Swimming Across Book Reviews

Swimming Across by Andrew S. Grove Book Summary

Elegant and concise, this childhood memoir of Andy Grove, one of the pioneers of Silicon Valley, begins in Budapest, Hungary where the author was born into a secular Jewish family in 1936. As a small child, Andris Grof was told, “Jesus Christ was killed by the Jews, and because of that, all of the Jews will be thrown into the Danube.” Grof’s school years were marked by such anti-semitism and interrupted first by the Nazi occupation and then by the post-war Communist regime. He was a good student who excelled at chemistry which he was studying at the University of Budapest when the Hungarian uprising of 1956 persuaded him to “swim across” the border and emigrate to the West.

Grove provides an interesting sketch of a boy’s coming of age in a deeply dangerous 20th century Budapest under the control of Nazis and then Communists and concludes the memoir with an account of his escape and eventual resumption of his studies at the City College of New York.

“Haunting and inspirational. It should be required reading in schools.” — Tom Brokaw

“A poignant memoir... a moving reminder of the meaning of America and the grit and courage of a remarkable young man who became one of America’s phenomenal success stories.” — Henry Kissinger

“This honest and riveting account gives a fascinating insight into the man who wroteOnly the Paranoid Survive.” — George Soros

“Andy Grove is a tremendous role model, and his book sheds light on his amazing journey. I would choose him as my doubles partner any day!” — Monica Seles

“Combines a unique and often harrowing personal experience with the virtues of fiction at its most engrossing — vivid scenes, sharply delineated characters, and an utterly compelling narrative... a wonderful reading experience.” — Richard North Patterson

“A poignant tale leading to human courage and hope.” — Elie Wiesel

“Grove, the founder and chairman of Intel Corporation, does not whine about his hardships. Instead he recalls ordinary events and matter-of-factly juxtaposes these against the turmoil of midcentury Hungary, creating a subtle though compelling commentary on the power to endure.” — Diane Scharper, The New York Times

“Swimming Across tells the childhood stories [Grove] has guarded since first entering the public eye four decades ago... [It] is driven not by executives battling for money and power, but the experiences — some mundane, some extraordinary — of a nonobservant Jewish boy growing up in Hungary through a fascist regime, a Nazi invasion and a Soviet occupation.” — Chris Gaither, The New York Times

“ The intelligence, dedication and ingenuity that earned him fame and fortune (he wasTime’s Man of the Year in 1997) are evident early on... Grove’s story stands smartly amid inspirational literature by self-made Americans” — Publishers Weekly 

“A tight, simply told, extremely intimate memoir... a polished, solid portrait of a particular time and place.” — Kirkus

“[A] moving and inspiring memoir... Grove’s account of life in Hungary in the 1950s is a vivid picture of a tumultuous period in world history.” — Booklist

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Swimming Across (Andrew S. Grove) Book Reviews 2024

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