Ruta Sepetys is a master at taking often overlooked historical events and turning them into moving masterpieces of young adult fiction. They are fast paced, well researched, well written, and filled with characters that readers instantly connect to. I Must Betray You is about the last few months of the communist Romanian regime through the perspective of a teenaged boy. He is forced to turn spy on an ambassador's family to get lifesaving treatment for his grandfather who is dying of leukemia. It makes him ill - but he tries to keep the upper hand. At home he writes in his hidden notebook about the atrocities that go on everyday and are treated as normal. The way other people live in the world can't be real.... right? He knows Romanians have it bad, but he doesn't realize how bad until he sees what an American considers normal. Fresh fruit, Disneyland, color photos, refrigerators - those exist in real life and not just for millionaires. Christian's world is rocked by that realization and life will never be the same. I am a history major and I learned soo much about their history. This is wild to think that this was only three decades ago!!
No comments:
Post a Comment