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Reader rating: 4.33 out of 5 (6 reviews)
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6 out of 6 readers would recommend this to a friend.
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| Gray Ghosts of Lithuania | March 29, 2012 |
| By: mariachong | Tacoma, Washington (US) | |
Meaningful, sombre and beautiful book about a teen girl and her family who are deported during the Soviet occupation of Lithuania. A story of survival and resilience, of great love and hope in the midst of extreme deprivation. One of my favorite Young Adult novels in a long time.
It's along the lines of "The Diary of Anne Frank"--deals with mature subject matter along with the emotions and details of a young girl's life. The juxtaposition of teenage dreams and desires, along with the shadow of imprisonment, gives it a freshness despite the heavy subject matter. Lina and her mother are both admirable, brave characters who exhibit grace while suffering terrible cruelty.
Some descriptions of the suffering are graphic and may not be appropriate for younger readers (high school and mature middle school readers will be fine).
I have a longer review with some historical context on my blog, if you care to read more.
http://mariagudaitis.com/post/20098636057/the-gray-ghosts-of-lithuania
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| Ultimate Forgiveness | March 09, 2012 |
| By: Mandy_13 | Kenton, Ohio (US) | |
In this story Lina and her family are uprooted from their home and way of life. This book sheds light on those who suffered in work camps and mistreated during World War II. "Between Shades of Gray" gives a voice to those who lost their life during this time, and never got to tell their story. Instead of holding a grudge against the Soviet Union, they moved on and prayed for peace.
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1
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| Between Shades of Gray | July 27, 2011 |
| By: BPLTeens | Bedford, New Hampshire (US) | |
Yet another amazing book that captures another part of the Holocause and not exactly the Jewish, but what happened to those who helped the Jewish people. Lina and her family endure the ultimate struggle, only to make it out alive in the end.
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-2
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| Between Shades of Gray | July 27, 2011 |
| By: BPLTeens | Bedford, New Hampshire (US) | |
Great mix of history with romance and suffering. Kept me on my feet.
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| Heart wrenching story | July 26, 2011 |
| By: Afton | Hillsboro, Oregon (US) | |
Heart wrenching story of a young Lithuanian girl who is uprooted and forced into a prison camp by the Russians during Stalin's rule. The horrors of the situation are skillfully laid bare without the use of graphic detail, which I feel is the book's biggest strength. I don't gravitate naturally towards this kind of story but kept seeing it on lists of notable books of 2011. Most impressiveis the message that one need not return hate for hate - that a person can lose all she has, but still retain the ability to choose how she responds to those around her.
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5
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| of tremendous informative value | April 18, 2011 |
| By: shanti | TRAC, Alberta (CA) | |
If you ever wanted to know the true story of the Soviet empire, this book is a really good source of information. I grew up (and spent most of my adult life) in Lithuania - it was extremely strange to have history change on me overnight! During Soviet era at school, we were taught that Lithuania joined the Soviet Union voluntarily. Deep down I knew it was not the case, but the official version we were fed was that. This book tells the World what really happened, and it was likely one of the scariest experiences in human history.
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9
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