A Side of WW II Often Left Untold

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys is the story of fifteen year old Lina Vilkas, whose father is sentenced to death in a Russian prison camp, and the rest of the family is forced from their Lithuanian home by the Russian NKVD (later to be the KGB).  Under the government orders of Joseph Stallin, the NKVD attempt to rid the region of any family that will potentially undermine his efforts to spread communist ideals throughout western Asian and eastern Europe. The time is 1941. All of Europe and the world are keeping an eye on Adolf Hitler in Germany, and Benito Mussolini in Italy, as stories of human rights atrocities begin to leak out of eastern Europe.  At this time everyone seems to be turning a blind eye to the thousands of citizens being removed from their home and country, and who's keeping an eye on the Russians.

Lina keeps a record of their journey, including their forced removal from their home in Lithuania, being packed like cattle on a train, to a labor camp across the Ural Mountains into central Russia. Her account tells the story of love, death, and survival of her family and thousands like her.  Eventually her fate leads her and a selected few survivors to the northern most outpost of Siberia during the winter months above the arctic circle.

I really enjoyed this book. Ruta Sepety's research into a actual accounts of the Russian's activities prior to World War II gave me a new perspective into what the world was like in Europe at that time. I compare it to other popular young adult historical stories that give the perspective of life for millions of people trying to escape communist or socialist government takeovers.

Mr. Kohl