Weaned on Carrot Juice (or How I survived the Nazis and landed at the Golden Gate via the tin mines of Bolivia and the oil fields of Arkansas)

This is the extraordinary Odyssey of Gerardo Joffe, the author of Weaned on Carrot Juice. He was born in Germany, lived through the Nazi period and left the country on almost "the last boat". This is the story of his travels, adventures, and accomplishments on three continents.

After his escape from the Nazis, Gerardo Joffe spent eight years working in the tin, tungsten, and antimony mines of Bolivia, living at altitudes of up to 16,000 feet. In this book he tells us of his outstanding adventures and experiences and how by dint of effort, wit, and know-how he became at the age of only twenty-three years, chief engineer of the second-largest tin mine in the world. His story of the corpse in the ore pass and how he single-handedly rescued a miner from almost certain death will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Gerardo Joffe followed the girl he believed to be his true love to the United States. We learn how this romance fizzled out. He graduated as a mining engineer from the University of Missouri at Rolla and, after work as a hardrock miner in the lead-silver mines of the Panhandle of Idaho, the deepest in the country, he worked for eight years in the oil fields of Arkansas as a petroleum engineer. His keen insight into events and people, his ability to observe and to report make it a delight to follow his path.

After graduating from the Harvard Business School, he worked for a large company in New York and then in the development of a huge project in Argentina. After many adventures -- some of them hair-raising -- he founded haverhills, which became one of the oldest, most innovative and most successful direct-marketing firms in the United States. The story of how he developed the TarGard Cigarette Filter (just what the Surgeon General had ordered), the Shaver that Went to the Moon, and how he introduced electronic calculators in direct marketing are classics of business acumen and success.

After having written several best-selling books, he capped off his career by becoming a major factor in Jewish philanthropy -- as founder and president of FLAME (Facts and Logic About the Middle East) and president of Friends of the Danish Jewish Museum. This is a story of adventure, perseverance, enterprise, success and enlightenment that is told with charm and humor. It is an inspiration and a page turner. Once you get started on it, you will not be able to lay it down.

Here is what critical readers have to say about this book:

Steve Sloan (Juris Doctor), Mill Valley, CA: Gerardo Joffe has presented a remarkable tale about his fascinating life, danger, courage, insight, and triumph. His life exemplifies the power of what can be accomplished by perseverance and a positive attitude.

David Rubin (real estate developer), Boston, MA: Joffe's story of his arrival in Bolivia, 18 years old and totally penniless, and his description of his work and tribulations in the tin mines of that country is gripping and compelling. This book is an inspiration to all who read it.

Don Dible (author of best-selling Up Your OWN Organization), Murrieta, CA: Adventure, romance, hookers, and studs for hire. Joffe is one hell of a storyteller. It's a page turner -- you will not be able to lay it down.

Jennifer Clark (school teacher), Augusta, GA: A touching, yet humorous memoir that shows how grit and perseverance can overcome even the most difficult and daunting situations and can lead to true happiness and success.

Bob Greenebaum (publishing executive, retired), Hillsborough, OR: . . . a story that is warm and humorous . . . an absorbing picture of an extraordinary life . . . it is a wonderful book, a page turner if there ever was one.