Greenhorn - by Alex Krieger (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

In this luminous memoir a life shaped by motion, memory, cultures and careers, unfolds in the art of making a home in the unfamiliar. At the age of nine, Alex Krieger arrived in America with his three parents-survivors of the Holocaust. In Chicago, he finds his fourth first grade classroom to learn a fourth language in four years. From displaced childhood the journeying continues as teacher, architect, planner of cities. With a poet's sensitivity and a craftsman's precision, Krieger reflects on that greenhorn's instinct to embrace the values of an adopted nation while remaining eyewitness to its paradoxes.

"In prose at once sensitive and exacting, Krieger captures the immigrant's enduring double vision: a heartfelt embrace of an adopted country coupled with eyewitness clarity to its contradictions. The result is a luminous meditation on belonging that honors both allegiance and origin." - Pam Y. Eddinger Ph.D. President, Bunker Hill Community College, Boston

"Krieger's engrossing memoir offers a timely reminder of the value that immigrants have brought to this country. [...] I recommend Greenhorn to anyone seeking inspiration from stories of how family, higher education, architecture, and urbanism have all shaped, and will continue to shape, this country's civic and cultural fabric." - Sarah M. Whiting: Dean, and Josep Lluís Sert Professor at Harvard University Graduate School of Design

"A humbling journey through the challenges of starting life anew. An intimate recounting of one man's immigration journey. A globe-spanning journey from immigrant to eminent." - Todd Medema, author of How to Surf a Hurricane

"Told here with the knowledge, intelligence, humor, and generosity that has made him a Harvard institution beloved by generations of students." - Mark Lamster of Dallas Morning News and author of The Man in the Glass House

"[C]ompelling reading for anyone interested in the uniquely American story of creative possibility in a nation of immigrants." - Garrett Dash Nelson, President and Chief Curator of the Leventhal Map & Education Center

"An absorbing autobiography of an acclaimed teacher and architect." - William P. Purcell, former mayor of Metropolitan Nashville

"A masterwork of memory and place. An inspiring reflection on the meaning of immigration and belonging. It is a story both unique and universal, tracing a journey from wide-eyed newcomer to a life devoted to shaping and caring for the public realm." - Dingliang Yang, Professor at University of Minnesota

"Greenhorn is an inspiring story told with signature clarity about constructing new worlds and the contributions that immigrations make to American life." - Patty Heyda, author of Radical Atlas of Ferguson, USA and Professor at Washington University

"An engaging personal story embedded in the history of our time. Krieger's recounting of youthful travels across nations, adaptations to cultures, and his contributions to American civic life are framed by a keen awareness of place and context." - Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, Partner at DPZ CoDESIGN, Malcolm Matheson and Professor at University of Miami

"Greenhorn is fascinating, timely and hopeful. It has evoked parallels between Krieger's journey and my own. Each able to acquire a version of that "American Dream" for their families, something both wish attainable for all Americans." - Kairos Shen, Chief of Planning, Boston

"From wide-eyed immigrant to clear-eyed professor. This memoir of a life's work is filled with shock and wonder at what we can do; it has a big heart full of wisdom and hope." - Anthony C Murphy, author of And Other Days of Nothing Much and The House of Murph