Between Shades of Gray

The horrors of Hitler and the Holocaust are well known events during World War II, but many people don’t know that Stalin killed over 20 million people in the same time frame, either by murder or starving them to death in Siberian work camps. Between Shades of Gray uncovers the lost story of the millions of Lithuanian, Estonian, Latvian, and Finnish lives lost. The Baltic states annexation, the harsh conditions of Siberia, and the fearful lives they had to lead after being freed are wonderfully depicted in the novel.

In Between Shades of Gray, Lina lives in Lithuania, one of the three Baltic states occupied by the Soviet Union. In the novel Lina describes how she feels about the annexation. She says, “ ‘I think Josef Stalin is a bully. I think we should push his troops out of Lithuania. They shouldn’t be allowed to come and take whatever they please…’ ” She also made her own political cartoons depicting Stalin in a clown suit, much to her father's horror as it also depicted himself and some colleagues making fun of Stalin. In her flashbacks, Lina’s father is discussing the new government put into place by Stalin, and how he is ruining their country. Many Lithuanians, Etonians, and Latvians felt the same way. In August 1939, Stalin accepted Hitler's non-aggression pact. As a part of this pact, Germany got Poland, and Russia got Latvia and Estonia. Later the Soviets and the Lithuanians signed the Soviet-Lithuanian Mutual Assistance Treaty. According to this treaty, Lithuania would allow the Soviets to set up five military bases with 20,000 troops across their country. This treaty was very similar to the ones the Soviet Union signed with Estonia and with Latvia. The Baltic States agreed to the treaty because the Soviets said they wer...

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... them in time capsules to be discovered sometime in the future, so people could know the truth. When Lina returned 12 years after being arrested, she included all of her drawings, stories, and experiences in her time capsule, which was not found for 40 years. Even today, some surviving Lithuanians refuse to talk about their experiences. Lithuanian survivor Bronislave Abukauskiene said “I don't like to talk about this, because when I do my heart aches. It hurts too much.”

The Lithuanians and surround nations had very difficult lives during World War II. They were taken from their homes, worked to death in Siberia, and returned with nothing to live a distressing life. But even after their terrible circumstance, they still find hope. They hope people will one day know their stories, and recognize the pain that filled their bones and the love that healed their souls.