Between Shades of Gray

Between Shades of Gray is without a doubt one of my favorite books. I have always loved historical fiction but this one is so unique. It is a story that is not often told--usually popular historical fiction is about World War II. Besides being an important story to tell historically, this book has a plethora of themes: perseverance, family, right/wrong: the book isn't just about surviving but about making sure to stay true to who you are as a person. This book also has a lot of character development with Lina. Everyone else around her stays the same. Her mom is strong. Andrius is strong. The bald man is grouchy. Every character has their "thing" that they stick to throughout the novel except Lina. Lina goes from seeming like a young girl to a young woman who takes control. By having the characters around her stay the same the author really emphasizes the protagonist and puts her under this light. I can't put my finger on what this does for the novel as a whole but will be thinking about it until class on Tuesday. I do not think you can say this text is not culturally responsive because of the fact that it is historical. As an author she can't add a person of color to make it culturally responsive because that is not what happened. Also, because of the fact that it is about Lithuanians that in itself makes it culturally responsive.
This novel shows teens as things that grow. Lina is a totally different character at the beginning than she is at the end--she is stronger and goes through this development that is seen in a lot of young adult literature novels. The theme of family is also appealing to teens as well as this semi romance. But what appeals to teens about this book is that it is not just about love stories. There are so many other factors going on that that is only an eighth of the important of the novel. The speed and ease of this book would also appeal to teens. It is a quick read and you cannot help but get swept up in the story.
I really want to teach this text to middle school students but it may be too old for them--in this case I may just grab snippets of it and compare it with the history. I'd probably start by going over the history with the students for a day or half a day and then do poster boards where each one as a chapter of the book and a question about what that says about the history of the event as a whole.
My grade for this book is an A+.