Melissa Smith

Melissa Smith asked Ruta Sepetys:

HI RUTA . I love your books , I have read all of them . I love historical Fiction . I have a Polish and Ukrainian Background . My grandmother and grandfather had to leave their homeland which was Ukraine and Poland. My grandmother was from Lviv and i enjoyed seeing that in Salt and the sea. My question is what is your cultural background and why did you decide to write about that time period ?

Ruta Sepetys Hi Melissa!

How fascinating that your grandmother was from Lviv. I loved incorporating the city into "Salt to the Sea." My cultural background - my father is from Lithuania and my mother's family was from the region that was formerly West Prussia. I was inspired to write about that time period to bring awareness to the history of that part of the world. :)

More Answered Questions

Grace Meredith

Grace Meredith asked Ruta Sepetys:

Hello Ruta! You are the one who definitely got me into historical fiction, and thank you so much! My question for you would be: do you believe that younger students (elementary-middle grades) should be shielded from the hardships and terrors of our history? Because I definitely wouldn't want to have my siblings (and children, someday) think that everything was just hunky-dory back then.

Alen

Alen asked Ruta Sepetys:

Hello Ruta. I had to read your book "Between Shades Of Gray" in high school for my English class and I still remember it. It kind of reminds me of the movie, "The Way Back" (2000). Just a quick question. Do you ever get writer's block and if so, what do you do to overcome it? Thanks.

Justine Sabiiti

Justine Sabiiti asked Ruta Sepetys:

what made you like history?

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