Giovanna

About the Book

"Seven months after the death of my father, my half-brother Renzo, then twenty-six-years old, delivered me to the nuns at the convent in Tripoli. I remember Renzo crying, but I can't remember my reaction to this life-changing event. Although I was leaving my home, my mother, my baby brother, and all that I called my life, the feelings of that day are gone. Perhaps after my father's death, I ceased trying to feel anything."

As World War II encroaches upon North Africa, Mussolini dictates that the children from this Italian colony be sent to Italy for their protection. The anticipated four-month "vacation" in Italy in the hands of the Franciscan nuns starts in June of 1940 and lasts seven years for eleven-year-old Giovanna Bonifazio and her young brother, Guido.

From the dungeons of a castle in Naples to the Italian Alps and the American occupation of Florence, Giovanna: Angels in Hell tells the remarkable true story of a Jewish-Italian girl who grows into a young woman during the tumultuous years of World War II. Faced with incredible obstacles, Giovanna's courage and determination help her overcome the fear of having her Jewish ancestry discovered, the horrors of war, and her own personal struggles.

About the Author

Sylvia Smith Skrmetta was born in Tripoli, Libya, the daughter of Giovanna and Ford Smith. She and her husband live in the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Although Hurricane Katrina completely destroyed their home, the Giovanna manuscript was one of the few items saved.