In the Time of Madmen

<p><strong>A story of struggle heroism and triumph during the rise of fascism and communism</strong></p><p><br></p><p><em>In the Time of Madmen</em> examines a journey of discovery through the eyes of one family against world events of the past 125 years. Hope love and resilience sustained them.</p><p><br></p><p>The story focuses primarily on the life of the author's mother Katheryn (1921-2014). Her drive and perseverance led her to the brink of achieving her dream of competing in the Olympics and then studying medicine only to have that dream derailed by WWII.</p><p><br></p><p>At the age of 18 she was taken from her home near present day Zagreb (Croatia) and forced to serve as a slave laborer in Lübeck (Germany). She survived near starvation grievous injuries during a bombing and tuberculosis. All the time she had to hide her Jewish ancestry to protect herself and her sisters. The author's father Jure (1913-1988) also cheated death many times. The Nazis wanted to send him to a death camp because they believed he was a Gypsy but quick thinking saved his life. One can only describe their chance meeting in 1942 amidst the chaos in Europe as fate and a tribute to the power of love.</p><p><br></p><p>Identity is a product of time and place. Who we are is inextricably linked to the forces of history. Context matters. The present rise of strongmen of all stripes provides a cautionary lesson for us.</p>