YA Book Review: Between Shades of Gray

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Some books outgrow their jackets.

They are bigger and stronger than advertised, and can not be contained by genre.

I see young adults reading some books traditionally thought of as adult fiction, and I see adults devouring books marketing for the the younger reader.

For instance, over the past three months, individual 8th grade students have read and book-talked The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand; Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier; The Shining, by Stephen King; A Long Way Gone, by Ishmael Beah, Flags of Our Fathers, by James Bradley, and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams, among many others. Where and when book and reader meet is a very personal relationship dependent on our tastes, friendships, and exposure.

In this regard, Between Shades of Gray, by Ruta Sepetys outgrows its compass. While I have a strong affection for historical fiction, this book is bigger than the YA genre and it is perfect for the YA genre just for that reason. Young adults need books like this regardless if its message is delivered in Middle Earth, down the rabbit hole, or in Siberia. This is the book I will book talk to my class after the holiday, and it is the book I hope they will be drawn to read and share.

Sepetys, in a larger sense, tells her story against the backdrop of Stalin's icy grip on the victimized Baltic people during WWII: Lithuanians, Latvians, and Estonians. Here the protagonist's family (Lina Vilkas) is sent on an arduous journey to die in the frozen wasteland Siberia. The important element is not in who lives or dies, or who is to blame, or who is left for our hate. Rather, the heart of this story is in the strength of humanity--incredibly, I found no hatred for the cruel beasts raking their prejudice and hatred upon the victims. Instead, my energy was drawn to the spirit of the survivors, to the resilience of being human. As one hardship falls after another, I could feel the strength mounting inside Lina--it was subtle, but her actions built the evidence of the undeniable strength forged within people in trying circumstances.

This is the same focus I find so many of my students have upon meeting Anne Frank for the first time. After the initial gusts of "why?" and the horrific Nazi state recedes as a black backdrop--present, but put in its place--my students have always written about Anne's spirit. Instead of walking away from these stories with hatred or fear cradling our hearts, we walk away with a better understanding of the importance of tolerance, culture, and kindness.

Much in Between Shades of Gray can be compared to the hatred and conditions the Jews found in concentration camps--while one human starved in the bitter cold, another fattened in warmth. While the Jews battled dysentery, lice, and meager rations, the Nazis danced with comfort, sipped cognac amid gauzy cigarette smoke, and ate tender beef and puffy pastry with relish. So too the Lithuanians suffered like despised animals looking down the barrels of Russian guns.

I loved Between Shades of Gray because it unravelled a period of history I know very little about. Yet, at the same time, it reminded me of the aspects of humanity that we all know a lot about, and can't ever get enough reminders of: love, hope, perseverance, kindness, faith, memory, family, and compassion. I see the same messages each year when I read and teach The Diary of Anne Frank. I find the same message almost daily in an 8th grade student's essay or entry in a writer's notebook--the beauty of humanity is far stronger than the bitterness of hatred.

I hope my students read Between Shades of Gray for many reasons (the brutality of history, its elegant writing) but I especially hope that its frank reminder to never quit, never let go, and never, ever, give your enemies anything--not even your fear.

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Whitewashing...I almost can't believe it.

I learned something new today.

Some YA literature features something called a "whitewashed" cover..and it really disturbs me.

Apparently, when a YA book has an international protagonist or a character of color who appears on the cover, someone in charge of book covers or marketing or editing...someone...makes a rather peculiar decision.

The cover gets "whitewashed"...that is, the cover depicts a Caucasian model.

To counter the obvious racist undertones of this decision, something else can happen...the cover shows a character whose race isn't really clear.

or...and this one made me angriest of all because of I could think of a book immediately that this is true of...the Vietnamese character in Inside Out & Back Again (a recent favorite of mine) is shown as a silhouette.  As you can see from the cover, it won a Newberry Award, a National Book Award, among many other adulations. A significant portion of my anger is directed at myself...because I did not notice it, and never have.

It makes me feel as though I am unobservant or insensitive to the issue. Now that I have read about this issue, I plan on scanning my book shelves in school to see if I catch any of these "whitewashing" techniques at work.

This blog post by a librarian was the first I read about whitewashing.

This blog post by a favorite YA author of mine, Mitali Perkins, addresses the challenges of race in YA literature and is well worth reading. Very illuminating and thought-provoking.

Students Write on Their Own After Tragedy

Click to make it larger and readable.

Several of my 8th graders went home after school, heard the news, and took to writing to sort it out for themselves. I only know this because they posted their thoughts to the classroom blog. 

This surprised me.

Sometimes I look at my students and remind myself that they are young, with young minds, no matter how much they want to be older, and heard.

While I can't make them older, and shouldn't, I can help them be heard. 

First, by listening. 

My student teacher just finished her time with us and I hope that lesson, first and foremost remained impressed upon her. Children and adolescents are so used to being talked to by adults. Talked TO. --comes with the territory in many cases (and is often unavoidable and necessary). 

The thing is, when it is time to listen, adults have to exaggerate the listening. We have to let them realize they are being listened to--and we don't always need to give them an answer.

Often, a student will tell himself/herself that mom and dad do not listen or talk with--even though in most cases they do. That is also part of the deal, moms and dads--youth must find their way to be mature enough to understand the difference.

For example, regarding maturity, I overheard an 8th grade student complain to another about a teacher yesterday:

"I better not get anything lower than a B on this algebra test--I mean, I went in for like 20 minutes of extra math help, and she didn't even help me."

"She wouldn't help you?"

"No, she was helping, but I like, sat there for 20 minutes and she totally wouldn't help me. I'm going to be so pissed at her if she gives me anything less than a B."

I could go on about the expectation of passive learning that some young people assume--learning is uncomfortable, school should be like a car wash where knowledge gets put on you...etc.

Sometimes we wish they saw things the way they need to be seen. And sometimes they do--and it surprises us.

And so, I found myself both caught off guard and pleased that a few students used the classroom blog to reach out to write and be heard about yesterday's event. 

It made me consider that writing, and in this case the blog, is in some respects that quiet listener we all need, especially young minds. They know the blog is "public" within our classes. They know they can, and most probably will, receive comments from their peers and me.

Teaching students about all different types of writing can be rewarding in and of itself--I read some beautiful sentiments about pets, grandparents, dreams, and their lives. However, last night's discovery provided a different type of reward--I am proud of the perspectives their young minds have forming in the wake of a national tragedy.

I'm glad they found an outlet that listens and talks with. 

And I am wondering, what if the national conversation included young people. Would we be ashamed by what they told us?