---
product_id: 1219847
title: "Between Shades of Gray"
price: "€ 30.47"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 8
url: https://www.desertcart.pt/products/1219847-between-shades-of-gray
store_origin: PT
region: Portugal
---

# Between Shades of Gray

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- **What is this?** Between Shades of Gray
- **How much does it cost?** € 30.47 with free shipping
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## Description

desertcart.com: Between Shades of Gray: 9780142420591: Sepetys, Ruta: Books

Review: Powerfully written, heartbreaking and dramatic story based on true events. - Although this most impressive novel was written using fictional characters (the plot created) the events on which it is based are most certainly true. In her Author's Note Ruta Sepetys explains that in 1939 the Soviet Union occupied the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Not long after, the Kremlin drew up lists of people considered anti-Soviet who Sepetys accurately states "would be murdered, sent to prison, or deported into slavery in Siberia. Doctors, lawyers, teachers, military servicemen, writers, business owners, musicians, artists, and even librarians were all considered anti-Soviet and were added to the growing list slated for wholesale genocide. The first deporations took place on June 14, 1941." This is a particularly meaningful story to me because my own family had members who were forcibly deported to Siberia and suffered the deaths of people they dearly loved. Fortunately for the author's father (and my own parents) they (and their families) were able to escape to refugee camps set up in the American occupied zone of Germany. My maternal great aunt and her family with four daughters, however, were not so lucky. They did end up getting deported to Siberia, the two oldest girls literally worked to death dying of cold and starvation. I love the incredibly empathic way in which this novel was written. It is written in the first person ("as told by") a 15-old-girl named Lina, who instead of heading for art school found herself forced into a train heading into the far reaches of the Soviet Union. Packed into railroad cars, starved for food, fresh air, even bathroom facilities these people, like the Jews in many parts of Europe, were stripped of their homes, their possessions, their very lives. It was painful to realize that, in many cases, the oppressors themselves were being fed and supplied by Americans who were too uninformed, too naive or simply had no wish to know what was going on. As they made their way east young children and the elderly started to die. Their bodies were literally tossed from train cars "swept clean" not even given the dignity of a burial. Before the journey begins Lina risks death by trying to find her father who has been placed into another train car headed for a prison where later she finds out he is shot. It is at this time she meets another teenager, a young man named Arvydas, for whom she develops a liking. Her group of people were first sent to one forced labor camp and then to another. In the second camp, located near the Arctic circle where the weather is especially harsh, Lina suffers the loss of her own mother. This part of the book is written particularly well because it evokes such deep emotion that the tears cannot help but fall. Although Hitler's mass destruction of six million Jews (and at least three million non-Jewish individuals) is a most unquestionably horrible set of events, I have often wondered why more attenton has not been given to the TWENTY million that Stalin murdered in his own country. Again the author reminds me that "Upon returning in the mid-1950's, the Lithuanians found that Soviets had occupied their homes, were enjoying all of their belongings, and had even assumed their names. Everything was lost. The returning deportees were treated as criminals. They were forced to live in restricted areas, and were under constant surveillance by the KGB, formerly the NKVD. Speaking about their experience meant immediate imprisonment or deportation back to Siberia. As a result, the horrors they endured went dormant, a hideous secret shared by millions of people." As a Lithuanian-American I am so DEEPLY grateful that Ruta Sepetys wrote this book. She explains how carefully she researched it by several visits to Lithuania where she interviewed survivors of this horrible ordeal. My only regret is that someone had not written this book YEARS earlier. These people's (MY people's) story needed to be told. The author honored their memory by doing just that.. Sirdingai aciu. (My sincerest thank you). Tegul Dievas tave palaimina Ruta (May God bless you Ruta).
Review: Very important piece of history! - This was a wonderful novel and although it was written for a young adult audience, it can be enjoyed by all ages. This book depicts another crime against humanity from our world history that was unknown to me before reading this book. Young Lina is our narrator that we follow on her treacherous journey of survival. We see events through Lina's eyes-one moment she is safe at home with her family, and the next she is rounded up with others and sent off on a journey that will change her life forever. Not knowing where they are going, when or if they will ever return, and a suitcase filled with their meager belongings, they unwillingly follow their captors directions. When they are first led to a train station I imagined they were definitely being sent to a concentration camp with death impending soon. This wasn't the case as Stalin planned for the majority of his prisoners to serve work detail under inhumane conditions. The train journey is only the beginning of their torture as they are given barely any food to eat and conditions are hardly liveable for livestock, let alone people. As more people are crammed into the train cars along the way, they must learn to live together in the closed quarters, allowing them to create friendships and relationships that will help them in the months to come. The first destination for Lina and her family is a work camp, where slave labor is put into full force. Much of this novel reminds me of the Holocaust, and treatment of the prisoners falls into this category. Everyone is worked until they have no strength left and daily food rations are minimal. Everyone learns to do what they need to do in order to get by, and many use the relationships that were developed on the train to assist them in their daily living. We learn throughout the novel from Lina's flashbacks that the reason for their imprisonment is political. Anyone who had a different motive or ideal from Stalin was captured and either sent to a prison or a work camp. It was interesting to see this revelation through Lina's young eyes since she did not truly understand the motives. This was a wonderful story even though it was difficult to read at times. It read very quickly and smoothly for me as it only took me a few days to complete it. With themes of family, love, war, and morals, there is so much more to this story than I described above. I don't hesitate in recommending this novel for either personal leisure or as a book club discussion.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #6,647 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #3 in Teen & Young Adult European Historical Fiction #4 in Teen & Young Adult Holocaust Historical Fiction #8 in Teen & Young Adult Fiction on Prejudice & Racism |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 11,260 Reviews |

## Images

![Between Shades of Gray - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81LNxn8xNUL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Powerfully written, heartbreaking and dramatic story based on true events.
*by C***W on August 1, 2011*

Although this most impressive novel was written using fictional characters (the plot created) the events on which it is based are most certainly true. In her Author's Note Ruta Sepetys explains that in 1939 the Soviet Union occupied the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Not long after, the Kremlin drew up lists of people considered anti-Soviet who Sepetys accurately states "would be murdered, sent to prison, or deported into slavery in Siberia. Doctors, lawyers, teachers, military servicemen, writers, business owners, musicians, artists, and even librarians were all considered anti-Soviet and were added to the growing list slated for wholesale genocide. The first deporations took place on June 14, 1941." This is a particularly meaningful story to me because my own family had members who were forcibly deported to Siberia and suffered the deaths of people they dearly loved. Fortunately for the author's father (and my own parents) they (and their families) were able to escape to refugee camps set up in the American occupied zone of Germany. My maternal great aunt and her family with four daughters, however, were not so lucky. They did end up getting deported to Siberia, the two oldest girls literally worked to death dying of cold and starvation. I love the incredibly empathic way in which this novel was written. It is written in the first person ("as told by") a 15-old-girl named Lina, who instead of heading for art school found herself forced into a train heading into the far reaches of the Soviet Union. Packed into railroad cars, starved for food, fresh air, even bathroom facilities these people, like the Jews in many parts of Europe, were stripped of their homes, their possessions, their very lives. It was painful to realize that, in many cases, the oppressors themselves were being fed and supplied by Americans who were too uninformed, too naive or simply had no wish to know what was going on. As they made their way east young children and the elderly started to die. Their bodies were literally tossed from train cars "swept clean" not even given the dignity of a burial. Before the journey begins Lina risks death by trying to find her father who has been placed into another train car headed for a prison where later she finds out he is shot. It is at this time she meets another teenager, a young man named Arvydas, for whom she develops a liking. Her group of people were first sent to one forced labor camp and then to another. In the second camp, located near the Arctic circle where the weather is especially harsh, Lina suffers the loss of her own mother. This part of the book is written particularly well because it evokes such deep emotion that the tears cannot help but fall. Although Hitler's mass destruction of six million Jews (and at least three million non-Jewish individuals) is a most unquestionably horrible set of events, I have often wondered why more attenton has not been given to the TWENTY million that Stalin murdered in his own country. Again the author reminds me that "Upon returning in the mid-1950's, the Lithuanians found that Soviets had occupied their homes, were enjoying all of their belongings, and had even assumed their names. Everything was lost. The returning deportees were treated as criminals. They were forced to live in restricted areas, and were under constant surveillance by the KGB, formerly the NKVD. Speaking about their experience meant immediate imprisonment or deportation back to Siberia. As a result, the horrors they endured went dormant, a hideous secret shared by millions of people." As a Lithuanian-American I am so DEEPLY grateful that Ruta Sepetys wrote this book. She explains how carefully she researched it by several visits to Lithuania where she interviewed survivors of this horrible ordeal. My only regret is that someone had not written this book YEARS earlier. These people's (MY people's) story needed to be told. The author honored their memory by doing just that.. Sirdingai aciu. (My sincerest thank you). Tegul Dievas tave palaimina Ruta (May God bless you Ruta).

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very important piece of history!
*by A***R on June 23, 2013*

This was a wonderful novel and although it was written for a young adult audience, it can be enjoyed by all ages. This book depicts another crime against humanity from our world history that was unknown to me before reading this book. Young Lina is our narrator that we follow on her treacherous journey of survival. We see events through Lina's eyes-one moment she is safe at home with her family, and the next she is rounded up with others and sent off on a journey that will change her life forever. Not knowing where they are going, when or if they will ever return, and a suitcase filled with their meager belongings, they unwillingly follow their captors directions. When they are first led to a train station I imagined they were definitely being sent to a concentration camp with death impending soon. This wasn't the case as Stalin planned for the majority of his prisoners to serve work detail under inhumane conditions. The train journey is only the beginning of their torture as they are given barely any food to eat and conditions are hardly liveable for livestock, let alone people. As more people are crammed into the train cars along the way, they must learn to live together in the closed quarters, allowing them to create friendships and relationships that will help them in the months to come. The first destination for Lina and her family is a work camp, where slave labor is put into full force. Much of this novel reminds me of the Holocaust, and treatment of the prisoners falls into this category. Everyone is worked until they have no strength left and daily food rations are minimal. Everyone learns to do what they need to do in order to get by, and many use the relationships that were developed on the train to assist them in their daily living. We learn throughout the novel from Lina's flashbacks that the reason for their imprisonment is political. Anyone who had a different motive or ideal from Stalin was captured and either sent to a prison or a work camp. It was interesting to see this revelation through Lina's young eyes since she did not truly understand the motives. This was a wonderful story even though it was difficult to read at times. It read very quickly and smoothly for me as it only took me a few days to complete it. With themes of family, love, war, and morals, there is so much more to this story than I described above. I don't hesitate in recommending this novel for either personal leisure or as a book club discussion.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Unforgettable, beautifully written historical fiction
*by K***Y on March 10, 2025*

In 1941, three countries disappeared from local and world maps. The Russian invasion had begun. Stalin’s Russia. Terror reined. This is the story of Lina, a 15 year old Lithuanian girl and the horrific years she endured following the night the Soviet Secret Police (NKVD) took her, her ten year old brother Jonas, and their mother, Elena, away. They were given twenty minutes to pack. A warm loaf of bread appeared on Lina’s window sill, but she didn’t think to pack it - which later filled her with deep regret. As Lina was soon to learn, the Secret Police removal focused on the people of Lithuania as teachers, military service men, librarians, doctors, lawyers, and other professional men, women, and their children were rounded up and stuffed into box cars labeled Prostitutes and Thieves. They were sentenced to death at hard labor in Siberia. Elena and Lina begged for information as to where their husband and father Kostas Vilkas, provost of the university, was taken.The hope being reunited kept mother and children focus on surviving. Though suffering from a lack of food, unsanitary conditions, and warmth from the cold, these strong people were able to endure imprisonment and grueling hardships.They found joy and laughter where they could as they helped each other survive. They kept hope alive as death surrounded them. After Stalin’s reign of terror, the people rebuilding Lithuania were forbidden to talk about any part of what they had been through. If they spoke of it, they would be killed. A nation of people kept silent. This award winning YA novel is based on drawings found in a glass jar on a construction site in 1995. The story is based on truth but the characters, with the exception of Dr Samodurov, are fictional. I could not put this novel down. As the story unfolds, most chapters include memories of their former lives written in italics. The story is both heart rendering and beautiful. A story of love, heartbreak, hope, unspeakable horrors, and survival. A story long hidden yet begging to be told. Read the author’s notes. A five star book and I cannot wait to read more of the author’s work. Well done, Ruta Sepetys, well done.

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*Store origin: PT*
*Last updated: 2026-05-03*