Mia ♡
asked
Ruta Sepetys:
Hi Ruta! Since your novels are based on real events I know you have researched a lot in order to write them. Has anything you ever read or learned while researching -like a testimony from a survivor- changed you personally or changed the way you did something in your life? Also, I read "Between Shades of Gray" and I loved it, I even cried while reading it. One of my favorite books ever!
Ruta Sepetys
Hi Paula, thank you for your kind words about your writing!
Many of the testimonies I've heard have been indescribably impactful to me. One such example is that the idea for the character of Lina came from a woman I interviewed in Lithuania. She was a teenager in Siberia and her story was so powerful, her hope so strong. The Soviets had taken her family, her country, but she wouldn't let them take her spirit. She found a way to speak, even though her voice had been extinguished. She became a role model for me so I used her to create Lina. Thank you for asking!
Many of the testimonies I've heard have been indescribably impactful to me. One such example is that the idea for the character of Lina came from a woman I interviewed in Lithuania. She was a teenager in Siberia and her story was so powerful, her hope so strong. The Soviets had taken her family, her country, but she wouldn't let them take her spirit. She found a way to speak, even though her voice had been extinguished. She became a role model for me so I used her to create Lina. Thank you for asking!
More Answered Questions
Hallie
asked
Ruta Sepetys:
Hi Ruta!! The book club I am in at school just got done reading Between Shades of Gray (and all of us who read it loved it). The big discussion question was of all the symbolism in the book. We found some like the pocket watch/ the man with the watch, the handkerchief, her sketches are just a few. My question to you is was there any symbolism you absolutely wanted in the book to stick out to readers?
Astra
asked
Ruta Sepetys:
My daughter requested to read 'Between Shades of Gray' for Gr8 English. Given the subject matter, I read it too. THEN told my mother she better read it too - brought back many memories for her (as a refugee from Latvia). She talked a bit more about that time period after reading it. Congratulations, looking forward to reading Salt to the Sea! Were you able to use family testimony at all?
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