ANN ARBOR — On a cold December night in 1991, a young boy with 17 cents in his pocket first set foot in the United States. Twenty years later that young man found himself the founder and CEO of a billion-dollar corporation. Daniel Milstein’s harrowing story about how his mother, father and brother escaped the oppressive government of the U.S.S.R and immigrated to the United States and carved out a life for themselves has been described as the quintessential immigrant story of the era.
Born in Kiev, Ukraine, Daniel and his family experienced undue hardship, religious persecution and life-and-death situations all in the shadows of the greatest nuclear accident that ever occurred; the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown which killed more than 100,000 people including his grandfather.
Now, as an Inc. 500 CEO, Daniel has just finished a new book detailing his story; 17 Cents and a Dream: My Incredible Journey from the USSR to Living the American Dream.
Mark Victor Hansen, bestselling author of Chicken Soup for the Soul says this about 17 Cents and a Dream.
“Through pure determination, fortitude and attitude, Daniel pulled out of impossibly difficult situations. His story is true, his story is a personal inspiration to me and I hope it will inspire you too to maximize your potential and go for the greatest of dreams.”
17 Cents and a Dream begins with a candid, gripping account of the Milstein family’s tough life in Kiev, Ukraine under the oppressive government of the former Soviet Union. He recalls how he and his family were affected by the 1986 explosion of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant: Daniel was 10 years old, and the disaster took place only 78 miles from their home, killing 100,000 people and spreading poisonous radiation throughout the environment.
A few years later the family, struggling against poverty, government oppression, and anti-Semitism, made a secret plan to flee to America. After a narrow escape, the family arrived in Ann Arbor with no understanding of English and few belongings.
Milstein’s work ethic and relentless determination fueled his success. After graduating from college, he worked for various financial institutions and was consistently promoted.
Milstein’s courage and sheer willpower continued to drive him as he began to build upon his success in the world of finance, working harder and longer than anyone else, until eventually opening and growing his own billion-dollar company, Gold Star Mortgage Financial Group.
17 Cents and a Dream: My Incredible Journey from the USSR to Living the American Dream is both a dramatic autobiography of a true American success story, and a manual for anyone who dreams of becoming successful in today’s competitive world. Milstein will be donating every “cent” made from his “17 Cents and a Dream” eBook tour during Feb. 3-10th to homeless and hungry kids in the U.S. & Ukraine.
