I first met Elizabeth Steger in Brazil years ago and knew immediately that this was a bright motivated young woman. When I heard she had written a book about her immigrant impressions, I had to have it. I read the entire book the evening I received it.

Just understanding her dreams was an inspiration. I mentioned it a lady from Colombia and she said she would have to read it also. Without a dream, we wander in life but Elizabeth makes a dream real in her book.

    I highly recommend it to anyone with a dream for a better life.

     Kim Barley
     Orlando Fl

I enjoyed reading the book, and I hope our High School will feel it should be put on a reading list for students and included in the library. I do feel you are an inspiration for others.

     A Review By:
    Joyce Currington

"The Zapata County News" receives books to be reviewed and to introduce to our readers, these can be fiction, non-fiction or self-help. This book is a combination of self-help and memoirs of the author.

"Dreams of an Immigrant" by Elizabeth S. Steger, PH.D., contains a wealth of guidance in the two-hundred-fifteen pages. Dr. Steger stresses the importance of education and goals, she impresses on the reader to know their children - their individual talents and dreams, and encourage them to reach out for their goals. Coming from a low income family in Paraguay, a family that put education as a top priority, her grades were very important and she continually competed to be the top student in her class. Her father rewarded her and her siblings when they produced good grades, emphasizing that grades could mean a scholarship and college when one could not afford the cost of a higher education.

In her book, she outlines steps for advancement in a career, as well as how to get along with people. She admits that her main concern in life was making money and being the best that she could be. She did not realize how this was affecting her daughter until one evening they were sitting alone on the couch in their family room. Her daughter, Kathleen, was only fourteen at the time when she made this comment to Elizabeth; "Mom, I wish you had more time to spend with me." This comment caused Dr. Steger to re-evaluate her priorities, realizing while pursuing a career is an important goal, it should not be done at the cost of family relations.

     The Zapata County News
     Zapata, Texas

If you read nothing else this year, buy Dr. Steger's Dreams of an immigrant.  A powerfully simple story about family, life, and work.

Look for her score table.  a useful tool.

     Lango Deen,
     Hispanic Engineer and
     Information Technology magazine

Dr. Steger is featured in the current issue of

WOMEN IN BUSINESS
AND INDUSTRY.

This prestigious magazine chose Dr. Steger not only for her many professional accomplishments, but also because of her inspirational memoir -- the story of an immigrant woman's hard work, perseverance, and faith.

The author is an amazing woman! Writing a book is not an easy endeavor, but writing a book in your second language must be even harder. These pages stand as a marvelous testimony to the author's persistence in communicating her message to others. Her words are conversational, yet filled with genuine insights. Her story meanders across continents and cultures, creatively combining images and situations for a comprehensive view of her life

Most noteworthy is her sincere desire to help others achieve their goals. In simple, practical and completely realistic ways, she outlines the approaches and methods she used to succeed. Her words ring with authenticity, as they fill the pages with a quiet authority. From her girlhood in Paraguay to her successful career in America, readers will find themselves on a wonderful journey with a fascinating woman.

Everyone has a dream, but not everyone knows how to dream with a purpose. The author gently guides readers to the right choices, which can make a profound difference. Dreams of an Immigrant is an eye-opening look at the possibilities of reality!

   Joyce Handzo
   In the Library Reviews

A Latin American Tony Robbins or Dale Carnegie by nature, Steger is an advocator of personal success through a belief in yourself and God, with which you can combat any obstacle in life. She had defied diagnostic advice from doctors in favor of her more holistic approach, used prayer successfully as a life panacea and has a vociferous determination that would make many ordinarily ambitious people feel slightly insecure.

I was pleased to read how someone with this kind of perseverance elevated herself from poverty into productivity. While reading some of the book, I did feel at times that Steger's passion was at the expense of her family and relationship with her husband and daughter, but fortunately Steger herself realized this herself in a moment of cognition and took a born-again approach to her religion that re-established her relationships with God, husband Fred, daughter Kathleen and, most importantly, herself.

Dreams of an Immigrant is not the definitive bible to success, but is an interesting read that offers some good advice on parenting, religion, education and health. If you are looking for a spiritual guru to follow, Steger may not be your person, but she is certainly a good role model for the reader who is hoping to make the right choices in life.

   Risa Duff  
   Rambles.NET A cultural Arts Magazine

I have known Dr. Elizabeth S. Steger since the 1980’s. We met because of a professional interest in crop forecasting. I have been privileged to be a close friend of Elizabeth and her family through all of these years. She is an outstanding human being, both personally and professionally.

Her book "Dreams of an Immigrant" certainly exemplifies these attributes, from the opening poem "Why Dream" to the closing chapter "The Ultimate Dream". In fact, reading that last chapter first may make all the others more meaningful and cohesive. The book is not only autobiographical but covers a wide spectrum of history of her native country (Paraguay), many candid observations of human endeavor, and faith.　

I believe that her book should be meaningful for all ages. For the young it is an inspiration for excellence in all aspects of life. For the older reader, it reflects an appreciation of life that has been, through all kinds of trials, always true to The Dream.

   Paul Nelson Messenger
   Friend and Consultant
   Winter Park, Florida

Last night till about 12 I was reading Elizabeth's book. I had finished 11 chapters of it. Elizabeth has a tremendous writing talent. Congratulations to her. It is a book any one can read not just for immigrants. It covers so many areas of life and is a blessing to me personally. I even used a quote from that during a presentation at my office!!!

   Percy Gideon
   New Delhi India

I am honored and privileged and am happy to say that I have read and completed the book in it's entirety last night. What a book! I never knew you had been through so much. I must say that I am privileged to know all of you.

That book has definitely inspired me to follow and fulfill my own dreams and go for achieving my own goals. Elizabeth, you are a prime example of how anyone can achieve their dreams no matter how big or small.

I also want to thank you for your encouragement that you have given me along the way. In fact, you all have. It is without a doubt that I wouldn't have gotten as far as I am today had it not been for you.

Thank you, all three of you, for believing in me even when I didn't believe in myself.

   Mike Hooker
   Project America TM Orlando Florida

If you've ever wondered about orange juice, how you can make your dreams come to life, or how well-known people rose to the top, Dreams of an Immigrant is the book for you.

"Some dreams come true, while others die, but the real one always stay alive." Those are the opening lines of the poem, "Why Dream," that Ms. Steger wrote, "dedicated to all my readers who want to fulfill their dreams." She ends with, "and then someday because of you others will see that dreams come true." Ms. Steger's "inspiring story is filled with hope and perseverance while providing practical ideas to help readers become successful and make the right choices in life." She has the support of her family, faith in God, and "takes the future in her hands and makes her dreams a reality."

Growing up Catholic, with an uncle as a priest, she read books about how Christians should live, said daily prayers, and went to church on Sunday. She confesses that her "knowledge of God was restricted to the catechism, the Ten Commandments, the rosary, and the Mass." She recalls praying to various saints for " good grades," better health, "and to the Virgin Mary for different people and their many needs." She had been forbidden to read the Bible "for fear" she "might misinterpret it." Later, she would learn that "the church thought there was some risk in us reading chapters, a risk that might make us question the church's teachings." Ms Steger gives the example, "I learned as a child that Virgin Mary had only one son, Jesus. The Bible quotes in a few places that Jesus had brothers (Acts 1-14 and I Corinthians 9:5)."

Her priest-uncle Oscar, who had read the Bible to her as a child and later married Elizabeth and Fred, didn't show up for mass as he usually did one morning. Uncle Oscar had been beaten with a bat and robbed of his watch "and some cash." It remains "an unsolved mystery" as to who would kill and rob this priest.

Fred and Elizabeth met when she came to America. Elizabeth "felt God" had sent her to "find this wonderful man," who, at the time, wanted to be a priest. Fred has had an important, stabilizing role in the foundation of the Steger family. He supported Elizabeth in her life choices by taking care of Kathleen and the home, moving along the ever-changing path easily, truly believing in his wife and her goals. As it stands, they are not only in business of being a family unit, but are in business of running a business together -- a true partnership.

And, there is humor. "One day, while sitting at the kitchen table, my daughter Kathleen, who was six years old at the time, asked, "Mom, are you an orange doctor?" Elizabeth laughingly replied, "why do you ask that?" Kathleen's reasoning was "people call you a doctor, and you work with oranges, therefore you must be an orange doctor." Dr. Steger claims she has "never forgotten that nickname" for the work that she does.

The process of how juice is made, from removing the juice from the fruit to how the natural flavor is added back in is "amazing." And, the orange, as we learn in Ms. Steger's book, "originated in China and came to this country with the Spaniards." Facts about orange juice presented in Dreams of an Immigrant just may give you a new appreciation for the breakfast drink we routinely consume.

Dreams of an Immigrant is a well-rounded read. The orange business is interesting, Ms. Steger's life is fascinating, and the entire book is educational.

   Sue Vogan
   Book Pleasures.com