''I have been a Jew during Fascism, a bourgeois under Communism, a rebel defeated in an uprising, a refugee among the free, and a have-not amid plenty.
This book contains over 60 stories that range from my youth in Hungary, the ordeal of a death march and concentration camps, the oppression of the Communist dictatorship, the promise and defeat of the Hungarian Revolution and, finally, my American years.
I am a physician and an artist. Medicine is an art as, indeed, is living. Art and medicine are two consequences of the same desire - to sustain life.
Six values guide my life:
-The value of compassion. From my Holocaust experience, MY QUESTION what could those silent, slaughtered millions would ask of us now? Hatred and revenge -- the very qualities that led to their demise? Not likely. I believe they would want us to have understanding, compassion, and love.
-The value of equal treatment. A double standard is the biggest threat to civilization.
-The value of children. Nothing is more important than the moral and intellectual education of our future generations.
-The value of humor. I take humor seriously.
-The value of suffering. Suffering has made me appreciate how precious life is. Hardship has made every minute, every slice of bread, more enjoyable and meaningful.
-The value of remaining humane even in inhumane circumstances.