Shelf-Worthy: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Expected publication: March 22nd 2011

Publisher: Philomel Books

Pages: Hardcover, 336 pages.

Here's another totally shelf-worthy book,

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys. I know about this book from Kristi at The Story Siren, and it sounds really good and powerful. Wanna know why? Here's the synopsis (from goodreads.com

Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they've known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin's orders, to dig for beets and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions.

Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously—and at great risk—documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know they are still alive. 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.Between Shades of Gray is a novel that will steal your breath and capture your heart.

We all know about one of the biggest events in history (a quite dreadful one), the killings of millions of Jews, led by Adolf Hitler. But here is a similar event that's hidden from our view. It's about a man just like Hitler who wanted to cleanse a specific region of the world. It's a story about a girl who became a refugee, and it tells about her struggles. But it is also a story about hope, faith and love. Ruta is a daughter of a Lithuanian refugee, and she wants to bring this story out of the shadows and to provide an awareness for other people. This is a book that I just HAVE to get. You can find out more information about the background of this book by visiting its website. There's a video for you to watch, and it was really touching. I do hope that I get the chance to get this and immerse myself in the story. This book will definitely be a memorable one, and I do love a story that will be inside my heart forever.