Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys and a Giveaway!

This is one book I am not going to summarize on my own.  I just couldn’t do it justice.

 (From the inside cover)  “Have you ever wondered what a human life is worth?  That morning, my brother’s was worth a pocket watch.

In 1941, fifteen-year –old Lina is preparing for art school, first dates, and all that summer has to offer.  But one night, the Soviet secret police barge violently into her home, deporting her along with her mother and younger brother.  They are being sent to Siberia.  Lina’s father has been separated from the family and sentenced to death in a prison camp.  All is lost.

Lina fights for her life, fearless, vowing that if she survives she will honor her family, and the thousands like hers, by documenting their experiences in her art and writing.  She risks everything to use her art as messages, hoping they will make their way to her father’s prison camp to let him know they are still alive.

It is a long and harrowing journey, and it is only their incredible strength, love and hope that pull Lina and her family through each day.  But will love be enough to keep them alive?”

Last night I stayed up late to finish this book.  Today something in me is changed.  Between the Shades of Grey has moved my heart.  I am reminded of the unspeakable horrors and events surrounding WWII, the reign of Stalin and the great loss of the Baltic Region.  It is a story not often told.  Reading it broke my heart, and then moved it to another place with a vow:  to never forget.  As is often the case, in the midst of the cruelest things people inflict upon one another, hope emerges and the miraculous nature of the human spirit shines through.  I am a better person today, with the powerful reminder to be grateful for what I have and where I am.  My deepest respect and honor for the thousands of people who suffered so much at the hands of evil men.   

This is advance, uncorrected galley that I received for reading and review.  This is not a light hearted read.  The violence is high, the subject matter intense and there are a few instances of light swearing.

This book is on my list of one of the best books of this year.  Without a doubt.

I’d love to put this into the hands of someone else who will read it and provide a review.  One day I might figure out how to do a form, but for today, please just  leave me a comment along with your email.  Giveaway ends Wednesday, March 2^nd.