In my opinion, Between Shades of Gray was an interesting, entertaining, yet educational book. Of course I'd known of the Holocaust, as it was such a large and widely-known event of history, but I'd never really heard much of what Stalin and the Soviets did to the Baltic countries. I never knew that so many people suffered that way in that area of Europe for no reason, in a similar way to the Holocaust. I think that this book is great just for that reason. This novel can help teach about what really happened in those Baltic countries in an interesting way. Another thing I really enjoyed about this novel was the great imagery that the author used. With vivid descriptions and beautiful imagery, I was really able to picture each character and setting. That's one thing that I feel really added to my interest in the book.
One thing I realized while reading this book is that we may be missing so many important parts of our history. In today's world, not many people would have much knowledge on what Stalin did in World War II. I think it's important that we learn about these things so that people can be aware and they don't happen again. This whole aspect of the war had an affect on many people. It caused tragedies, illnesses, and pain to victims and their families. Most of all, these events left a huge mark on many people, but somehow, they slipped right through our history. I believe books like this are really important because they can remind us that things like these did happen, that people suffered in these cruel ways, and that it should never, ever happen again. I felt that this book really did help my understanding of the cruelty that occurred during World War II.
I felt that this book provided great entertainment with an effective aspect of historical education. Between the thrilling plot and the exquisite characters, the book was extremely pleasant to read. I found times where I couldn't put the book down because I just HAD to know what happened next. It included plot twists filled with melancholy, some that had me on the verge of tears, and intriguing situations that had me rooting for characters to survive. I loved that in the end, the kinder sides of characters began to show, and that it did end happily. I have practically nothing negative to comment about the novel. With no doubt, I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.
One thing I realized while reading this book is that we may be missing so many important parts of our history. In today's world, not many people would have much knowledge on what Stalin did in World War II. I think it's important that we learn about these things so that people can be aware and they don't happen again. This whole aspect of the war had an affect on many people. It caused tragedies, illnesses, and pain to victims and their families. Most of all, these events left a huge mark on many people, but somehow, they slipped right through our history. I believe books like this are really important because they can remind us that things like these did happen, that people suffered in these cruel ways, and that it should never, ever happen again. I felt that this book really did help my understanding of the cruelty that occurred during World War II.
I felt that this book provided great entertainment with an effective aspect of historical education. Between the thrilling plot and the exquisite characters, the book was extremely pleasant to read. I found times where I couldn't put the book down because I just HAD to know what happened next. It included plot twists filled with melancholy, some that had me on the verge of tears, and intriguing situations that had me rooting for characters to survive. I loved that in the end, the kinder sides of characters began to show, and that it did end happily. I have practically nothing negative to comment about the novel. With no doubt, I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.