkrieg just behind them. They ran right into oncoming Soviet troops. Zarnowitz was trapped at the junction of the two most fearsome armies the world had ever seen. He was literally standing in the center point of history.

-The Soviets considered Polish refugees prisoners of war. In 1940, they transported Zarnowitz and his brother thousands of miles north and put them to work in Stalin's oldest Gulag. They earned their daily gruel and bread crusts by trying to meet impossible work quotas.

The last third of the book brings the story up to date, telling, in a non-technical manner, of Zarnowitz's life in America and his professional career. It includes his observations of other economists and their ideas, his own contributions to business-cycle theory and economic indicators, and his thoughts on more than a half-century of American history.

While memoirs of the Holocaust are plentiful, the Jewish experience in Stalin's Gulags has been virtually forgotten. Weaving politics and economics into the harrowing tale of his personal journey, Zarnowitz's inspiring life story provides a priceless perspective on some of the most traumatic upheavals of the 20th century—and on the resilience and power of the human spirit.
Table of Contents:
  • Prologue: A Vanished World
    Chapter One: And Music Was in the Air
    Chapter Two: The Saddest Thing
    Chapter Three: 17 Days
    Chapter Four: The Gulag
    Chapter Five: Love in Ili
    Chapter Six: From the Ashes
    Chapter 7: The Association of Jewish Students
    Chapter Eight: Our American Education
    Chapter Nine: My American Century
    Chapter Ten: Peaks and Valleys
    Epilogue: An Octogenarian in a New Millennium
    Acknowledgments
About the Author: Victor Zarnowitz is one of the world's leading authorities on business cycles, business indicators, and forecast evaluation. He is Senior Fellow and Economic Counselor to the Conference Board. Dr. Zarnowitz is also Professor Emeritus of Economics and Finance, Graduate School of Business, The University of Chicago, and Research Associate, National Bureau of Economic Research. The recipient of many awards and honors, he is the author of Business Cycles: Theory, History, Indicators, and Forecasting.
PDF Catalogs:
Business Catalog 2008.pdf
Academic Library Spring 2009.pdf
Academic Library Fall 2008.pdf
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