Between Shades of Gray
By Ruta Sepetys
Created by Hannah Patenaude
Between Shades of Gray
This novel is about the people who suffered under Stalin while the Holocaust was going on in Germany, Austria, and many other countries as well. One night, Lina, her brother Jonas, and their mother are taken from their home and put onto a crowded, unsanitary train car. This takes them to Siberia where they're forced into labor. Over the course of her journey, Lina learns to value her family, and she gets a strong urge to survive until she can return back to her old life. She risks her life to write and draw about her experiences and location, hoping they'll make it to her father so he can find them. Lina fights for herself and others, awaiting the time when the war is over, and she can find her loved ones again. This is a very good novel that I strongly recommend. It's extremely eye-opening and a great read that also teaches about the rule of Stalin, and what it was like to live in that place at that time.
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
This was the area where Lina and her family were held captive, and forced to work as slaves.
Hitler and Stalin
These were the two communist leaders who were murdering, and taking innocent people during WWII.
Train cars
In the book, everyone is transported in cattle train cars to their destinations where they were forced to work. The cars were very dirty and crowded with sick people, making horrible accommodations.
Ruta Sepetys
Even though she was raised in Michigan, Ruta Sepetys was the daughter of a Lithuanian refugee. As well as writing her two novels, she really enjoys music and art. Because the story of Lithuanians, Latvians, and Estonians is so often overlooked because of the Holocaust going on at the same time, she wanted to write about the people who suffered under Stalin's wrath.