FROM UNDERDOG TO HARVARD - An Educational Journey Against the Gravity of the System

  • An encouraging story of social mobility that proves dreams know no boundaries - and no origin.
  • Dr. Mahmut Yüksel examines the education system with a dual expertise: the lived experience of an "underdog" and the analytical mind of a top-tier neuroscientist.

Mahmut Martin Yüksel grew up in a small village in Lower Saxony, the son of Yazidi-Kurdish parents. At the kitchen table, a colorful mix of languages filled the air: Georgian, Turkish, and Kurdish - and a little bit of German. But none of the first three helped him when he started school. It didn’t take long for him to fall behind, and with parents who had to leave the education system early to work, there was no one at home to help.

Mahmut refused to give up. He watched more German television and sought out conversations on the playground. But it wasn’t enough. At the end of primary school, his teacher recommended the lowest educational track - marking the beginning of an educational journey filled with hurdles.

Today, Dr. Mahmut Martin Yüksel traces this path, illustrating how educational inequality and prejudice block the way for many children. He shares what - and who - it took for him to succeed against the system. His story is a powerful testament to the inexhaustible potential of children that unfolds when there are people willing to be the wind beneath their wings.

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  • Publisher: Rowohlt Taschenbuch
  • Release: 18.09.2026
  • ISBN: 978-3-499-01938-8
  • 224 Pages
  • Author: Dr. Mahmut Martin Yüksel

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Buchcover von FROM UNDERDOG TO HARVARD - An Educational Journey Against the Gravity of the System: Ein Bildungsweg gegen die Schwerkraft des Systems
Dr. Mahmut Martin YükselFROM UNDERDOG TO HARVARD - An Educational Journey Against the Gravity of the System
Portrait von Dr. Mahmut Martin Yüksel
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Dr. Mahmut Martin Yüksel

Dr. Mahmut Martin Yüksel is a physician and neuroscientific researcher, currently based at the Department of Neurology at the University Hospital Zurich. He studied medicine and computer science in Hamburg and has conducted his doctoral research and academic work at prestigious institutions including Harvard University, as well as in Berlin and Lausanne. In addition, he holds a Master’s degree in Health Business Administration from the University of Erlangen. While his previous publications have focused on neuroscience, this marks his first autobiographical release.