Shauna George asked Ruta Sepetys:

Hi Ruta. Read "between shades of grey" a few months back and loved the book so much. I read later that this was based on events that occurred within your family during WWII. I am sure that retelling these painful events were very difficult. I am very intrigued to find out how you managed to do this? Also how differnrt is Salt of the Sea from Between shades of grey?

Ruta Sepetys Dear Shauna,

You are correct in your research, the book was largely inspired by my family's history. Writing "Between Shades of Grey" and "Salt to the Sea" was quite emotional and challenging because of the subject matter of them both, however, I didn't use my family's testimony in "Salt to the Sea."

While it was emotional, I felt inspired to tell the story. I knew so very little about my own family's history before researching the novel that once I learned about what had happened in the Baltics, I had to write it. There was very little information about the events available in English, so I wanted to make the history accessible, and to be a voice for those who will never have the chance to tell their own stories.

Thanks for asking!

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