Ruta Sepetys

Ruta Sepetys was born and raised in Michigan in a family of artists, readers, and music lovers. Her award-winning debut novel, Between Shades of Gray was inspired by her family's history in Lithuania and is published in 40 countries. Out of the Easy is set in the French Quarter of New Orleans in 1950. A historical tale of secrets and lies, Out of the Easy is a story of identity, family, and the haunting reminder that decisions can shape our destiny. Ruta lives with her family in Tennessee. Her newest novel, Salt to the Sea, is a story about the thousands of children who were orphaned during WWII.
Stories of war are often read and discussed worldwide by readers whose nations stood on opposite sides during battle. History divided us, but through reading we can be united in story, study and remembrance. Books join us together as a global reading community, and more importantly, a global human community striving to learn from the past.

For more about Ruta and her works, go to http://www.rutasepetys.com

Reviews of Salt to the Sea

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.

-- Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

An impeccably researched story of hardship and survival in Eastern Europe... a narrative that is
as much about the intricacies of human nature as it is about a historical catastrophe. In many
ways, the greatest punishment--and the greatest of all tragedies--is to be forgotten. This haunting gem of a novel begs to be remembered, and in turn, it tries to remember the thousands of real people its fictional characters represent. What it asks of us is that their
memories, and their stories, not be abandoned to the sea.

-- Booklist, Starred Review