Between Shades of Gray

Hey guys! I'm back! I haven't read a whole lot since I last posted because I was busy with finals and stuff. Oh yeah, I graduated high school, by the way. It was pretty awesome. :)

Anyway, I've read a few books but I finished one today that I felt deserved it's own post. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys.

I was just browsing books on Amazon and it was in the 'customers who bought ____ also bought these' section. I was iffy about it because I'd never heard of it before, but after seeing the overwhelming number of positive reviews I was sold. One person in particular stated "If there's only one book you read this year, make it this one" so I assumed that if it made that positive of an impact on someone, then I would at least like it a little bit.

I liked it a whole lot more than a little bit.

Short summary:

The book is about a 15 year old girl named Lina who lives with her parents and younger brother in Lithuania during the early 1940s. One day, her entire life is thrown into turmoil when she, her mother and her brother are thrown into a crowded train car and shipped to a work camp. She is labeled as a criminal by members of Stalin's army and is exposed to many horrors that take her life from care-free to horrifying. Lina finds solace in drawing portraits of the people she comes in contact with and attempting to discover the fate of her missing father.

Some things I learned:

I for one never recall learning in depth about Joseph Stalin's 'purges' in school. This book actually taught me a lot of things that I never learned in school. (And they told me I was wasting my time reading so many books). These purges claimed anywhere from 20 to 60 million lives, including children and infants. The majority of these deaths were of those who did not support Stalin's reign and spoke out against him. The rest of the deaths were of their families. It is argued that the majority of these deaths were not 'intentional' by Stalin's army but were a result of starvation, illness, or exposure to the elements. Only about 1 million were personally shot by officers. Regardless, the numbers are staggering and the simple fact that they don't actually know how many lives were taken is upsetting and shocking.

A Conclusion:
And so, I must say I recommend this book. It is a beautiful story about an amazing family and group of people and is an amazing way to get an in depth look at one of history's less explored events. It is very sad and often a little grotesque, and although it is recommended for 12+, I found it to be a bit graphic in describing it's scenes of death and abuse. However, it is very realistic and does not 'sugar coat' the historical events. It's a fascinating look inside of the minds of the victims of Stalin.

Next, I'm reading Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson and I expect to be finished in the next couple of days. :) Talk to you guys soon!