In a World Gone Mad: A Heroic Story of Love, Faith and Survival

by Amy Hill Hearth

In a World Gone Mad has been chosen as New York Public Library's "Best Books for Young Adults 2002". This book is a true account of espionage, murder, shoot-outs, betrayals, secret plans, explosives, poison, revenge and love. The author of Having Our the Delany Sisters’ First 100 Years explores the story of two young Jewish people, Norman Salsitz and Amalie Petranker, who survived World War II.

256 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2001

About the author

"I'm a risk taker with my writing," Amy Hill Hearth (pronounced HARTH) says about her work. "I like to try new genres because I love to be challenged. Following my instincts without thinking of sales potential usually works out for me, anyway." Indeed, Amy's first book, which shocked the publishing world with its completely unexpected success, was the international bestselling oral history, HAVING OUR SAY: THE DELANY SISTERS' FIRST 100 YEARS, a N.Y. Times bestseller for more than two years which was adapted for Broadway and film. That book is still going strong, with new audiobook and ebook editions published Jan. 3, 2023. Since the 1993 publication of HAVING OUR SAY, Amy has written ten more books and won many national awards, with genres ranging from Southern fiction and oral histories for adult readers to biographies for young readers. Next up is Amy's first historical thriller, SILENT CAME THE MONSTER, a novel of the 1916 Jersey Shore shark attacks which will be published May 16, 2023. What her books have in common, she says, is that they are "stories from the past that resonate today." This reflects Amy's lifelong passion for American history as well as a lifelong fascination with the complexities of human nature and interactions. Born in Pittsfield, Mass., Amy has lived in various locations in her life, including Columbia, SC as a child, and, for the last 25 years, at the Jersey Shore.

Reviews

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read many incredible stories of survival from the Holocaust but this book tells the stories from a different perspective. It comes from the point of view of the writer. Amy Hill does an excellent job of showing the personalities of Amelie and Norman (two Jews who hid right under the Germans noses as Christians). It's easy to visualize these two hero's in the middle of the worst of times and yet the story continues to be brought to the present so we can see how they are doing now. What I like the most about this book is the telling not only of the facts but the emotion that went into making their decisions. What makes this book different from others is that it tells what happened in detail after the war was over, how they learned to survive knowing most of their family did not. There is plenty of humor (mostly from Norman) throughout the book to break up the intensity.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

the author does a very good job of bringing out the personalities of amalie and norman. however, she constantly uses quotation marks around words that are not needed. this gets tedious. her writing is clear, but somewhat juvenile. it seems to be written for a junior high level.
nevertheless, it's an important story, and she does a good job of getting into the details without sensationalism

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a true collaboration, the author and a married pair of Jewish survivors (of the the Salsitz and Petranker family) share the story of the Holocaust. The author is of Christian/German descent and was challenged to write about something difficult for her, which is facing her mother’s German heritage and the horrible acts of that nation’s past.

Norman and Amelie were almost the sole survivors of their families that lived in Poland during WW ll. They didn’t meet until the war was near its end, but what stories they have of surviving during that time. What gave them the ability to adapt, pass as non-Jews, ask for aliases, find work, all while having witnessed the murder of the parents and siblings and feeling guilt for surviving? The separate interviews of each of them brings into focus the will to live to tell the story, to survive to keep their family history alive, and to join family who previously made their way to Palestine.

A quick but studied decision to go to America instead brought this damaged and grieving couple to start a new life. There were a few cousins or other family there who, surprised they made it out, helped them get started in their new life. But it was hard work, and really, they didn’t know each other that well. The story of how they met, towards the end of the book, illustrates their amazing resilience.

This book is honest and revealing. The personalities of this couple are so different and yet endearing, as described by their daughter and in their interactions with the author. It also shows how the affect of the holocaust on adults affects their children. Well worth your time!

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

As she did in writing the interview with the Delany Sisters, Amy Hill Hearth, documents these important lives with honesty and heart. I read this book thinking that we are currently in a world gone mad. I wonder what Mr. Freeman, Norman and Amalie, and other holocaust survivors think about this current world situation and it’s similarities. I am not a Jew, I am a Christian who believes that this story, this history, as painful as it is must be told. Least we forget, it can happen again. It must never happen again!

[Jeanne Modisett · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Norman and Amalie Salsitz is different from many Holocaust survivors. They were Jewish but never in the death camps. The story would have been better if each of their stories had been told in their entirety instead of jumping back and forth. It made keeping the families and characters straight difficult.