Vicki’s Comments (group member since Oct 09, 2016)

Vicki’s comments from the F 16 Junior English group.

Before I read Salt to the Sea, I had never heard of the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff, a ship commissioned to take European refugees out of the path of the advancing Russian army in 1945, but this haunting, yet ultimately uplifting story opened my eyes, not only to the historical events leading up to the sinking of this ship, but also to the uncountable personal tragedies that bloom in the wake of broken nations. By focusing on four teenagers on the ship, each with a secret, Sepetys gives us a keyhole-view of the effects of guilt on each of them. The stories of their efforts to suppress, atone for, heal from, and rise above their shame offer readers insight into the worst and the best qualities of human nature, and its ability to persevere against seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Part Titanic and part Sarah's Key, Salt to the Sea is a vivid roller-coaster of a historical novel, building inexorably to its violent apex, and then plunging the reader through a sea of emotional fall-out to an ultimately satisfying conclusion.

This book, centering around two high school seniors caught up in a violent event, shines a bright light on the incendiary issue of racial profiling. Rashad and Quinn are both on the basketball team, but they move in different circles. When Rashad is mistakenly accused of stealing, Quinn witnesses his brutal beating at the hands of a police officer who happens to be the older brother of his best friend. All American Boys, written by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely, illuminates all the jagged edges of this painful, in-the-moment national struggle by creating genuine characters and letting us inside their heads. We come to care deeply about them as they wrestle with their inner conflicts in the midst of outward chaos. All American Boys will provide rich material for the difficult yet necessary conversations that must take place if we are to understand ourselves and work toward healing our national wounds.