Born in Kyiv in 1929, Nathan Olbinsky lived through nearly a century of history, from a childhood shaped by family, hunger, war, and Soviet life to a new beginning in America after emigrating in the 1970s.

In this memoir, Nathan recounts his life with honesty, humor, and sharp memory. He writes of growing up in a close Jewish family before World War II, surviving evacuation after the German bombing of Kyiv, returning home after the war, and building a career as an engineer in the Soviet Union despite corruption, anti-Semitism, political pressure, and constant obstacles.

His story follows him from the courtyards of Kyiv to the harsh conditions of the Russian North, from factory floors and government offices to the difficult decision to leave the country where he was born. In America, Nathan begins again, working with his hands, learning a new language, supporting his family, and finding his place in a world that was both full of opportunity and deeply unfamiliar.

Written in Nathan’s direct and deeply personal voice, From Kyiv to America, is not only a record of one man’s life, but also a portrait of resilience, work, loyalty, family, and survival across two worlds. It is a memoir about history as it was lived day by day, by a man who endured hardship, built a life from nothing more than once, and never stopped trying to help the people he loved. Forward by his granddaughter, Leanna Olbinsky Walsh.