Ruta Sepetys

Ruta Sepetys
Born Ruta Sepetys
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. Her debut novel, Between Shades of Gray, was a New York Times Bestseller. It chronicles Joseph Stalin's reign of terror in the Baltics and was inspired by her family history.[1]

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.[2]

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.[3]

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[4] and translated into over 22 different languages.[5][6] At Sepetys' request, musician Gavin Mikhail composed a piano soundtrack to accompany the book.[7]

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.[8][8]

In March 2013, Ruta became the first American author of young adult literature to give a presentation at European Parliament. Her discussion with MEP’s in Brussels centered on the novel, the history of totalitarianism in the Baltics, and the importance of historical fiction.[9]

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.[10]

Out of the Easy

Out of the Easy is Sepetys' second published novel. It was released on 12 February 2013[11] and concerns Josie's life in 1950s New Orleans as she struggles to escape the bubble of the city and her prostitute mother's life. 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.[12]

Sepetys has said that Out of the Easy was born from her discovery of the biography The Last Madam: A Life in the New Orleans Underworld (a book about New Orleans Madam Norma Wallace) and her interest in post-war America, which, contrary to her expectations, was full of "pain, suffering and secrets".[13] She also attributes her interest in New Orleans to a gift of vintage opera glasses, which still had the old owner's name engraved, enabling her to find out who the original owner was.[14] As with all her books, Sepetys undertook several research trips to New Orleans, which lead her to discover news articles about "tourists who met an untimely end"; she later worked this into the novel. Over the span of several trips, she also discovered Norma Wallace's home and watched it being restored from an abandoned building.[15]

Reviews

The New York Times says the book is a "superlative first novel" for Ruta.[16] On April fifteenth, Between Shades of Gray appeared on The New York Times Editor's Choice.[17] The Los Angeles Times states how Ruta Sepetys recounts the events with horrifying and fascination clarity.[18] The Seattle Times calls the book "heartbreaking."[19]

Recognition

Cross of the Knight

On June 6, 2013, Sepetys was awarded Lithuania's Cross of the Knight of the Order. The honor 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.[20]

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

[23]

Works

Books
Radio essays

[24]

Media articles and essays

[26]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Sepetys, Ruta. Between Shades of Gray. 1st. New York, NY : Penguin Young Readers, 2011. 344. Print
  2. ↑
  3. ↑ Alexandra Alter, "An Unlikely Story for Teens". The Wall Street Journal.
  4. ↑ Park, Linda Sue (April 8, 2011). "A Teenager’s View of the Gulag". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  5. ↑ "The official website of author Ruta E. Sepetys". Rutasepetys.com. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
  6. ↑ MacPherson, Karen (June 4, 2011). "'Between Shades of Gray' reveals horror and hope". Seattle Times Newspaper. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  7. ↑ "Gavin Mikhail Newsletter: April 13, 2011". gavinmikhail.com. Retrieved 2012-04-28.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Official Book Website for Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys". Betweenshadesofgray.com. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
  9. ↑ Brus, Mitja. "The week on the EP Library’s blog: Ruta Sepetys | European Parliamentary Research Service". Libraryeuroparl.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
  10. ↑ "Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys - review | Children's books". London: theguardian.com. 2011-05-04. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
  11. ↑ http://www.penguin.com/book/out-of-the-easy-by-ruta-sepetys/9780399256929
  12. ↑ "Editors’ Choice". The New York Times. 2013-02-15. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
  13. ↑ Lynn Green. "Ruta Sepetys: Life isn't so easy for her unlikely heroine". bookpage.com. Retrieved 2015-02-10.
  14. ↑ Rhys Jones. "An Interview With Ruta Sepetys transcript". thirstforfiction.com. Retrieved 2015-02-10.
  15. ↑ Ingrid Roper. "Q & A with Ruta Sepetys". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2015-02-10.
  16. ↑ "Editors’ Choice". The New York Times. 2011-04-08. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
  17. ↑ "Editors’ Choice". The New York Times. 2011-04-15. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
  18. ↑ Carpenter, Susan (1987-10-22). "'Between Shades of Gray' by Ruta Sepetys: Not Just For Kids - Los Angeles Times". Articles.latimes.com. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
  19. ↑ Macpherson, Karen (2011-06-04). "Books | 'Between Shades of Gray' reveals horror and hope | Seattle Times Newspaper". Seattletimes.nwsource.com. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
  20. ↑
  21. ↑ "Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture | Official Website". Balzekasmuseum.org. 2013-12-07. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
  22. ↑ Kuprytė, Vida (December 10, 2013). "Rašytoja Rūta Šepetys - Balzeko muziejaus "Metų žmogus"". Draugas (in Lithuanian) (Chicago, IL: Lithuanian Catholic Press Society). p. 1,6.
  23. ↑ http://rutasepetys.com/books/out-of-the-easy/awards/
  24. ↑ Sepetys, Ruta. "In Wordless Imagery, An Immigrant's Timeless Tale". NPR. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
  25. ↑ Sepetys, Ruta. "Two Gray Titles, One Sexy Mix-Up". NPR. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
  26. ↑ "Ruta Sepetys: My Family's Story". Huffingtonpost.com. 2012-11-26. Retrieved 2014-02-23.

External links