From LA-LA Land to the "Promised Land": An Odyssey of Love and Remarkable Careers
About
How does Marc —hapless with girls, and a fat college dropout from La-La Land—transform himself into Uri, a slim kibbutznik married to a hot Sabra? And how does that journey lead to a remarkable series of careers?
Well, those are a couple of damn good questions.
From LA-LA Land to the “Promised Land” is the unfiltered story of Uri’s journey from Los Angeles to Jerusalem to a kibbutz, as he finds the love of his life, while zigzagging from museum photographer to chef to CFO of an academic research institute.
He explores with wit and vulnerability his mostly fruitless romantic encounters which shaped his self-image and self-esteem. It is revealing, at times embarrassing, and always told with self-deprecating humor.
NOTE: Contains some explicit sexual content.
Praise for this book
5.0 out of 5 stars Memoir of growth and change
Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2026
Format: Paperback
A 2025 memoir by Uri Marc Nusinow, From LA-LA Land to the Promised Land chronicles his life's journey in parts and pieces from Los Angeles fo Israel. We get to know him as an overweight teen with low self-esteem and see his path of growth and change, from the personal to professional. We observe his first marriage and four children, followed by divorce and remarriage to the love of his life. We see his career path from College dropout to photographer to chef to project manager to CFO. The book is a candid, humorous, and self-deprecating account of reinvention, identity, and optimism, exploring his many career shifts and relationships.
As I am of the same generation, I can appreciate the era and arc of his growth and his courage to move past what might be discouraging or unfortunate. HIs ability to grow and learn is admirable and I found my self liking him more and more as the journey continued.
5.0 out of 5 stars An illustration of how purpose, meaning and connection can all grow over the course of a life
Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2025
Format: Paperback
From La La Land to the Promised Land is a personal, searching and, finally, uplifting memoir about one man's long journey— from place to place, state-of-mind to state-of-mind, and profession to profession — toward building a life and a home that fit him.From an LA childhood with complicated, charismatic parents, to the stone alleys of Jerusalem and finally to a small kibbutz just across the border from Jordan, Uri Marc Nusinow brings us along as he reinvents himself again and again. Whether working as a museum photographer, a chef, a college CFO, or managing big international cooperation projects, he enters new chapters of his life, sometimes with apprehension but always gamely . Through a series of relationships with women from dramatically different cultures and backgrounds, and through a lot of trial and error, he ultimately finds a kind of rootedness—in his family, in his work, and most of all, in himself.
This is a story about how identity is formed not all at once, but through many steps, stumbles, and small and big triumphs. What makes the book especially compelling is its quiet honesty: Uri Marc Nusinow does not present himself as a hero or a sage, but as someone doing the work of living a thoughtful and purposeful life, becoming the man he hoped to be, living with a woman who brings out the best in him.
There is something moving about seeing how purpose, meaning and connection can all grow over the course of a life, not as a result of sticking to some grand plan, but rather as a result of just moving forward, meeting new people, new experiences and new opportunities with an open heart.