''New York Times'' bestseller and was chosen as an Editor's Choice in ''The New York Times'' on February 15, 2013.
''
Salt to the Sea
''Salt to the Sea'' is a 2016 historical fiction young adult novel by Ruta Sepetys (book cover illustration and design by Matt Jones i UK). It tells the story of four individuals in World War II who make their way to the ill-fated MV ''Wilhe ...
''
''Salt to the Sea'' was published on February 2, 2016, and chronicles the 1945 refugee evacuation from East Prussia and the
MV ''Wilhelm Gustloff'' disaster.
The sinking of the
MV ''Wilhelm Gustloff'' is the single largest maritime disaster in history yet, to many, the story remains unknown. In their starred review,'' Publishers Weekly ''said,
"Sepetys delivers another knockout historical novel...she excels in shining light on lost chapters of history and this visceral novel proves a memorable testament to strength and resilience in the face of war and cruelty."
''The New York Times'' added this in their review of ''Salt to the Sea''—"Ruta Sepetys acts as champion of the interstitial people so often ignored—whole populations lost in the cracks of history." In June, 2017, ''Salt to the Sea'' was awarded The Carnegie Medal for stimulating empathy and solidarity.
''The Fountains of Silence''
Sepetys' novel, '' The Fountains of Silence'' was released on October 1, 2019. It is set in
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
during the dictatorship of Spain's
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War and thereafter ruled over Spain from 193 ...
. The story explores the repercussions of war and the complexities of the dictatorship in Spain.
One of the topics covered in the book is the
lost children of Francoism
The lost children of Francoism (; ; ) were the children abducted from Republican parents, who were either in jail or had been assassinated by Nationalist troops, during the Spanish Civil War and Francoist Spain. The kidnapped children were someti ...
, who were children abducted from
Spanish Republican
The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931, after the deposition of King Alfonso XIII, and was dissolved on 1 A ...
parents and given to families deemed "less degenerate". The number of abducted children is estimated to be up to 300,000.
The stolen children were sometimes also victims of
child trafficking
Trafficking of children is a form of human trafficking and is defined by the United Nations as the "recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, and/or receipt" kidnapping of a child for the purpose of slavery, forced labour and exploitation. ...
and illegal adoption.
''I Must Betray You''
As communist regimes are crumbling across Europe in 1989, ''I Must Betray You,'' published in 2022, describes seventeen year old Cristian Florescu's world in the isolation of
Ceaușescu's Romania. He must decide whether to be an informant or resist the regime.
Adaptations
''Between Shades of Gray'' has been released in an unabridged audiobook by Penguin Audio, narrated by Emily Klein; and has been translated into 30 languages and sold in as many countries.
It has also been adapted for film by Ben York Jones, directed by Marius A. Markevicius and produced by Chris Coen, Marius A. Markevicius, Žilvinas Naujokas, and Ruta Sepetys. The film is titled
Ashes in the Snow
''Ashes in the Snow'' is a World War II drama film based on ''The New York Times'' best selling novel '' Between Shades of Gray'' by Ruta Sepetys. The film is a coming-of-age tale of a young teenager named Lina who, with her mother and younge ...
and stars
Bel Powley
Isobel Dorothy Powley (born 7 March 1992) is an English actress. Powley was born and raised in London, where she was educated at Holland Park School. She began acting as a teenager on television, starring on the CBBC action television series ' ...
,
Martin Wallström
Carl Martin Gunnar Wallström Milkéwitz (born 7 July 1983) is a Swedish television and film actor. A successful actor in his home country, he is best known internationally for his 2015 American debut role as Tyrell Wellick in the USA Network cy ...
, and
Lisa Loven Kongsli. It release in Lithuania in October 2018, and release in the US in early 2019.
''Out of the Easy'' has been released in an unabridged audiobook by Listening Library and is narrated by Lauren Fortgang.
''Salt to the Sea'' has been released in an unabridged audiobook by Listening Library and is narrated by Jorjeana Marie, Will Damron, Cassandra Morris, and Michael Crouch.
In 2017, ''Salt to the Sea'' was optioned by
Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...
for film to be produced by
Lorenzo Di Bonaventura
Lorenzo di Bonaventura (; born January 13, 1957) is an American film producer and founder and owner of Di Bonaventura Pictures. He is best known for producing the G.I. Joe and ''Transformers'' film series. The films he produced have earned over ...
. The Screenplay was written by
Scott Neustadter
Scott Eric Neustadter (; born 1977) is an American screenwriter and producer. He often works with his writing partner, Michael H. Weber. The two writers are best known for writing the screenplay for the romantic comedy film ''500 Days of Summer ...
and
Michael H. Weber
Michael H. Weber (born January 13, 1978) is an American screenwriter and producer. He and his writing partner, Scott Neustadter, are best known for writing the screenplay for the romantic comedy film ''500 Days of Summer''. The film is based on t ...
whose credits include “500 Days of Summer,” “The Fault in Our Stars,” “Our Souls at Night,” and “The Disaster Artist”.
Recognition
Postage stamp
In June 2018, to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of Lithuania's original independence, the Postmaster General in Lithuania unveiled a commemorative set of postage stamps paying tribute to people whose work created and strengthened the awareness of Lithuania. Sepetys was one of those included in the series.
The Carnegie Medal
On June 19, 2017, Ruta Sepetys was awarded The
Carnegie Medal literary award in a ceremony at the Royal Institute of British Architects in London. "
Cross of the Knight
On June 6, 2013, Sepetys was awarded the Knight's Cross of the
Order for Merits to Lithuania
The Order for Merits to Lithuania ( lt, Ordinas Už nuopelnus Lietuvai) is an award, presented by the President of Lithuania, which may be conferred on the citizens of Lithuania and foreign nationals for distinguished services promoting name of Lit ...
. Sepetys was decorated for her contributions to education and culture in conjunction with her global efforts to share the history of totalitarianism in the Baltics.
The Rockefeller Foundation
In 2015, Sepetys was awarded the
Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The second-oldest major philanthropic institution in America, after the Carne ...
's Bellagio Center residency in
Lake Como
Lake Como ( it, Lago di Como , ; lmo, label=Western Lombard, Lagh de Còmm , ''Cómm'' or ''Cùmm'' ), also known as Lario (; after the la, Larius Lacus), is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. It has an area of , making it the thi ...
, Italy. As a Rockefeller Bellagio fellow, Sepetys was invited to spend a month at the Foundation's Bellagio Center interacting with other international resident thought leaders, policy makers, artists, and practitioners
Works
Books
* ''
Between Shades of Gray'' (2011)
* ''
Out of the Easy'' (2013)
* ''
Salt to the Sea
''Salt to the Sea'' is a 2016 historical fiction young adult novel by Ruta Sepetys (book cover illustration and design by Matt Jones i UK). It tells the story of four individuals in World War II who make their way to the ill-fated MV ''Wilhe ...
'' (2016)
* ''The Fountains of Silence'' (2019)
* ''I Must Betray You'' (2022)
Media articles and essays
*
*
*
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sepetys, Ruta
21st-century American novelists
American women novelists
American people of Lithuanian descent
Writers from Detroit
Hillsdale College alumni
Living people
1967 births
21st-century American women writers
Novelists from Michigan
Carnegie Medal in Literature winners