The between shades of gray community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. Between shades of gray is a riveting novel that steals your breath, captures your heart, and reveals the miraculous nature of the human spirit. As joseph stalin was taking control of eastern europe, many lithuanians were being deported. Nov 23, 2018 but next january, a story that could be summed up that way will make its debut in theaters, capping the extraordinary journey of a little novel that could.
Though the picture, from, is faded, you can see the border and the star, matching to what sepetys described. The soviets take lina and her family and they head to a camp. They wore blue hats with a red border and a gold star. The question and answer section for between shades of gray is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. Jul 19, 2016 between shades of gray is a beautiful and sometimes heartwrenching book. The book explained in great detail the sacrifices, the fear, and the pain that these lithuanians faced. Between the shades of gray springfield public schools. Lina was fifteen when the nkvd took her from her home with her brother and mother. It first starts out in 1941 lithuania when lina and her family have been taken away from there home by the nkvd. The book trail between shades of gray the book trail. In 1941, fifteenyearold lina, her mother, and brother are pulled from their lithuanian home by soviet guards and sent to siberia, where her father is sentenced.
Before the 2nd ww began the communist dictator stalin, knew war with the nazis was looming and had concerns about the baltic countries abilities to protect the russian border from. Mar 12, 2015 in conclusion, the author of between shades of gray portrayed the setting accurately to describe the vast distance and places lina and her family traveled through. Sepetys reminds us of what could be if we turn our backs on the world and continue to focus only on our own individual lives. Sep 10, 2010 between shades of gray is a riveting novel that steals your breath, captures your heart, and reveals the miraculous nature of the human spirit. Official book website for between shades of gray by ruta sepetys. This is where the train cars carrying the men are split off from the main train and where lina. During world war 2, the soviet union red army and the germany nazis were battling over the baltic states for power. Shades of gray is a young adolescent book set immediately after americas civil war. Between shades of gray by ruta sepetys between shades of gray is a harrowing story about a young girl, her family and her neighbors being. Thats when nkvd have been decided to take groups to set camp with at the next stop. Meanwhile, they have no idea where their father is. Between shades of gray literary elements gradesaver. They started from lithuania and ended up in a concentration camp in siberia and the novel described the whole travel and setting just like in history.
Download the full discussion guide read an excerpt. William page is a young man and the main characterwho. The setting in the novel between shades of gray, mirrors the particular age in history. In between shades of gray, the nkvd are described as the following. Her father kostas has been arrested earlier, and they dont know where he is. Between shades of gray is a novel that will steal your breath and capture your heart.
Between shades of gray, a new york times best seller, is the debut novel of american novelist ruta sepetys. Parents need to know that between shades of gray is a story of horrific cruelty and violence for mature tweens and up. She met with family members, survivors of the deportations, etc. During this time period stalin is taking over lithuania and many other countries in this area.
It tells the story of what it was like to be one of the deported from the point of view of a teenager living through it. In june of 1941, fifteenyearold lina vilkas is arrested by the soviet secret police, the nkvd, from her home in kaunas, lithuania. Between shades of gray by ruta sepetys plot summary litcharts. The vilkas family originally lives in lithuania, a european country, near latvia and poland. They are part of the soviet union who take lina and her family to a work camp in siberia. Between shades of gray is a historical fiction book written in the 20th century. Ruta sepetyss between shades of gray hits the big screen. It follows the stalinist repressions of the mid20th century and follows the life of lina as she is deported from her native lithuania with her mother and younger brother, and the journey they take to a labor camp in siberia. The story takes place shortly after the civil war in america. The main character, twelveyearold william page, finds himself an orphan after the war and is sent to live. Lina is just like any other fifteenyearold lithuanian girl in 1941. The first is linas mothers gray coat, into which she has sewn jewelry, papers, silver, and other valuables 31 in preparation for the familys escape from sovietoccupied lithuania.
Lina is just like any other fifteenyearold lithuanian. They spend over 3 months traveling until the novel ends after the 4th month when they arrive at their last camp. We assign a color and icon like this one to each theme, making it easy to track which themes apply to each quote below. Between shades of gray takes place in a lot of places. Between shades of gray takes place in a suburban neighborhood in lithuania. There is no real resolution or end to the story it just stops without allowing the reader to gain any sense of where the main character or anyone else is at the end. The time period of the story begins in 1941, just before the ending of world war ii. This book gets a strong 3 for a variety of reasons. Litcharts makes it easy to find quotes by chapter, character, and theme. I feel grateful for a writer like ruta sepetys who bravely tells the hard story of what happens to the innocent when world leaders and their minions choose hate and. In 1941 lithuania, fifteenyearold lina enjoys dancing, outings with her. There are many settings in the book that are similar to ones in real life like lithuania, the cattle cars, and siberia. As seen in figure one, two, and three, not only were the labor camps difficult to survive because of the lack of resources, the element of exhaustion was also apparent because they were forced to work for their.
Lina struggles to retain her strength as they force them to do hard labor in return for meager food rations. The family is given very little time to pack before they. Much of the book revolves around linas desperate attempts to locate and contact her father. This is where andrius father is serving when andrius and his mother are arrested. Between shades of gray reading after midnight reading. I feel grateful for a writer like ruta sepetys who bravely tells the hard story of what happens to the innocent when world leaders and their minions choose hate. She is arrested alongside her mother, elena, and tenyearold brother jonas.
They are to stay for almost a year and they are forced to leave. Overall, the story of between shades of gray takes place in the european and asian continents. Between shades of gray, ruta sepetys debut novel is not to be missed. The title of the book is between shades of gray, and these shades of gray can refer to several things. Before writing the book, ruta took two trips to lithuania. Thats a difference of almost 10 years and 5,500 miles from the setting of between shades of gray. Author ruta sepetys talks about the true history behind. Lithuania is a country that is located in northern europe. This month, im going to be talking about between shades of gray and its movie adaptation, ashes in the snow, since it seemed like a timely. Before the 2nd ww began the communist dictator stalin, knew war with the nazis was looming and had concerns about the baltic countries abilities to protect the russian border from hitler. The setting of the cattle cars is accurately represented in between shades of gray, mirroring the time period it represents. In the story lina is deported from her country, lithuania.
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. The main characters in the book thief and between shades of gray use art and literature as a means for empowering themselves within the conflictridden setting around them. Its been published as a young adult novel, but it is a novel for all ages. The novel is about a teenage girl named lina whose family was torn apart. My rating protagonist and antagonist continued setting theme this is what the prisoners looked like and did while at camps.
Shades of gray is a young adult novel that was written by carolyn reeder. The testimony of these characters is produced to create an absolute record, to speak in a world where their voices have been extinguished sepetys 338. Its the story of 15yearold lina, her younger brother, and their mother, whom the soviets deport from their lithuanian home to a siberian labor camp in 1941. Sunny solomon holds an ma in englishcreative writing, san francisco state university. Between shades of gray brings to light a period of ww2 history that has been overlooked or forgotten. In the book between shades of gray, ruta sepetys doesnt alter the settings of the novel. The gray wood was bald, shaved by many seasons of wind and snow. A moving and haunting novel for readers of the book thief fifteenyearold lina is a lithuanian girl living an ordinary lifeuntil soviet officers invade her home and tear her family apart. Separated from her father and forced onto a crowded train, lina, her. The novel, between shades of gray, mirrors the time period it took place in.
Richard peck, newbery awardwinning author of a year down yonder between shades of gray is a story of astonishing force. This novel starts in the year 1942 on june the 14th. Settings between shades of gray takes place in a lot of places. They started from lithuania and ended up in a concentration camp in siberia and the novel described the. In conclusion, the author of between shades of gray portrayed the setting accurately to describe the vast distance and places lina and her family traveled through. Between shades of gray symbols and motifs supersummary. In world war 2 people got deported from lithuania to siberia under the rule of stalin.