The Road to Home : My Life and Times

Rating:
Summary: Gregorian is enchanting in this delightful memoir
Review: I first learned of Vartan Gregorian when he became provost of the University of Pennsylvania while I was attending grad school there. He was a colorful figure who seemed to be as much at odds with the university as the contentious students during the turbulent late 70's. Later, he went on to head the New York Public Library and then Brown University. He seemed to have a magical way to become influential and well-liked. After reading this book, I liked him a lot and wished I'd had a chance to know him while I was at Penn. Gregorian is a man of letters and great charisma.

Gregorian's story of his life is as charming as his public persona. From the opening lines about his life in Tabriz, Iran as a member of the Armenian minority community there, to his wise grandmother who raised him, his life is exciting and fraught with tragedy and pitfalls. His mother dies in childbirth and his father essentially abandons the family. Somehow, Vartan manages to find an education despite great difficulties and he is sponsored finally to go to the Armenian University in Beirut. From there, his career as a professor and man of letters takes off and he soars, always helped by friends of influence who provide that wind under his wings. And he's grateful. He moves some thirty times (not thirty jobs, as he points out) and goes from Stanford to Texas to Penn, to New York and places in between. All along he meets luminaries like Jackie Kennedy Onassis, the Queen of England, makes friends with former BU president John Silber and yet seems to stay folksy and unaffected by all the glitter.

The book is highly readable and a fine memoir--whether you've heard of Gregorian or not, this is a wonderful tale about a man who overcame ridiculously bad odds to become one of America's most influential public figures in education. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Rating:
Summary: Best college prof
Review: My husband was Dr. Gregorian's student at San Francisco State from 1962-64. He took every history course 'Greg' taught; he was the most impressive college prof Mike had in his entire college career. Mike enjoyed his autobiography very much...he was a very knowledgable man and deserves all the success he has achieved in the United States. Mike Swoffer recommends this book.

Rating:
Summary: Best college prof
Review: My husband was Dr. Gregorian's student at San Francisco State from 1962-64. He took every history course 'Greg' taught; he was the most impressive college prof Mike had in his entire college career. Mike enjoyed his autobiography very much...he was a very knowledgable man and deserves all the success he has achieved in the United States. Mike Swoffer recommends this book.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best!
Review: The book is the odyssey of an orphan who travels from an impoverished land into the new world thanks to the help of many people along the way. It is an inspiring story of how far the love of books and knowledge can lead to great success and fame despite overwhelming odds. It's a love story...a Horatio Alger story and a cornucopia of knowledge. People who love books will have a feast.

Rating:
Summary: A warm, inspiring story
Review: The book is the odyssey of an orphan who travels from an impoverished land into the new world thanks to the help of many people along the way. It is an inspiring story of how far the love of books and knowledge can lead to great success and fame despite overwhelming odds. It's a love story...a Horatio Alger story and a cornucopia of knowledge. People who love books will have a feast.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best!
Review: This is one of the best autobiographies, that I have ever read. The book is full of content as supposed to words that just fill papers. Vartan Gregorian begins by describing a life filled with poverty and pain in a small city in Iran. He takes the reader through the journey that he took for more than 4 decades, and allows the reader to live through his words. He is a true inspiration to the world and especially to the Armenian community. Through his life experiences put into words, he demonstrates the true power of optimisim, hard work and motivation. This is a book that one does not want to put down. I strongly recommend this book.