Ruta Sepetys

rutasepetys.com @RutaSepetys

Fiction Historical Fiction Young Adult

Ruta Sepetys is a critically acclaimed and bestselling author known for her historical fiction novels that highlight underrepresented stories.
Born and raised in Michigan to a refugee father, Sepetys is drawn to narratives of strength through struggle.
Her books, published in over 60 countries, have received numerous literary awards, including the Carnegie Medal.
Sepetys conducts extensive research for her novels, often interviewing survivors and visiting historical sites.
Her work aims to give voice to those who were unable to tell their own stories, focusing on hidden aspects of history to promote awareness and understanding among readers, particularly young adults.

Books by Ruta Sepetys

Between Shades of Gray

by Ruta Sepetys • 2011

A 15-year-old artist is sent to a Siberian gulag, where her drawings become her only defiance.

4.37

200k+

🏕️ Gulag Labor Camps ❄️ Siberian Exile 🎖️ Stalinist Russia 🖼️ Art As Witness 🕊️ Mother's Sacrifice

Between Shades of Gray

A 15-year-old artist is sent to a Siberian gulag, where her drawings become her only defiance.

by Ruta Sepetys 2011 344 pages

4.37

200k+ ratings

🏕️ Gulag Labor Camps ❄️ Siberian Exile 🎖️ Stalinist Russia 🖼️ Art As Witness 🕊️ Mother's Sacrifice

Salt to the Sea

by Ruta Sepetys • 2016

Four refugees fleeing the Red Army board a crowded ship, unaware of the submarines lurking below.

4.35

200k+

🚢 Wartime Evacuation 🌊 Maritime Disaster 🧊 Survival At Sea 👥 Multiple Pov 🎭 Hidden Identity

Salt to the Sea

Four refugees fleeing the Red Army board a crowded ship, unaware of the submarines lurking below.

by Ruta Sepetys 2016 391 pages

4.35

200k+ ratings

🚢 Wartime Evacuation 🌊 Maritime Disaster 🧊 Survival At Sea 👥 Multiple Pov 🎭 Hidden Identity

I Must Betray You

by Ruta Sepetys • 2022

Blackmailed by the secret police, a Romanian teen must spy on Americans or lose his family.

4.40

100k+

🏚️ Communist Romania 📹 Surveillance Paranoia 🕵️ Forced Informant ✍️ Writing As Resistance ⚖️ Moral Compromise

I Must Betray You

Blackmailed by the secret police, a Romanian teen must spy on Americans or lose his family.

by Ruta Sepetys 2022 321 pages

4.40

100k+ ratings

🏚️ Communist Romania 📹 Surveillance Paranoia 🕵️ Forced Informant ✍️ Writing As Resistance ⚖️ Moral Compromise

The Fountains of Silence

by Ruta Sepetys • 2019

An American photographer falls for a hotel maid in 1957 Madrid, where her silence hides a crime.

4.30

83k+

🕊️ Post-Civil War Spain 🏴 Franco's Dictatorship 🇺🇸 American Abroad 💔 Forbidden Romance 🏨 Hotel Setting

The Fountains of Silence

An American photographer falls for a hotel maid in 1957 Madrid, where her silence hides a crime.

by Ruta Sepetys 2019 495 pages

4.30

83k+ ratings

🕊️ Post-Civil War Spain 🏴 Franco's Dictatorship 🇺🇸 American Abroad 💔 Forbidden Romance 🏨 Hotel Setting

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