Between Shades of Gray, Week 1

Welcome to November's Online Book Club discussion. This month, we're reading Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys. 

The Online Book Club, if you've never joined us before, is a book discussion group that takes place entirely online. Each week, I write a new blog post that talks about different aspects of the book, and you can interact directly with me and other readers by leaving your comments. Check back each week and see what new topics we're talking about.

Between Shades of Gray follows 15-year-old Lina and her family after the Soviet secret police remove them from their home and send them to Siberia. Her father is separated from the family and is sentenced to death in a prison camp; Lina, her brother, and her mother are sentenced to hard labor for crimes against the government. Throughout this incredible story, Lina and her family fight to stay alive and to stay together, finding joy in little moments. Also, Lina works to keep her family's story alive by leaving drawings of her experience behind. This story is inspired by true events and shows the strength of human nature. 

If you want to follow along with us, but you aren't interested in reading the book, you can always watch the movie version, called Ashes In The Snow, which is available on Hoopla. I'm including the trailer above if you want to get a feel for the way the story plays out on screen. Feel free to still leave comments on the blog posts, even if you are only watching the film and not reading the book.

We'll be discussing chapters 1–28, so make sure you read those chapters before joining us next week. I look forward to hearing from you in the comments section.