NINE LIVES is a sequel to which tells of Siegfried Kra's childhood leading up to WWII, concluding with his family's escape from the Gestapo. begins when Kra's family emigrates to NY by boat. A riches to rags story, Kra picked up various ways to help feed his family when his once successful father in the coal industry was unable to find work. A desire to study medicine led Kra to Toulouse, France, where he became enraptured by studying every nerve ending and valve of the human body, which he drew on his chalkboard-painted walls and ceiling, until they became a part of him. Kra completed his education at Yale, where he later became a Professor of Medicine and practicing cardiologist. Within this novel are intriguing, charming and touching stories of romance, brushes with death and medical cases during the 'Golden Age of Medicine.' is an enchanting look into an older world that no longer exists and will stick with you long after you put it down. This was then...While some of these stories appear within the short stories of this book narrates a sequential, comprehensive, and more detailed life story. Kra wanted to save lives so that people could continue to live and love. As a ninety year old, Dr. Siegfried Kra is still an associate professor of medicine at Yale and Quinnipiac University Netter School of Medicine.