17 Cents and a Dream: My Incredible Journey from the U.S.S.R. to Living the American Dream

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Feb. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- On a cold December night in 1991, a young boy with seventeen 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.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130204/DE53412-a )
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130204/DE53412-b )

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 U.S.S.R. 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 ten 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, Michigan with no understanding of English and few belongings.

Young Daniel had only seventeen cents in his pocket, given to him by a friend to cover the expense of a postage stamp so that Daniel could send him a letter. In the ensuing years, Daniel endured extreme poverty, endless hunger, relentless bullying from his new classmates all while working long hours mopping floors and cleaning restrooms at a McDonald's.

"None of this came easy.... In school after working my morning shift at McDonald's, I was painfully aware that I smelled like a quarter pounder with cheese... I was always tired, but I was also proud that I was able to take care of my family and to make something of myself, to honor the wishes of my grandfather."

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. (ASIN: B00AXCVJ6Y, 2013 Gold Star Books, 116 Pages, $.99 via Kindle at Amazon). 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.

About Daniel Milstein
Daniel Milstein is founder, president and CEO of Gold Star Mortgage Financial Group. Milstein led the company to the Inc 500 list and one of the fastest growing companies in the United States.  Gold Star has more than 500 employees in 48 offices across the U.S. and has been named a Top Workplace in Michigan for four years by the Detroit Free Press. Milstein holds an honorary doctorate and BBA in business management from Cleary University, Ann Arbor, from which he graduated with honors.   He is the author of The ABC of Sales: Lessons from a Superstar, which in March 2012 sold 10,000 copies and became the #1 sales book on Amazon.com and the thirty-first top seller of all ebook sales.

Media Contact: For a review copy of 17 Cents and a Dream, or to schedule an interview with Dan Milstein, contact Scott Lorenz, President of Westwind Communications Book Marketing, 734-667-2090 or [email protected] or http://www.book-marketing-expert.com

SOURCE Daniel Milstein

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