Tell us about Between Shades of Gray.
The book is about Lina, a fifteen-year-old girl who is deported from Lithuania to Siberia in 1941. The story chronicles not only Lina’s fight for survival but also her struggle to retain faith in mankind in the midst of Stalin’s terror. It explores the miracle that is hope and courage and also the miraculous power of the human spirit.
What motivated you to write Between Shades of Gray?
My grandfather was an officer in the Lithuanian army. While occupying Lithuania, Stalin was executing military officers, so my grandparents and father fled the country. Members of my grandfather’s family were deported to Siberia. I was not aware of the deportations until I went to Lithuania and met with relatives for the first time. I was shocked by their stories. In their fight against Hitler and the Nazis, the U.S. and Stalin were allies during World War II. After the war ended, many countries remained Soviet-occupied and couldn’t speak about the terrors they experienced. As a result, many people aren’t familiar with this part of history. I wanted to write a story that explained what happened in the Baltics and also bring attention to the crimes of Stalin.
There is so much history surrounding this era. How did you choose what to include and what to leave out?
Yes, there are so many dimensions to this part of history. But once I decided that I would focus on the group of people who were deported to the Arctic, I zeroed in on that story of survival and tried to concentrate on the Siberian experience.
Why do you think the history of the Soviet occupation of the Baltic States and the terrible genocide that occurred is not as well known as that of Hitler and the Jewish Holocaust?
After the war, if people spoke of the brutality they experienced it would have been considered anti-Soviet behavior and they would have been punished. So the story of Stalin’s terror went dormant. But it’s important to note that Lithuania was also occupied by the Germans during the war. Many people don’t know that during that time of German occupation, over 200,000 Lithuanian Jews were killed. That was an enormous percentage of the Lithuanian Jewish population. Lithuania suffered terribly under both Hitler and Stalin.
Your research for this project is amazing. What effect has your research had on your life?
Meeting and interviewing survivors was an incredible experience. But it was also difficult. It was very painful for some of the survivors to discuss traumas that had been dormant for so long. My heart absolutely ached as they wept telling me their stories. Because the Baltics were Soviet occupied until 1990—for over fifty years—people were not able to talk about what happened. Speaking of deportation or the gulags meant immediate arrest and imprisonment. Survivors learned to keep painful secrets and lived in fear for decades. In terms of the effect on me, I learned that those who show kindness in an atmosphere of cruelty are truly courageous. I also learned that I have so much to be thankful for every day.
What has been the reaction to the story from survivors?
The book is published in Lithuania by Alma Littera. I recently returned to Lithuania and met with the survivors who assisted with my research. Many of the characters’ experiences in the novel are things that survivors shared with me. They have read the book and are so gracious and supportive. I tell people that I wrote the book, but it’s not my story. The story belongs to the people of the Baltics and those who endured Stalin’s terror. I hope the novel creates interest in this part of history, so the real stories of the survivors can be unearthed and studied.
You mention in your Author’s Note that many paintings, drawings, and sketches similar to Lina’s drawings were made by deportees during this time. Now that Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia have regained their independence, are there any museums where these precious works of art are kept?
Yes, there are three wonderful museums in the Baltics that have pictorial histories, items that belonged to victims, and fascinating drawings created by deportees, similar to the ones I describe in the book:
1. The Museum of Genocide Victims in Vilnius, Lithuania.
2. The Museum of the Occupation of Latvia in Riga, Latvia.
3. The Museum of Occupations in Tallinn, Estonia.
What are your hopes for this book and its message?
I would love for the book to find its way to teachers and librarians so we can begin to examine this part of history, and the crimes of Stalin, more closely. In terms of a message, I see this as a love story. As I was writing the book I often asked myself, “Who survives this kind of thing? How in the world did anyone survive?” But all of the survivors had one thing in common, and that was love. They survived through love. Whether it was love of country, love for one another, or love of God, they chose to focus on that love, and it kept many people alive. Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia may be small countries, but they’ve taught the world large lessons about love and freedom through peaceful endurance and silence instead of violence.
What was the inspiration for the original title of the book?
We often categorize things in extremes, but things aren’t always black or white. Sometimes the truth lies somewhere in the middle, between shades of gray. I met some survivors who told me that a Soviet guard had helped them in some way or showed them a small kindness that saved their life. Such a person was a hero to me, and I wanted to include that heroic element in the novel. So I created the character of Kretzsky, a young man who can’t see things in black and white as the Soviet system demands of him. He has reverence for human life and is deeply conflicted. Through Kretzsky, the deportees see a bit of human kindness peeking out between the many shades of gray.