Ruta Sepetys Popular Books

Ruta Sepetys Biography & Facts

Ruta Sepetys (Lithuanian: Rūta Šepetys; born November 19, 1967) is a Lithuanian-American writer of historical fiction. As an author, she is a New York Times and international bestseller and winner of the Carnegie Medal and The Josette Frank Award for Fiction. She is a Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Fellow and the first American writer of young adult literature to speak at the European Parliament and NATO. Her work has been published in over sixty countries and forty languages and is currently in development for film and television. Biography Born in Michigan, Sepetys is the daughter of a Lithuanian refugee. She earned a B.S. in International Finance from Hillsdale College. While overseas, she studied at the Centre d’études Européennes in Toulon, France, and at the ICN Graduate Business School in Nancy, France.Following graduation, she moved to Los Angeles. In 1994, she launched Sepetys Entertainment Group, Inc., an entertainment management firmIn 2002, Sepetys was featured in Rolling Stone magazine's "Women in Rock" special issue as a woman driven to make a difference. She is on the Board of Advisors for the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business at Belmont University and is also a director of the Make a Noise Foundation, a national non-profit that raises money for music education. Sepetys published her first novel in 2011 and currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee. She has been described as a "seeker of lost stories" who hopes to give voice to those who weren't able to tell their story. Fiction Between Shades of Gray Her first novel, Between Shades of Gray, about a teenage girl deported from her native Lithuania to Siberian Gulag labor camps after the Soviet occupation in 1941, was critically acclaimed and translated into over 30 languages.The book is considered a roman à clef, with fictional characters wrapped around actual events and experiences. Ruta states that the novel represents the "extreme suffering and tremendous hope" displayed by the people of the Baltics.In March 2013, Ruta became the first American author of young adult literature to give a presentation at European Parliament. Her discussion with MEPs in Brussels centered on the novel, the history of totalitarianism in the Baltics, and the importance of historical fiction. The novel is developed as a film, Ashes in the Snow. Sepetys is a writer of historical fiction. Although Between Shades of Gray was initially written for children and young adults, the book has been widely read by many worldwide and is considered a book for all ages. Out of the Easy Out of the Easy is Sepetys' second published novel. It was released on February 12, 2013 and features Josie Moraine, a young woman in the 1950s French Quarter of New Orleans who struggles to escape her family and become the author of her own destiny. The story explores themes of feminism in historical context and post-war America. The novel became a 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 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 during the dictatorship of Spain's Francisco Franco. 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, who were children abducted from Spanish Republican 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 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 Nicolae Ceaușescu's Romania. He must decide whether to be an informant or resist the regime. This book also won the Yoto Carnegie Shadower's Award for writing in 2023. 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 and stars Bel Powley, Martin Wallström, 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 for film to be produced by Lorenzo Di Bonaventura. The Screenplay was written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber 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 in a ceremony at the Royal Institute of British Architects in London. She also won the Shadower's Award on June 21, 2023 for "I Must Betray You " Children's Book Committee of Bank Street College of Education Sepetys has been recognized multiple times by the Children's Book Committee of Bank Street College of Education. She won the 2023 Josette Frank Award for Fiction for I Must Betray You, which was also listed as a Best Children's Book of the Year with Outstanding Merit. Between Shades of Gray received an Outstanding Merit recognition as a 2012 Best Children's Book of the.... Discover the Ruta Sepetys popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Ruta Sepetys books.

Best Seller Ruta Sepetys Books of 2024

  • The Light in Hidden Places synopsis, comments

    The Light in Hidden Places

    Sharon Cameron

    The extraordinary story of Stefania Podgórska, a Polish teenager who chose bravery and humanity by hiding thirteen Jews in her attic during WWII, from #1 New York Times bestselling...

  • The War Outside synopsis, comments

    The War Outside

    Monica Hesse

    From the bestselling and awardwinning author of Girl in the Blue Coat, comes an extraordinary novel of conviction, friendship, and betrayal, when two teenage girls meet in an Ameri...

  • The Poetry of Secrets synopsis, comments

    The Poetry of Secrets

    Cambria Gordon

    Perfect for fans of Ruta Sepetys and Elizabeth Wein, this lyrical portrait of hidden identities and forbidden love is set against the harrowing backdrop of the Spanish Inquisition....

  • Waiting for the Storks synopsis, comments

    Waiting for the Storks

    Katrina Nannestad

    The powerful new novel from master storyteller Katrina Nannestad.I don't want to remember the truck, or the night I was taken, or the family I left behind. I am not a sad Polish gi...

  • The Gospel of Winter synopsis, comments

    The Gospel of Winter

    Brendan Kiely

    “In a lyrical and hardhitting exploration of betrayal and healing, the son of a Connecticut socialite comes to terms with his abuse at the hands of a beloved priest” (Kirkus Review...

  • Il tatuatore di Auschwitz synopsis, comments

    Il tatuatore di Auschwitz

    Heather Morris

    UN BESTSELLER PLURIPREMIATO, OLTRE 1 MILIONE DI COPIE VENDUTE. UN LIBRO CHE SCUOTE LE COSCIENZE«Una storia potente su come il vero amore riesca a nascere anche nelle condizioni più...

  • Blitzkrieg synopsis, comments

    Blitzkrieg

    Brian Falkner

    An intriguing and thoughtprovoking WWII novel inspired by real events from the international awardwinning author Brian Falkner!In Naziruled Germany, Joe St. George is forced to wat...

  • Bluebird synopsis, comments

    Bluebird

    Sharon Cameron

    Author of Reese's Book Club YA Pick The Light in Hidden Places, Sharon Cameron, delivers an emotionally gripping and utterly immersive thriller, perfect for fans of Ruta Sepetys's ...

  • Wolves at the Door synopsis, comments

    Wolves at the Door

    Steve Watkins

    War. Wilderness. And the will to live.In August of 1944, the Soviet Red Army finally reaches the edge of Hitler’s spreading empire. The two armies clash in bloody battles amid the ...

  • Las fuentes del silencio synopsis, comments

    Las fuentes del silencio

    Ruta Sepetys

    En plena época del colaboracionismo con Estados Unidos, España recibe una multitud de turistas y empresarios extranjeros que llegan al país tras la reciente apertura económica. Ent...