Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys. 2011. (Advance Copy)
“They took me in my nightgown.”
This chilling sentence begins Ruta Sepetys powerful debut novel. Fifteen-year-old Lina and her family are taken in the middle of the night by the Soviet secret police. The year is 1941, and the Soviet Union has taken control of Lithuania. The first thing they do is gather people to be deported and then eliminated. Lina’s harrowing journey starts when her brother and mother are separated from their father and then herded into a train labeled “thieves and prostitutes.” They are taken to different labor camps in Siberia where they must try to survive by any means possible. Lina documents the monstrosities she witnesses through her artwork and writing in her journal. She hopes that her artwork will make it to the prison camp where she learns her father is being held. Love, hope and faith get Lina and her family through the horrific trials they face.
This is one of the most powerful books I’ve read in a long time. I challenge anyone to read it without needing a box of tissues. I couldn’t believe how ignorant I was of the horrors Stalin committed. Sepetys based this story on her own family’s history. After spending time in Lithuanian with her family, Sepetys learned her grandfather was a Lithuanian refugee. Many of the stories included in the book are direct accounts from those who suffered through them.
One event that is still clear in my mind occurred while Lina and her family where in the Altai Labor Camp. The soldiers forced the women to dig each day for turnips. One day the Commander came with the water, but before allowing them to drink, he forced four of the women into a hole. He then started shooting into the hole and kicking dirt onto the women, covering their faces. He yelled at them, saying if they sat up, they would be shot. There were so many other scenes just as powerful. This novel was so emotional, I had to take breaks from reading. Sepetys’ work will be a tremendous teaching tool in high school classrooms to study this lesser-known period in our world history.
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Holocaust Remembance Week (May 1-8) « Books in Bloom said,
September 15, 2011 @ 2:59 pm
[...] Over the years I have read many different stories about the Holocaust. When I heard that Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys was written about masses of people deported from their homeland in eastern Europe to Siberia, I had to read it. I was amazed at all the brutality and suffering these Lithuanian people endured at the hands of the Soviet guards. One morning, to keep the family togther, Lina’s mother traded a watch for her brother. That morning a human life was worth a pocket watch. As the family suffered through the winter of hardships in Siberia, I kept thinking that there was no way they could survive, and that they did survive is breathtaking. This is Lina and Jacob’s coming of age story, and is based on actual events that happened to Ruta’s parents and grandparents. To read Lindsey’s full review of the book, click here. [...]
Lindsey’s Top 10* of 2011 « Books in Bloom said,
December 22, 2011 @ 7:21 am
[...] Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys. This book gets my vote for the most emotionally packed novel of the year. You can’t read this without tissues…lots and lots of tissues. Even though I read this last winter, the horrors Lina faced in the books are still vivid in my memory. And the fact that Sepetys based the events on her own family’s history makes the story all the more powerful and heart wrenching. To find out more about this title, check out my full review. [...]
Tracey’s Top 10 (or so) Books of 2011 « Books in Bloom said,
December 26, 2011 @ 8:01 am
[...] Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys. (read full review) (Gr [...]
Mock ALA Awards – Lindsey’s Picks « Books in Bloom said,
January 19, 2012 @ 6:01 am
[...] I have to admit I cheated a little when picked this award, because the five finalists have already been picked…so all I needed to do was pick a winner! And for me, that choice is obvious…Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys is the clear winner. As I wrote in my review for this book, this is one of the most powerful books I’ve read in a long time. The tragedies and horrors Lina and her family suffered through stayed with me a long time. Add in the fact that those events were based on other people’s experiences, makes this novel all the more heartbreaking. Although the other nominated books are very good, I will be very disappointed if this book doesn’t win. For more on this title, check out my full review. [...]
Mock ALA Awards – Lindsey’s Picks « Books in Bloom said,
January 19, 2012 @ 7:12 am
[...] I have to admit I cheated a little when picked this award, because the five finalists have already been picked…so all I needed to do was pick a winner! And for me, that choice is obvious…Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys is the clear winner. As I wrote in my review for this book, this is one of the most powerful books I’ve read in a long time. The tragedies and horrors Lina and her family suffered through stayed with me a long time. Add in the fact that those events were based on actual people’s experiences, makes this novel all the more heartbreaking. Although the other nominated books are very good, I will be very disappointed if this book doesn’t win. For more on this title, check out my full review. [...]