Between Shades of Gray

I read this book in one day because it was too sad to drag out over multiple days. I originally read thirty pages of this book months ago, but then it was too sad. I couldn't pick it up again. But I reached the limit on renewals on it at the library, so I had to just power through. I powered through, and damn. It was good but holy hell was it hard to read. The thing, too, is I learned a lot of shocking things. This book was about how Stalin deported tons of people from throughout the USSR and sent them to slave labor camps, where so, so many of them died from overwork and neglect and cruel treatment. I knew Stalin was a bad man -- that doesn't even begin to describe it. I knew he had thousands of people in the USSR killed. I just didn't really comprehend how far-reaching that went, between the expanse of territory from which he took people and also how long it lasted. At the end of the book, there was a letter that explained that survivors of these slave labor camps were eventually allowed to go home, but weren't allowed to talk about their experiences at all until their country became their own again. For Lithuania, which is where the main character is from, this didn't happen until 1995. That's insane. The amount of crimes we as humans can hide or pretend isn't happening is insane and unacceptable. We need to remember to speak up. We need to speak up for Syrian refugees, for gay people being straight-up murdered in Chechnya, for innocent people being rounded up and deported in the U.S. We need to remember that we need to be compassionate, with each other and with ourselves. We don't really get anywhere by making sure only our people are the ones being taken care of. I think those people who only care about themselves and not their neighbor forget about that old poem: I didn't say anything when they came for the Jews, because I wasn't a Jew, etc. And then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak up. Your turn will always come, if we don't collectively stand up for each other and for what is right.

I recommend this book to everyone, but especially to people who think that their only job it to take care of their own and no one else. Humanity is the responsibility of all of us, and it is by taking responsibility that we can retain our humanity.

The fact that is based off of a true story makes it even more sadder. I love the book. The Arthur did a great job.

I really enjoyed this book. It truly makes me sad that history has such dark secrets like this book illustrated. Not only is it sad that something like this happened, but it is also sad that to this day, whoever experienced this or the family members who came after this were not allowed to speak of this at all; but to just act like this event never happened. I enjoyed the character development and how each character had a special purpose in this book. What I especially liked about this book is how throughout the story, Lina used past scenarios or memories to incorporate more of an elaboration on the current situation.

I don’t understand the hype. This book dragged on and on. Then it just ended.... there are much better WWII historical fiction books.

Lauren's August 2022 Pick