In 1941, fifteenyearold lina, her mother, and brother are pulled from their lithuanian home by soviet guards and sent to siberia, where her father is sentenced. Harrowing, moving account of life in stalins labor camps. Arvydas brings a bottle of vodka and chocolate they sing carols and talk about their family memories. The main theme of between shades of gray, and the biggest lesson lina must learn, is that even in the face of great suffering, brutality, and hate, love is the better choice. The three books held the top three spots on bestseller lists for much of. She has presented to nato, to the european parliament. Between shades of gray summary from litcharts the creators. Based on the authors family, includes a historical note. The first reason is, the kids found there dad on a train that was going to siberia. Between shades of gray by ruta sepetys reading guidebook. Her birthday is on march 22 and she met and fell in love with andrius, whom she marries after the war, while moving from place to place.
Thank you for the inspirational ideas, photos, recipes, activities. Recommended resources discussion guide between shades of gray. The power of love the main theme of between shades of gray, and the biggest lesson lina must learn, is that even in the face of great suffering, brutality, and hate, love is the better choice. Mar 28, 2011 the suffering experienced by lina and her companions is shocking and often difficult to read. Sepetys is very deliberate in her framing of love as a choice one makes. Learn more at about the author born and raised in michigan, ruta sepetys is the daughter of a lithuanian refugee. There were only two possible outcomes in siberia, notes lina. The people from the small countries of lithuania, latvia, estonia, and other countries suffered almost the same way.
Official book website for between shades of gray by ruta sepetys. This book was full of easy to like characters and there wasnt anyone i disliked well apart from the russian officers of course. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading between shades of gray. Between shades of gray, a new york times best seller, is the debut novel of american novelist ruta sepetys. Official book website for between shades of gray by ruta. Between shades of gray original soundtrack based on the novel by ruta sepetys, an album by gavin mikhail. Winner of the carnegie medal, ruta is passionate about the power of history and literature to foster global awareness and connectivity.
Andrius gives her dombey and son, a book by charles dickens. Between shades of gray is partly based upon the stories sepetys heard from survivors of the genocide of baltic people during a visit to her relatives in lithuania. Ww2, but very few about the effect that the formation of the soviet union had on the. Laurie halse anderson, bestselling author of speak and wintergirls. Before reading this book, i was unaware of the mass deportations carried out in lithuania by stalin during and after the second world war. Between shades of gray is the book that might make more open to reading historical fiction. If i had to score this book from a scale of 1 to 5 it would for sure get a 5. They battled back and forth soviet occupation1940 nazi occupation soviet. The building, readers learn later, is the islam peace center, where jesse must do her community service for her crime. In june of 1941, fifteenyearold lina vilkas is arrested by the soviet secret police, the nkvd, from her home in. The crazy reading ladies discuss choosing between shades. Listen to between shades of gray by ruta sepetys at.
For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The people throw a surprise birthday paarty for lina. Lina is just like any other fifteenyearold lithuanian girl in 1941. I feel grateful for a writer like ruta sepetys who bravely tells the hard story of what happens to the innocent when world leaders and their minions choose hate and. I have rigorously researched this time period prior to this books creation, thus i. Mar 22, 2011 her novels between shades of gray, out of the easy, and salt to the sea have won or been shortlisted for more than forty book prizes, and are included on more than sixty state award lists. Why is the story of the baltics so much less familiar to people in the west. In june of 1941, fifteenyearold lina vilkas is arrested by the soviet secret police, the nkvd, from her home in kaunas, lithuania. Lina had to make the picture flattering but every time she looked at the commander all she saw was smoke and snakes crawling out of a grey skull lina and jonas went to the back of the n. Your quick guide to fifty shades of grey thoughtco.
She was taken, by the nkvd, from her house with her mother and brother and placed into exile. The book opens with travis mclaurin, a 19yearold white man trying to protect alia susanto, a 16yearold hijabwearing indonesian. D were coming for her, they wanted her to paint a portrait of the commander. Apr 25, 2012 in 1941, lina and her family are taken from their home in lithuania and sent to siberia where, despite horrific conditions, lina maintains hope that she will survive. Few books are beautifully written, fewer still are important. We pick good books, ones thatll get them reading and talking and reading. Between shades of gray is a riveting novel that steals your breath, captures your heart, and reveals the miraculous nature of the human spirit. Ive always found history to be horrifically boring but this book taught me that it doesnt always have to be. Whats the story set during wwii, 16yearold lina, her mother, and her younger brother are deported to a forcedlabor camp in siberia, where conditions are all too painfully similar to those of nazi concentration camps. The between shades of grey quiz share book recommendations. I have just modified one external link on between shades of gray. This book is way better then 50 shades of gray, they have nothing incommon. If you like between shades of gray you might like similar books salt to the sea, out of the easy, the librarian of auschwitz, code name verity, anna and the swallow man.
Ruta sepetyss between shades of gray is now the film ashes in the snow. They sing a birthday song and all eat their bread rations together. But between shades of gray is also a profoundly moving and inspiring book, as lina discovers first her own capacity for courage, then her ability to use art to overcome challenges, and finally her desire for both love and survival. As she continues to sketch wherever she canin the dirt on the train, on handkerchiefs, on scraps of papershe recalls moments when her drawings brought her praise such as when she was admitted to an art program and when they brought her scolding. Between shades of gray is a novel that will steal your breath and capture your heart. Linas narrative is simple and direct, emotions layered on one twodimensional plane without deeper nuance or gravitas.
Between shades of gray is a wonderful historical fiction novel. How do you feel after reading these stories anxious. While reading the book i listened to the soundtrack, which is as amazing as the story itself and i recommend it with all my heart. This is an azaming book, you can really feel what the characters go through. A tiny sliver of gold appeared between shades of gray on the horizon. Between shades of gray and the other books in this tiny but perhaps.
For example, what would be different if it were set in world war i or ii. Aug 15, 2012 it is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love, and hope that lina ultimately survives. It is not just that she wants us to understand that love can conquer hate in many small ways. The story follows a 15yearold lithuanian girl in 1941 who is taken from her home with her mother and younger brother by the nkvd soviet secret police. Linda buckleyarcher on a first novel that is hard to read but hard to stop reading.
Between shades of gray reading after midnight reading. It tells the story of a fifteenyearold lithuanian girl, lina. One night fifteenyearold lina, her mother and young brother are hauled from their home by soviet guards, thrown into cattle cars and sent away. Author ruta sepetys talks about the true history behind between shades of gray duration. The character of kostas vilkas in between shades of gray. A lot of people probably bypassed this book due to the fact it coincidentally sounds very similar to 50 shades of grey, a notorious adultsonly book.
What 50 shades of grey tells us about women psychology today. Between shades of gray book report timeline timetoast. Its printed in russian, so she can learn the language better. Between shades of gray and the other books in this tiny but perhaps widening. Until one night when soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life theyve known. Fifteenyearold lina, her mother, and her younger brother are dragged from their home and packed into a train car in the opening pages of this harrowing novel that begins in lithuania on june 14, 1941. Between shades of gray book report timeline created by sarahjohnson1. Between shades of gray and millions of other books are available for instant access.
She is arrested alongside her mother, elena, and tenyearold brother jonas. One thing i didnt like about the book was, that lots of people died. Jamess sexfilled trilogy, and take these books to bed instead. Between shades of gray by ruta sepetys book club ideas. Between shades of gray was adapted into the film ashes in the snow, and her other novels are currently in development for tv and film. Between shades of grey was published a couple of months before 50 shades of grey. Their educational value cannot be underestimated whether its fiction or nonfiction. In this book, you will venture with lina as she goes through many hardships, emotional and physical. Between shades of gray by ruta sepetys book trailer. Over spring break i read between shades of gray published march 2011, a young adult historical fiction novel by ruta sepetys. The book fifty shades of grey has sold over 100 millions copies worldwide. The between shades of gray lesson plan contains a variety of teaching materials that cater to all learning styles.
The between shades of grey quiz goodreads share book. Sepetys reminds us of what could be if we turn our backs on the world and continue to focus only on our own individual lives. Everything you need to know about between shades of gray. Between shades of gray born and raised in michigan, ruta sepetys is the daughter of a lithuanian refugee. Between shades of gray is a beautiful and sometimes heartwrenching book. Between shades of gray kindle edition by sepetys, ruta. Thank you so much for sharing your activities for between shades of gray. I will incorporate many of your wonderful ideas, activities, and information. This was definitely another pageturner and extremely hard to put down. It follows the stalinist repressions of the mid20th century and follows the life of lina as she is deported from her native lithuania with her mother and younger brother, and the journey they take to a labor camp in siberia. Book talk between shades of gray the nameless book blog. Jul 19, 2016 in america, we grew up hearing about hitler and the holocaust, but stalin, the leader of one of our allies, was carrying out mass deportations, too, and many of those people died in the work camps and prisons they were sent to. The argument that using grey instead of gray is not a change in english variant is weak at best. Between shades of gray by elizabeth anderson on prezi.
We know a lot about what is happening in america and germany during wwii, but what is happening in lithuania. Its the story of 15yearold lina, her younger brother, and their mother, whom the soviets deport from their lithuanian home to a siberian labor camp in 1941. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. In 1941, fifteenyearold lina, her mother, and brother are pulled from their lithuanian home by soviet guards and sent to siberia, where her father is sentenced to death in a prison camp while she fights for her life, vowing to honor her family and the thousands like hers by burying her story in a jar on lithuanian soil. Main characters the main characters are lina, a 15 year old lithuanian, linas younger brother, jonas, elena vilkas, there mom, nikolia kretsey, a russian gaurd, and andrius, linas friend. Mar 22, 2011 listen to between shades of gray audiobook by ruta sepetys. Between shades of gray by ruta sepetys is a deeply moving, compelling, heartwrenching, and a powerful read which is beautifully written that captured my heart from the very first chapter.
Fifteenyearold lina, her mother, and her younger brother are dragged from their. During world war 2, the soviet union red army and the germany nazis were battling over the baltic states for power. Discussion questions for between shades of gray download pdf themes for book club discussions download pdf. Theres a great deal of misery in between shades of gray and other stories of government oppression, such as the holocaust. Sepetys decided she needed to write a fiction novel rather than a nonfiction volume as a way of making it easier for survivors to talk to her. Inside youll find 30 daily lessons, 20 fun activities, 180 multiple choice questions, 60 short essay questions, 20 essay questions, quizzeshomework assignments, tests, and more. If no book jacket appears in a few seconds, then we dont have an excerpt of this book or your browser is unable to display it. In 1941, lina and her family are taken from their home in lithuania and sent to siberia where, despite horrific conditions, lina maintains hope that she will survive. The steamy novel fifty shades of grey and its sequels, fifty shades darker and fifty shades freed, became major pieces of pop culture around the time of their publication. What a wonderful evening your group had after reading this novel. Stream and download audiobooks to your computer, tablet or mobile phone. If you really like books about history then this is the book for you.
Between shades of gray isnt the type of book id normally read, but im extremely glad that i decided to read it. The protagonist in this novel is lina, a fifteen year old girl who is an incredible artists. Parents need to know that between shades of gray is a story of horrific cruelty and violence for mature tweens and up. Lina fights for her life, vowing that if she survives she will honor her family, and the thousands like hers, by burying her complete story in. Author the author of between shades of gray is ruta sepetys beginning middle they arrive. The between shades of gray quotes below are all either spoken by kostas vilkas or refer to kostas vilkas.
While between shades of gray is a powerful and important story, sepetys debut novel lacks the skill with words and raw emotional resonance that would make it truly, hauntingly unforgettable. Between shades of gray by ruta sepetys, paperback barnes. Mar 20, 2016 over spring break i read between shades of gray published march 2011, a young adult historical fiction novel by ruta sepetys. Lina s drawings create an important connection between her life back home in lithuania and her life in the communist labor camps of siberia. The nations of lithuania, latvia, and estonia disappeared from maps in 1941 and did not reappear until 1990. Similar books like between shades of gray tastedive. Mixing gray and grey in the same article is a bit much, even if thats what grey does. Between these plot points, the author elegantly transitions between the gripping descriptions of alia and travis trying to survive and jesse almost falling into the abyss of generational hatred of islam. One of the people bought a pad of paper and a pencil for lina. In my opinion, this wouldnt be the book for younger children, because it has a some abusing in it.
Families can talk about parallels between this story and accounts by holocaust survivors. The bestselling author of the highly acclaimed debut between shades of gray, has a new historical novel set in new orleans in 1950. For christmas lina gave andrius a drawing she made of him, and andrius gave her a book, dickens dombey and son andrius came running into the vilkas hut saying that the n. Minor characters are memorably and vividly drawn, and the first half of the book, in particular, roars along. On may 12, 2015, ruta sepetys visited nashville public library to discuss her book, between shades of gray, to close out nashville reads 2015. Between shades of gray, 2011, 352 pages, ruta sepetys. D barracks to get her reward for the portrait, the officers threw the. The story of anne frank and all the hundreds of thousands of jews prosecuted during the nazi regime is wellknown throughout history. Click to the right or left of the sample to turn the page. Between shades of gray is a brilliant title for this well that was another enlightening, emotional, and an absolutely awesome 5 read. Between shades of gray is that incredibly intoxicating synthesis of. Lina doesnt know if shell ever see her father or her friends again. Students will rewrite the basic plot of between shades of gray and set it in another century, explaining how the different setting changes the work. Between shades of gray by ruta sepetys overdrive rakuten.