Product Description
The Sky is Not the Limit presents the accumulated wisdom of a life lived under extraordinary circumstances. The author grew up Jewish under the shadow of the Nazi regime and later participated in an anti-Communist uprising. A practicing physician he immigrated to the United States to continue his pediatric practice. The principles he developed along the way are presented here in the form of aphorisms that readers can apply to daily living accompanied by crisp works of art. Among the concepts Dr. Fisch advances are how suffering and hardship can lead to gratitude and appreciation. He stresses the importance of retaining our humanity on occasions when vengeance and hatred might seem to be the "natural" response. Dr. Fisch also emphasizes the importance of enjoying life fully through art music and play. Veins of humor run through even his most dire reflections on life and death and the book also contains chapters on aging love marriage and family and the emotions.
About Author
Robert O. Fisch is a native of Budapest Hungary and a survivor of the Holocaust. After escaping from Hungary he became a medical intern at the University of Minnesota and was a professor of pediatrics there from 1979 until his retirement in 1997. Dr. Fisch is known internationally for his clinical research in phenylketonuria (PKU) a genetic disease. For his heroism the Hungarian government awarded him a medal in 1995 and knighthood in 2000.
An award-winning artist Dr. Fisch's first book Light from the Yellow Star: A Lesson of Love from the Holocaust is an eloquent portrayal of his Holocaust experience. His other books include The Metamorphosis to Freedom Dear Dr. Fisch: Children's Letters to a Holocaust Survivor and Fisch Stories &ndash Reflections on Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Happinessand The Sky Is Not the Limit
Review(s)
Minnesota Monthly July 2013
http://www.minnesotamonthly.com/media/Minnesota-Monthly/July-2013/Miracles/
"WE ARE ALL MIRACLES " says Robert Otto Fisch brushing the word away with his hands like a mosquito on a summer night. He is a Holocaust survivor a doctor an author an artist and somehow an optimist yet still he isn't convinced he belongs to a select group. "Stop on any street corner " he says "and you will find somebody extraordinary." And so we did in a way talking to many individuals whose struggles represent the best of the human spirit. What follows (including the journey of Dr. Fisch) are some of the most remarkable breakthroughs quests survival tales and other amazing stories we've ever heard-from the extraordinary lives of ordinary Minnesotans&hellip.
Hope
Robert Otto Fisch has authored four books about his life art and Holocaust experience including the forthcoming The Sky Is Not the Limit a collection of his illustrations and aphorisms.
"I was born in Budapest in 1925 and raised Jewish. In June 1944 when I was 19 and not long after the Germans occupied Hungary I was sent to a "working camp" with 280 men. We built bridges. It was tough work and the Nazis were rude to us. When they saw us looking at family pictures they would rip them up. "You don't need these pictures " they said. "You're never going to see them again."
In January 1945 the Nazis sent us on a death march toward the German border. We walked through the Alps during the winter with very little food very little water. At one time we walked for four days without any food at all. Many got so weak that they couldn't walk and they were shot. But still we walked. February March April. We marched hundreds of miles.
On May 4 we were liberated. But I could barely walk. My body was like a skeleton. My spirit was like a skeleton.
Do I hate them? No. Instead I hope to contribute to a kinder world. I write books. I paint flowers huge flowers. As the Jewish prayer says "Thank God for letting me live to this day."
