Ruta Sepetys

Ruta Sepetys

Born Ruta Sepetys
(1967-11-19) November 19, 1967
Detroit, Michigan, United States
Occupation Writer
Nationality American
Notable works
Website
rutasepetys.com

Ruta Sepetys or Rūta Šepetys (born November 19, 1967) is a Lithuanian-American writer of historical fiction. She is best known for her novel, Between Shades of Gray, which was a New York Times Bestseller and Carnegie Medal finalist. Sepetys is a Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Fellow and the first American writer of young adult literature to speak at the European Parliament.[1][2] Her work is published in over fifty countries and thirty languages.[3]

Biography

Sepetys was born in Detroit, Michigan, the daughter of a Lithuanian refugee. She holds a B.S. in International Finance from Hillsdale College. While in school Sepetys also studied at the Centre d’études Européennes in Toulon, France and at the ICN in Nancy, France.[4]

Following graduation Sepetys moved to Los Angeles. In 1994 she launched Sepetys Entertainment Group, Inc., an entertainment management firm representing Grammy-award-winning guitarist Steve Vai, Orange County modern rock band Lit, and Emmy-nominated film composer Niels Bye Nielsen. In 2002 Sepetys was featured in Rolling Stone magazine’s 'Women in Rock' special issue as a woman driven to make a difference. Sepetys is on the Board of Advisors for the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business at Belmont University and is also a director of the Make a Noise Foundation, a national non-profit that raises money for music education. Sepetys published her first novel in 2011 and currently resides in Nashville, TN.[5]

Between Shades of Gray

Her first novel, Between Shades of Gray, about the Genocide of Baltic people after the Soviet occupation in 1941, was critically acclaimed[6] and translated into over 22 different languages.[7][8] At Sepetys' request, musician Gavin Mikhail composed a piano soundtrack to accompany the book.[9]

The book is considered a roman à clef, with fictional characters wrapped around actual events and experiences. Ruta states that the novel represents the "extreme suffering and tremendous hope" displayed by the people of the Baltics.[10][10]

In March 2013, Ruta became the first American author of young adult literature to give a presentation at the European Parliament. Her discussion with MEPs in Brussels centered on the novel, the history of totalitarianism in the Baltics, and the importance of historical fiction.[11]

Sepetys is a writer of historical fiction. Although Between Shades of Gray was initially written for children and young adults, the book has been widely read by many and considered a book for all ages.[12]

Out of the Easy

Main article: Out of the Easy

Out of the Easy is Sepetys' second published novel. It was released on February 12, 2013[13] and features Josie Moraine, a young woman in the 1950s French Quarter of New Orleans who struggles to escape her family and become the author of her own destiny. The novel became a New York Times bestseller and was chosen as an Editor’s Choice in the New York Times on February 15, 2013.[14]

Salt to the Sea

Main article: Salt to the Sea

Sepetys's new novel, Salt to the Sea, was published on February 2, 2016 and chronicles the 1945 refugee evacuation from East Prussia and the MV Wilhelm Gustloff disaster.[15] The sinking of the MV Wilhelm Gustloff is the single greatest maritime disaster in history yet, to many, the story remains unknown. In their starred review, Publishers Weekly said, "Sepetys delivers another knockout historical novel...she excels in shining light on lost chapters of history and this visceral novel proves a memorable testament to strength and resilience in the face of war and cruelty." [16] School Library Journal added this in their starred review of Salt to the Sea—"Artfully told and sensitively crafted, Sepetys’s exploration of this little-known piece of history will leave readers weeping."[17]

Recognition

Cross of the Knight

On June 6, 2013, Sepetys was awarded Lithuania's Cross of the Knight of the Order. The honor of Knight was bestowed by the President of Lithuania in a formal ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Vilnius. Sepetys was decorated for her contributions to education and culture in conjunction with her global efforts to share the history of totalitarianism in the Baltics.[18]

The Rockefeller Foundation

In 2015, Sepetys was awarded the Rockefeller Foundation's prestigious Bellagio Center residency in Lake Como, Italy. As a Rockefeller Bellagio fellow, Sepetys was invited to spend a month at the Foundation's Bellagio Center interacting with other international resident thought leaders, policy makers, artists, and practitioners who share in the Foundation’s pioneering mission to "promote the well-being of humanity."[19]

Between Shades of Gray

Honors in the US
International
US state honors

Out of the Easy

Honors in the US
International Honors
State Reading Lists & Awards

[22]

Works

Books
Radio essays

[23]

Media articles and essays

[25]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.booksfromlithuania.lt/en/node/10769
  2. ↑ http://www.ew.com/article/2015/04/27/books-marvel-release-comic-book-series-based-guardians-galaxys-drax-destroyer
  3. ↑ http://rutasepetys.com/books/between-shades-of-gray/international/
  4. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20110926082547/http://www.rutasepetys.com/about.html. Archived from the original on September 26, 2011. Retrieved October 5, 2011. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. ↑ Alexandra Alter, "An Unlikely Story for Teens". The Wall Street Journal.
  6. ↑ Park, Linda Sue (April 8, 2011). "A Teenager's View of the Gulag". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  7. ↑ "The official website of author Ruta E. Sepetys". Rutasepetys.com. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
  8. ↑ MacPherson, Karen (June 4, 2011). "'Between Shades of Gray' reveals horror and hope". Seattle Times Newspaper. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  9. ↑ "Gavin Mikhail Newsletter: April 13, 2011". gavinmikhail.com. Retrieved 2012-04-28.
  10. 1 2 "Official Book Website for Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys". Betweenshadesofgray.com. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
  11. ↑ Brus, Mitja. "The week on the EP Library's blog: Ruta Sepetys | European Parliamentary Research Service". Libraryeuroparl.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
  12. ↑ "Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys - review | Children's books". London: theguardian.com. 2011-05-04. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
  13. ↑ http://www.penguin.com/book/out-of-the-easy-by-ruta-sepetys/9780399256929
  14. ↑ "Editors' Choice". The New York Times. 2013-02-15. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
  15. ↑ http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/311729/salt-to-the-sea-by-ruta-sepetys/9780399160301/
  16. ↑ http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-399-16030-1
  17. ↑ http://www.slj.com/2015/12/reviews/books/salt-to-the-sea-by-ruta-sepetys-slj-review/
  18. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20130803205929/http://www.cbcbooks.org/sub-news.php?id=1110. Archived from the original on August 3, 2013. Retrieved July 25, 2013. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  19. ↑ https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/our-work/bellagio-center/
  20. ↑ "Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture | Official Website". Balzekasmuseum.org. 2013-12-07. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
  21. ↑ Kuprytė, Vida (December 10, 2013). "Rašytoja Rūta Šepetys - Balzeko muziejaus "Metų žmogus"". Draugas (in Lithuanian). Chicago, IL: Lithuanian Catholic Press Society. p. 1,6.
  22. ↑ http://rutasepetys.com/books/out-of-the-easy/awards/
  23. ↑ Sepetys, Ruta. "In Wordless Imagery, An Immigrant's Timeless Tale". NPR. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
  24. ↑ Sepetys, Ruta. "Two Gray Titles, One Sexy Mix-Up". NPR. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
  25. ↑ "Ruta Sepetys: My Family's Story". Huffingtonpost.com. 2012-11-26. Retrieved 2014-02-23.

External links

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