I'm forwarding Natalie's email with her book pick for this month.
Enjoy!
Kerstan
I won't be there tomorrow because I have to work, but I did want to give
you the book choice for next month. It's called Salt to the Sea by Ruta
Sepetys.
Summary: While the Titanic and Lusitania are both well-documented
disasters, the single greatest tragedy in maritime history is the
little-known January 30, 1945 sinking in the Baltic Sea by a Soviet
submarine of the Wilhelm Gustloff, a German cruise liner that was
supposed to ferry wartime personnel and refugees to safety from the
advancing Red Army. The ship was overcrowded with more than 10,500
passengers — the intended capacity was approximately 1,800 — and more
than 9,000 people, including 5,000 children, lost their lives.
Sepetys (writer of 'Between Shades of Gray') crafts four fictionalized
but historically accurate voices to convey the real-life tragedy. Joana,
a Lithuanian with nursing experience; Florian, a Prussian soldier
fleeing the Nazis with stolen treasure; and Emilia, a Polish girl close
to the end of her pregnancy, converge on their escape journeys as
Russian troops advance; each will eventually meet Albert, a Nazi peon
with delusions of grandeur, assigned to the Gustloff decks.
thanks!
natalie
