Ruta Sepetys, a female author who wrote the book Salt to the Sea published it on February 2, 2016. It’s quite a recent book of 5 years. The genre involves lots of historical fiction and carries a major theme of family. Within each chapter, you’ll notice short and different perspectives, in the same event. This allows you to understand their thoughts, feelings, actions, and better depth of the event. It’ll take time to move from scene to scene, but it’s quicker than you think!
This story takes place in East Prussia, 1945 where World War 2 is still happening. Four various perspectives appear Emilia, Joana, Florian, and Alfred. Emilia is a 15-year-old teenager, who is Polish and an orphan; Joana is a nurse, who is Lithuanian; Florian is a restoration Artist, secret soldier, and Prussian; and Alfred is a Nazi sailor. In the beginning, three of these characters are dramatically together, while one is away. So just remember that one perspective (Alfred) would be more eye-catching in the progressing middle. The main goal for all the characters is to escape their country from violence. Germany is against Russia, and some emotional scenes may emerge. The most important scene is the iconic ship, Wilhelm Gustloff. It plays a huge role in this book and is there for remembrance.
Honestly, the book is rather interesting, memorable, and emotional. First off, I learned about more events that took place in different areas of World War 2. This time setting is repeated factually in different parts of the world, but their perspectives enlighten me to think more about compassion and bravery. Although it can be a rather sad and daunting event, the different actions inspire me to think more deeply about people.
I agree with her idea to include the true events about Wilhelm Gustloff, The Amber Room, and Operation Hannibal. I never knew about these important details in World War 2, and appreciate the idea of honoring those who passed away. To see the number of people who had to deal with this tragedy is upsetting, but reading her book gives them a voice. I disagree with the idea of many children and teenagers have to suffer because their whole childhood isn’t a happy ending. However, history can be both ugly and beautiful.
One of the possibilities the book suggests is the haunting of the Baltic Sea. With so many dead bodies in the water because of all those sea destructions, it gives an eerie feeling. People often feel sad and unaware, if more parts of history are deep underneath. For example, launched torpedoes deep in the war, from battle submarines. This event unites people to pay their respects and do their part.
The topics regarding World War 2, have emphasized my recent interest in historical fiction. Ruta Sepetys’s “Salt to the Sea” has been added to my enjoyment list of books because it gave an emotional rollercoaster, many events, and connections. For example, author Anne C. Voorhoeve’s “My Family for the War'' seemed similar. It had a couple of emotional scenes and connections towards the characters. Both have a similar theme of family, and it gives constant reminders to love them. Another example is Alan Gratz’s Prisoner B-3087, This story gives facts about the different camps during the Holocaust. I didn’t feel an extreme amount of emotion, but it educated me more on small details in World War 2.
This book influenced me to think more about certain countries near Germany. Before, I never got the chance to see the perspectives of people who are Polish, Lithuanian, or Prussian. It reminded me to open up more by learning about perspectives in different areas of the world. For example, I haven’t got the chance to view perspectives in certain Asian countries. Also, it gave a reminder to spend time with family, since I’ve been focused on school these past few weeks.
Salt to the Sea has shown an important symbol of family. It personally brought emotion to my heart, and I hope it’ll do the same for other readers. Yes, this book involves some dark sides of World War 2, but become open-minded to see the light behind it. This timeline of history is extremely important and teaches us to better respect other cultures. I hope you all enjoy reading and don’t be afraid to dive more into this topic! It’s really interesting in different parts of the world.
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