Rating: 
Summary: From Grof to Grove: An Incredible Journey
Review: Recently, I have read memoirs/autobiographies of several prominent persons (e.g. Redstone, Jordan, Welch) and none touched my heart as much as did this one in which Grove generously, at times poignantly shares indelible memories of his childhood, youth, and undergraduate years. (He also summarizes more than 40 subsequent years which I hope he will discuss in much greater detail in a sequel to this volume.) Most of this book's focus is on his life in Budapest. Andras Grof somehow survived the Holocaust and then the Russian occupation before departing Hungary just as the Iron Curtain was descending. He lived in constant fear. Eventually, he and a young friend crossed the Austrian border (for me the most exciting portion of the book's narrative) and he finally arrived in America, becoming Andrew Grove. We know him today as the retired CEO of Intel. The book's title refers to a metaphor once invoked by a physics teacher who suggested that life is a lake across which students must attempt to swim. "Not all of them will [succeed]. But one of them, I'm sure, will. That one is Grof." For more than four centuries, millions of others have also completed a perilous journey to the USA, with a majority arriving in New York harbor nourished by the same high hopes and great expectations that young Grof cherished. Few then achieved what he did. (Grove claims "I am still swimming.") Tension and terror have even greater impact because of the matter-of-fact attitude which Grove sustains throughout his account. What I found especially remarkable is the almost total absence of any anger, bitterness, or recrimination as Grove recalls so many life-threatening situations, brutalities, and persecutions. In this instance, less is more. He lets the facts speak for themselves and they are eloquent.
Rating: 
Summary: Powerful Scenes from a Remarkable Life!
Review: Regardless of what you think about this book, everyone will agree that Dr. Grove has accomplished a great deal in his life. He is clearly a five-star person!Although I knew that Dr. Grove had been one of the most successful CEOs ever (having studied his work at Intel for many years) and that he was a Hungarian refugee, I knew little else. Apparently, that was a purposeful decision that Dr. Grove began to reverse in 1997 when he was interviewed for Time's Man of the Year award. The book is not the sort of autobiography that most of us are used to reading. Swimming Across is mainly different in that it builds around a series of anecdotes and scenes, which provide an indelible flavor without showing the whole story. Many of the scenes are not particularly important, but all combine to provide a piece of the puzzle of who Dr. Grove was and how he became who he is today. The material is almost totally focused on the first 20 years of his life, from the time he was born in Hungary through the first few months of his arrival in the United States. The book is above all very inspiring. This occurs at several levels as you consider the obstacles that he had to overcome. Dr. Grove had physical disabilities to overcome (the loss of 50 percent of his hearing at four and a weak heart from Scarlet Fever at the same age). In Hungarian society, his family's Jewish background led to severe challenges (his father being sent off with a labor battalion in World War II in which only 10 percent survived after maltreatment by both Hungarians and then by the Soviet military forces, many relatives being sent to Auschwitz and killed there, and anti-Semitism in day-to-day life and official actions) which had to be surmounted. Due to the disruptions of World War II, Soviet hegemony, and repression of the Hungarian Revolution in 1956, his education was often disrupted. He escaped Hungary with very little money, and not enough knowledge of technical English to do university-level work, at a time when tens of thousands were seeking a way into the United States. I came away feeling very grateful that Dr. Grove chose to come to the United States, and that so many people helped him to get here and prosper. The book's title is well developed in the book. Because of operations on his ears at four, Dr. Grove avoided the water as a youngster. He eventually decided to learn to swim, and got good ear plugs to help keep his ears clear of potential infections. In these days, it was very easy to develop polio from swimming, so there was a double danger. Self-taught as a swimmer, he came to enjoy it very much. To his surprise, while in the college preparatory program of the Gymnasium in Hungary, one of his teachers, Mr. Volenski, identified Dr. Grove as the student who was most likely to swim across the big lake of life. The book ends with the observation, "I still like swimming." Prior to this book, Dr. Grove's most famous work was Only the Paranoid Survive. I can now see how his first twenty years of life in Hungary prepared him to develop and become effective in living that philosophy. Many readers will also be impressed by the book's candor. With an active imagination and a lively sense of fun, Dr. Grove usually got into mischief and the book describes many escapades. Many well-known people would not have been willing to share these stories that make him seem very human, but far less than perfect. Ultimately, I was impressed by the importance of persistence. Despite having no reason to expect that her husband was still alive, Dr. Grove's mother kept looking for him and prepared their home again after World War II. All the spare time she had was spent asking people if anyone knew where he was, and visiting the train station. After being on the brink of being rejected from the university in Budapest because of Communist social classifications, Dr. Grove's father kept looking for connections until he found someone who could get the classification changed. On the brink of being rejected from entry into the United States, Dr. Grove charged in and wouldn't take "no" for an answer from a group screening people to sponsor. The first two U.S. universities that would accept him wouldn't let him take as much chemistry as he wanted, so he kept going until he got into a more appropriate program at New York City College. I was not surprised to see that Dr. Grove had as a child been a fan of C.S. Forester's books about the fictional naval hero, Horatio Hornblower, who evidenced much the same strong character and persistence. Where in your life can persistence make an important difference? What contributions can you make to the world and to those you love as a result of being more persistent?
Rating:
Summary: Swimming Across
Review: SWIMMING ACROSS is a personal & cultural memoir tracing Andrew Grove's most formative years. Beginning on the eve of Nazi Germany's invasion of his native Hungary & ending with his flight from communism to America 16 years later, it combines a child's sense of wonder with an engineer's passion for order & detail. Grove's uplifting autobiography depicts his family's struggle to survive in the face of a host of staggering obstacles. Nearly killed by scarlet fever at the age of four, forced into hiding by the Nazis in 1944, & dogged by anti-semitism, Andrew Grove's survival was nothing short of miraculous. These & other incredible trials combine to give a stirring picture of a childhood that would lead to a lifetime of unsurpassed achievement. In SWIMMING ACROSS, a true American hero reveals his origins & what it takes to survive...and to triumph.
Rating:
Summary: An inspiring tale and lesson
Review: The Book is easy to read and understand and gives you the sense that, today, you learned a fine lesson in growing up in self fullfillment and what it takes. The book is a story of success against a turmoil filled landscape. It is clearly a reaching out story, to young and old, in history, self-achievement, and good people. We are a much too distracted people today to follow through as this author had. Alot to learn, should you be able to apply oneself to the lesson. Bravo to this hungarian man and writer. I have always searched for this book, being Hungarian and appreciative of excellent historical and biographical stories.
Rating:
Summary: An inspiring tale and lesson
Review: The Book is easy to read and understand and gives you the sense that, today, you learned a fine lesson in growing up in self fullfillment and what it takes. The book is a story of success against a turmoil filled landscape. It is clearly a reaching out story, to young and old, in history, self-achievement, and good people. We are a much too distracted people today to follow through as this author had. Alot to learn, should you be able to apply oneself to the lesson. Bravo to this hungarian man and writer. I have always searched for this book, being Hungarian and appreciative of excellent historical and biographical stories.
Rating:
Summary: Stays with you
Review: The majority of Andrew Grove's story takes place in Hungary as a young boy, but eventually graduates to a young adult and then as an immigrant to the U.S.A. You learn of the big difference of the society in Hungary vs America; it is great. Andy Grove achieved great success, but you must read this book to discover why and how he did it. It was all due to personal determination and you learn of the setbacks encountered during his journey to adulthood. A fine read of inspiration.
Rating:
Summary: A STORY OF LIFE ADJUSTMENT PAR EXCELLANCE
Review: The majority of Andrew Grove's story takes place in Hungary as a young boy, but eventually graduates to a young adult and then as an immigrant to the U.S.A. You learn of the big difference of the society in Hungary vs America; it is great. Andy Grove achieved great success, but you must read this book to discover why and how he did it. It was all due to personal determination and you learn of the setbacks encountered during his journey to adulthood. A fine read of inspiration.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: The text in the book is simple and lucid. I could not help completing the book in one sitting. It is an inspiring story of a boy's triumph over hardships and personal handicap to make a good life for himself and his family. The book chronicles the period from Andy Grove's birth to his initial years in the United States.
Rating:
Summary: an inspiration
Review: This man's story is incredible. Grove's life events are both unimaginable (living through Nazi occupied Hungary as a Jew living under false Christian name) and ordinary (how to get the girls) and he writes in a way that lets the events speak for themselves. It is an astonishing story of triumph. An inspiration.
Rating:
Summary: A non-detailed look back
Review: To those of you that might read this book, I do recommend it. I was interested in this book because it took place during a lifetime I did not live and a place I will more than likely never visit. Andrew Grove tells of his life growing up and tends to leave details out. His life growing up was difficult as he had to experience war, communism and the flight from his homeland to a bustly NYC. He starts the story at a very young age and finishes just after college.
If you are looking for an easy quick read to make you laugh, cry and just feel good about growing up as a kid, than this book is it.
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