Slice of Life Post March 21, 2023

“Together, we can shine a light in dark corners of the past.

Together, we can give history a voice.”

Ruta Sepetys from I Must Betray You

Last night I finished reading Ruta Sepetys’ young adult novel I Must Betray You. It’s a gripping historical fiction, and the main character’s voice, Cristian Florescu, is haunting. He shares the terror of this time period which includes Romania’s protest and the eventual execution of Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife. Cristian’s voice shows the desperation of this time period, and the fortitude of powerless young people trying to find a way to speak under a brutal regime.

Since I do not want to spoil this for any potential reader, I will simply recommend it for anyone who enjoys reading historical fiction. Although this is a young adult book, I would not recommend this to students who may be extra sensitive. I would recommend it to any reader who enjoys historical and realistic fiction. Sepetys also provides several primary documents at the end of the novel to show items and places that are referenced in the story which I thought was an excellent addition.

Today on Ethical ELA Katrina Morrison invites writers to share a poem about seeing strangers. This invitation connected perfectly with my reading because everyone in the novel were so filled with fear, they became strangers with their own friends and family members.

Betrayed

shadows shiver, ghostly specters
loom on tenement walls
listening to every word
speaking dissidence

informants coerced to survive
hide in the open
desperate to survive
without food or heat

our ashen hearts
fear each other
mother, father, sister, brother
bewildered strangers living together

numbness seeps through
every word we dare to speak
someone please hear our leader’s lies
before Romania dies

Barb Edler
21 March 2023