Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

(Amazon.com)

I have been know to comment at my book club that we need to get away from World War II books because there is so much written about that time period.  So, when my husband read this book over Christmas break and then passed it on to me saying it was really good, my first comment was "Is it all about Nazis?  I'm tired of reading about Nazis."

The answer is NO!  Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys is one of the best books I've read recently.  It's a story of refugees, hope and survival.  Salt to the Sea is a WWII historical fiction novel about refugees leaving East Prussia to obtain passage out on one of the many evacuation ships, one of them being the Wilhelm Gustloff.  The book centers around the stories of 3 refugees and one soldier.

Though largely unheard of, the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff is the largest maritime disaster in history.  The loss of life, over 9000 people, was much larger than the more well-known stories of the Titanic or the Lusitania.

Salt to the Sea managed to be both depressing and uplifting.  It made me question how much history is changed over time or covered up.  Why is the story of the Wilhelm Gustloff so largely overlooked in history?

Find Salt to the Sea in our library at: HISTORICAL F SEP