"This autobiography is a fascinating reflection on a life of experiences rich enough for three men. A testimony to family, friendship and faith, it is, like St. Augustine´s Confessions, a spirited and frank account of the quest for God. Dr. Zeiter is driven throughout his life to find truth, goodness, and beauty, and it is particularly through the beauty and order of music that his imagination is captured and he is brought to see even more fully truth and goodness in their own intrinsic splendor. High culture is not some incidental acquisition for Dr. Zeiter, but part of the nurturing of his daily life for nearly three-quarters of a century, whether in Lebanon, Venezuela, Canada, or the U.S. Dr. Zeiter reveals in his autobiography his wit (evident in his healthy sense of humor), his insight, and his optimism, as well as his intellectual and spiritual depth. This book is a pleasant reminder to us all of the high destiny to which we are called" (Thomas Dillon, Ph.D., President of Thomas Aquinas College).
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
In an era when autobiography is often little more than a ghost-written celebrity ramble, Dr Henry Zeiter’s “From Lebanon to California, A Marriage of Two Cultures” is a self-written memoir that manages to be as many-sided and engaging as the man himself.
Zeiter retraces the path that led him from his native country to success as a cataract surgeon, educator, philosopher and philanthropist. It’s not your usual immigrant story, but Zeiter is not your typical immigrant guy. A reader, traveler, observer and thinker, he brings excellent credentials to his book. It’s fun to follow his adventures and his digressions wherever they may lead (from locker rooms to Shakespeare). Reading this book is like taking a college course with a lively and well-traveled professor from whom you can’t help but learn and whose class you look forward each time to attending.
— Howard Lachtman, The Book Nook
Ophthalmologist and Renaissance man Henry Zeiter of Stockton California, disproves the theory that you can’t go home again. His associative skills are much in evidence as he describes his journey from Lebanon to California, through Venezuela and Canada, in his autobiography, “From Lebanon to California” (Xlibris). A true Renaissance man, he studied painting, watercolor and oil, symphony conducting, historical and philosophical writing, opera-cast acting, real estate developing, as well as pioneering new procedures in ocular surgery. The book is replete with anecdotes from music to world literature to philosophy, his true love. As he relaxes on his lakeside terrace, Dr Zeiter reminisced, “We ought to be spending our golden years in a sort of active leisure, engaged in intellectual and spiritual growth and in charitable giving helping the less fortunate.” Through his ability to write in a fluid, yet concise, style, he evidences a life truly worth living.
—Dorothy Humanitzki, “One” magazine.
Dr Zeiter’s life story, “From Lebanon to California,” is truly an examined life. He follows the Socratic dictum, “Man, know thyself”, throughout his engaging and well-written story.
He has read broadly and deeply in history, philosophy and the arts, particularly music. Throughout his life, he has maintained an optimistic outlook despite difficulties and suffering. His faith is central to his being; it orients his life. This book is a pleasure to read; it is very well written—his prose is vivid and evocative. The reader feels he is a part of the action, involved in it and understanding it. Dr Zeiter is perceptive and very honest in his descriptions of himself and those around him. I would recommend it to anyone interested in a broader view of cultural experiences beyond the usual.
—Andrea Woodruff, Reviewer for new acquisitions at the Lodi Public Library
Dr Zeiter describes the French mandate in Lebanon, around the time of his birth there. His family moved to Venezuela in 1948 and then to Canada. After college, medical school and surgical training, he relocated to California's central valley in 1962 where he founded the Zeiter Eye Clinic.
The book is essentially a tale about the spiritual and cultural growth of a boy from the Middle East who came to understand and embrace the culture and people of the Western World. The book illustrates the endurance it takes to adapt to different cultures and lifestyles. “This book is much more than an autobiography; it is a quest for the eternal in all of us,” wrote Joseph Pearce, author and biographer. Not least is the analysis on Lebanon, a nation of Biblical fame that’s much older than ours and the unexpected similarities it has with California, as illustrated by many photos in the book. It is enjoyable reading.
—The Stockton Record
“From Lebanon to California” is a very original and unusual biography. It is honestly written and presents a life steeped in culture. “The original aura of my first 14 years spent in Lebanon cannot be conveyed adequately, because it has been told in segments here and there. It is difficult to paint adequately the entire picture, the true gestalt, of those wonderful, beautiful tender years of childhood,” writes Henry Zeiter. It is a story steeped in history, culture and memory, which speaks volumes about Zeiter himself…and his intellectual pursuits including philosophy, literature, music, religion, and psychoanalysis.
It is both instructive and entertaining reading, written in an original and fluid style, rarely seen these days in autobiographies.
—Tricia Tomiyoshi, Lodi Sentinel editor.
Henry Zeiter’s autobiography is a compelling account of an examined life. He tells of
a delightful childhood in Christian Lebanon under the French mandate, a world long
gone. He brings to his examination a mind honed by broad reading and deep pondering.
He bares his thoughts honestly as he searches for essential truths across three continents,
in science and religion, in the arts and philosophy, in family and society, and in the
self-scrutiny that opens his mind to the universal human condition, a quest that brings
him to a final phase of deepening faith and committed service.
—Reuben Smith, Ph.D., Dean Emeritus of the Graduate School, and
Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History, University of the Pacific
“It is a veritable pleasure to be in Dr. Zeiter’s company through the means of reading his
autobiography. What a tour de force! He reminds me of Maurice Baring in the sense
that he is awash with high culture. The reader is dazzled with his knowledge of the finer
things and the permanent things. This book deserves the widest possible readership. In
any event, I am in awe!”
—Joseph Pearce, author and distinguished biographer of Soltzenitzin,
Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Oscar Wilde, Belloc, and Chesterton.
“I have been transported to Mt. Lebanon as I first knew it through this charming book.
The combination of reflections from seven decades on this earth, and the evocative
literary allusions in juxtaposition with memories from the author’s childhood are warm
and engaging. I can picture all the places and people described so vividly, that I wish I
could go back in time and visit them all. A remarkable life story.”
—Ann Zwicker Kerr, author; Member of the Council on Foreign Relations,
Director of the Advisary Board of the Rand Center for the Middle East,
and Trustee of the American University of Beirut
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A Marriage of Two Cultures