Between Shades of Gray

by Ruta Sepetys

“I don’t deserve anything. You stand for what is right, Lina, without the expectation of gratitude or reward.

was the last time I would look into a real mirror for more than a decade.

Have you ever wondered what a human life is worth? That morning, my brother’s was worth a pocket watch.

They escorted me safely back to our jurta, undetected. They didn’t ask for anything. They were happy to help someone, to succeed at something, even if they weren’t to benefit. We’d been trying to touch the sky from the bottom of the ocean. I realized that if we boosted one another, maybe we’d get a little closer.

There were only two possible outcomes in Siberia. Success meant survival. Failure meant death. I wanted life. I wanted to survive.

love of country, love of God, or even love of enemy—love reveals to us the truly miraculous nature of the human spirit.