Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys.

“War is catastrophe. It breaks families in irretrievable pieces. But those who are gone are not necessarily lost.”

I have been anticipating Sepetys' newest book since I finished Out of the Easy a couple of years ago. I find Sepetys to be a phenomenal historical fiction writer, as she manages to find topics that are known, but unknown. First, in Between Shades of Gray, she focused on the Soviet work camps and relocations that took place during and after World War II, then in Out of the Easy, on life in a brothel in New Orleans around the 1950s, and here, in Salt to the Sea, on the massive Operation Hannibal, an ill-fated attempt by Germany to evacuate citizens from the eastern front as the Soviet Red Army closed in on Berlin.

I love that Sepetys chooses time periods that we're familiar with, but focuses on topics that we might now know about. Truthfully, I knew little about Operation Hannibal before reading this title. I know I learned a little about it in a college history course, but as it is absent from most common history books, it's not something I would have come across recently. Basically, Operation Hannibal occurred as the Red Army began pushing the eastern front back toward Germany in early 1945. The German government, in fear of what Stalin's army was doing to its citizens, ordered a late evacuation of anyone with German descent. Some citizens escaped back into Germany on foot or by train, but there was also a massive operation to use remaining ships and transport German citizens that way (much faster, but also more dangerous).

The book does involve this process, but it is so much deeper than a simple book about a failed sea evacuation. Instead, Sepetys weaves together a gruesome depiction of what war does to everyday people. The novel switches perspective every chapter between 4 young adults as they all converge on the ship, the Wilhelm Gustloff, in an attempt to evacuate. Each of the 4 come from a different country and a different background, but all see the ship and evacuation as a beacon of hope-for different reasons. On their journey, we learn what has happened to them over the course of the war-who they once were, who they lost, and what their hopes might be.

And as the ship is hit by enemy torpedoes, we see what happens to those hopes and dreams...

What struck me most about the novel is that yet again, Sepetys manages to capture the realities and horrors of war. And in particular, on the horrors of the Red Army. I feel as though little is taught here in the States about what exactly was going on in the Soviet Union under Stalin, and what the state of eastern Europe was like during the last few years of the war. Stalin committed the same atrocities as Hitler, and did things that are often unmentioned in our history books. For example, I know book talks in length about the horrors of the Holocaust, etc, but only a brief mention is given to Stalin's own work camps. We know the names of Auschwitz, etc, but can you easily name a Soviet camp? I know I probably can't without looking it up for reference.

I love that Sepetys does this-that she captures historical timeframes in a new light and makes you question what you know. I mean, after all, Stalin was our ally in World War II....is that why little is taught about what his army did? I don't know. But it makes me curious and wanting to know more.

In any case, this is a fabulous book that discusses a naval tragedy talked about seldom. It's beautifully written, and the characters are well-developed throughout. If you're looking for a great piece of historical fiction, I highly recommend this one.

“What had human beings become? Did war make us evil or just activate an evil already lurking within us?” 

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys.

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

One of the dream classes I would like to teach, if I was allowed to teach whatever I wanted, would be a war literature class. There is something incredibly powerful in the literature focused in periods of brutality and violence that really speaks to me. I also think that war literature is incredibly profound and moving-especially for high school students. Many of my students haven't faced that kind of hardship and loss (Not all, but many), so it would be a great learning experience for them.

And among the piles of books I would love to include in this class (titles like The Book Thief, The Things They Carried, Maus, All Quiet on the Western Front, 1776, Slaughterhouse-Five, Night, Birdsong, Johnny Got His Gun, The Diary of Anne Frank, and more...), I would include this new release by Ruta Sepetys.

I bought this at the bidding of our media specialist during the second week of school at our school book fair. She told me she had heard wonderful things about it and thought that I might like it. So, I bought it, brought it home, and there it sat for a number of weeks until I was feeling restless one Friday evening. Home alone and needing a new book to read, I pulled it out of the pile, snuggled in bed, and began reading.

Two hours later, I closed the back cover with a huge lump in my throat. This book...it wasn't what I expected. I was moved, immediately, by the passion and power of Lina's story. What happened to her and her family...I've never read about it before-not in high school and not in any of my college history classes. I never realized that people of her descent (Lithuanian) were sent away during WWII-to Siberia of all places-and by Stalin. We are so often consumed by the disgusting nature of Hitler and the Nazis that we forget the other dictator of the time. Lina's struggle to survive was so similar to what happened to the Jewish people during the Holocaust (both were sent to camps, shot down, starved, forced into labor, etc), and I was simply blown away.

And it wasn't that this was just another book about the horrors and atrocities of WWII. I mean, I'm sure we've all read the stories of the camp survivors. We talk about it often in history classes so that we don't forget, but it is the stories like these, those that are less heard, that truly strike a chord.

But what really makes this book powerful is the honesty and raw nature of the writing. As a young adult novel tackling some harsh and brutal themes, Sepetys does a masterful job of bringing humanity and life to a dark story. It was beautiful and moved me that night I read it.

“November 20. Andrius's birthday. I had counted the days carefully. I wished him a happy birthday when I woke and thought about him while hauling logs during the day. At night, I sat by the light of the stove, reading Dombey and Son. Krasivaya. I still hadn't found the word. Maybe I'd find it if I jumped ahead. I flipped through some of the pages. A marking caught my eye. I leafed backward. Something was written in pencil in the margin of 278.
Hello, Lina. You've gotten to page 278. That's pretty good!
I gasped, then pretened I was engrossed in the book. I looked at Andrius's handwritting. I ran my finger over this elongated letters in my name. Were there more? I knew I should read onward. I couldn't wait. I turned though the pages carefully, scanning the margins.
Page 300:
Are you really on page 300 or are you skipping ahead now?
I had to stifle my laughter.
Page 322:
Dombey and Son is boring. Admit it.
Page 364:
I'm thinking of you.
Page 412:
Are you maybe thinking of me?
I closed my eyes.
Yes, I'm thinking of you. Happy birthday, Andrius.”

Since reading this (nearly a month ago), I have been trying to persuade some students to give it a chance. Many of them refuse, saying that books about war are boring and "unimportant." Their attitudes are the reason I want to teach war literature-to show that there is beauty in war, and to honor those who have fallen.

"...says that evil will rule until good men or women choose to act. I believe him. This testimony was written to create an absolute record, to speak in a world where our voices have been extinguished. These writing may shock or horrify you, but that is not my intention. It is my greatest hope that the pages in this jar stir your deepest well of human compassion. I hope they prompt you to do something, to tell someone. Only then can we ensure that this kind of evil is never allowed to repeat itself.”