Ruta Sepetys

"Through hardship to the stars"

"How foolish to believe we are more powerful than the sea or the sky."

"I leapt eagerly into books. The characters’ lives were so much more interesting than the lonely heartbeat of my own."

"War had bled color from everything, leaving nothing but a storm of gray."

"Good men are often more practical than pretty said Mother. Andrius just happens to be both."

"New Orleans is unlike any city in America. Its cultural diversity is woven into the food, the music, the architecture - even the local superstitions. It's a sensory experience on all levels and there's a story lurking around every corner."

"It grey louder. Louder. They were singing, singing at the top of their lungs. Andrius joined, and then my brother and the gray-haired man. And finally, the bald man joined in, singing out national anthem. 'Lithuania, land of heroes..."

"...we're dealing with two devils who both want to rule hell."

"Sometimes kindness can be delivered in a clumsy way. But it's far more sincere in its clumsiness than those distinguished men you read about in books. Your father was very clumsy.”"Sometimes there is such beauty in awkwardness. There's love and emotion trying to express itself, but at the time, it just ends up being awkward. Good men are often more practical than pretty . . . . [He] just happens to be both."