My expectations when I read a book by Ruta Sepetys are as high as it gets, and every single time she delivers. One of the things I most appreciate is how much of her research she shared in this one, with an extensive list of sources and resources used, driving home that while the main character may be fictional, very real people lived through this- and, while we can, it's worth it to get their stories down, as many people who lived through these events will still be alive, and even relatively young.
Like, I believe, many Americans, I didn't have a strong grasp on Romania's history. When I was in school, this was probably too recent to qualify as "history" (a true sign you are getting older, when things you've been alive for are now history), but I would have been too young when this story is set in 1989 to have been cognizant of any news around it. Reading what these characters experience is brutal- and Sepetys does an incredible job of building up to the ultimate atrocities and heroics happening during the revolution. Throughout the story, though, as you recognize the lack of information the characters had and the lengths they had to go to to find truth and accurate, timely information, you remember how important it is to read and remember what has happened.
Like, I believe, many Americans, I didn't have a strong grasp on Romania's history. When I was in school, this was probably too recent to qualify as "history" (a true sign you are getting older, when things you've been alive for are now history), but I would have been too young when this story is set in 1989 to have been cognizant of any news around it. Reading what these characters experience is brutal- and Sepetys does an incredible job of building up to the ultimate atrocities and heroics happening during the revolution. Throughout the story, though, as you recognize the lack of information the characters had and the lengths they had to go to to find truth and accurate, timely information, you remember how important it is to read and remember what has happened.