Overview

Son of the famous American journalist Louis Fischer, who corresponded from Germany and then Moscow, and the Russian writer Markoosha Fischer, Victor Fischer grew up in the shadow of Hitler and Stalin, watching his friends’ parents disappear after political arrests. Eleanor Roosevelt personally engineered the Fischer family’s escape from Russia, and soon after Victor was serving in the United States Army in World War II and fighting opposite his childhood friends in the Russian and German armies.  As a young adult, he went on to help shape Alaska’s map by planning towns throughout the state. This unique autobiography recounts Fischer’s earliest days in Germany, Russia, and Alaska, where he soon entered civic affairs and was elected as a delegate to the Alaska Constitutional Convention—the body responsible for establishing statehood in the territory. A move to Washington, DC, and further government appointments allowed him to witness key historic events of his era, which he also recounts here. Finally, Fischer brings his memoir up to the present, describing how he has returned to Russia many times to bring the lessons of Alaska freedom and prosperity to the newly democratic states.

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9781602231399

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[I]n waiting to age 88 to complete his life story, Vic has much more territory to cover. He does it well. . . . Fischer, with the assistance of Charles Wohlforth, another accomplished Alaska author and researcher, has given us a fascinating account of the journey that began in Germany in 1924 and continued in Russia before he moved to the United States. <br>--Dermot Cole Daily News-Miner (11/08/2012)

Vic Fischer s life story reads like a real-life Forrest Gump, with appearances by Lenin, Stalin, Eleanor Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Saul Alinsky and many more, together with everyone in the whole history of Alaska from statehood to the present day. A great read by a great Alaskan. --Brian Rogers, Chancellor, University of Alaska Fairbanks

[I]n waiting to age 88 to complete his life story, Vic has much more territory to cover. He does it well. . . . Fischer, with the assistance of Charles Wohlforth, another accomplished Alaska author and researcher, has given us a fascinating account of the journey that began in Germany in 1924 and continued in Russia before he moved to the United States. <br>--Dermot Cole Daily News-Miner

Vic Fischer's life story reads like a real-life Forrest Gump, with appearances by Lenin, Stalin, Eleanor Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Saul Alinsky and many more, together with everyone in the whole history of Alaska from statehood to the present day. A great read by a great Alaskan. --Brian Rogers, Chancellor, University of Alaska Fairbanks

Author Information

Victor Fischer held several government positions and was on the faculty at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and Anchorage, where he was director of the Institute for Social and Economic Research. He continues to work on state policy, local government, and Alaska-Russia issues. Charles Wohlforth is a lifelong Alaska resident and prize-winning author of numerous books about Alaska. A popular lecturer, he has spoken all over the United States and overseas.

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