Welcome to Litsy!

In the last half of the book it was still written in first person point of view, and still written like a journal from the protagonist Cristian. As the secret agent who blackmailed Cristian becomes a more prevelant character, the more Cristian is expected to betray loved ones starting with a friend and ending with his entire family. While being a secret informant he learns many new things, like when he learned his sister is a informant too.

This book takes place in Romania in 1989. This is a journal written by a 16 year old boy named Cristian living in a communist country. He lives in communism under constant surveillance, and minimal food/water. The leader Ceausescu is viewed as an evil man by Cristian and his family. In the rising action a government official approaches Cristian and forces him to become an informant. Cristian listens when the life of his grandfather is threatened.

Overall, please put this on your classroom shelf or at least try this book out. I think it brings a great perspective on a true history that is not learned in typical American high school education. I would have never guessed this was the harsh realities of Romania and I feel like it can spread awareness to people who don‘t realize how bad dictatorships really are & how to gather the courage to fight against them.

I find the dynamics of Cristian's anger towards CiCi to be really interesting. I understand that he is frustrated that she is an informer and that she framed him. However, he did a similar thing. They both were informers because they thought they were helping Bunu, but I feel like Cristain couldn‘t see that when he first found out.

Throughout the book, I suspected that Bunu was going to die. However, I always assumed he was going to die because of the cancer rather than being beaten to death. His death was sad but the note Bunu left him Cristain was sweet but heartbreaking.

I really liked how Sepetys uses the feral dogs as a mechanism to demonstrate how poor and depraved their society was. In the United States, we treat dogs as members of our family but in the book, they are so hungry that they attack people to get food, which is extreme.

I found chapter three of the book to be very sad. I cannot imagine what Cristian was going through when he was being blackmailed. Even though being a spy for the government is considered “wrong”, he really didn‘t have another choice. Bunu was his best friend and he wanted to save him.

Along with historical accuracy, I like how this book shows the complex dynamics of family. Cristian struggles with obeying his mom when she tells him to obey the “Securitate.” However, his grandfather, eventually killed by the Romanian government, never shied from speaking against it. This was a place where you would be prosecuted and even imprisoned if you said something bad about the government. Cristian doesn‘t know what to do in this situation

One of my favorite parts of this novel was the historical evidence tied in at the end of the book. We are able to see the articles that Cristian sees at the US library in Romania, as well as other artifacts like the portraits of the dictator and his wife, the Ceaușescus. I think this is my new favorite summer read and that I have discovered my new favorite genre of books.

So this was my second pick for my own choice and I couldn‘t have gotten a better book. This was based on the Romanian revolution against the communism regime. Sepetys made it feel like we were right with Cristian, making difficult choices to keep his family safe but also do what is right.

I loved this book. It's very haunting in terms of the way it handles the main character living in a surveillance state, and it really builds on the mistrust that is inherently present in a country like that. It's also not something that I would typically read; I don't normally go for historical novels nor thrillers, but this book was super good and I really do recommend everyone to read it.

My second choice book is I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys. It is about a 17 year old student in Romania during the fall of the Communist government. It is not a book that I would pick up normally, and I just start reading it, so I am excited to see where it goes!

I loved this book! Not only did I love how informative it was, but I also loved the plot and characters. The author did an amazing job fleshing out the characters and the world around them. This novel kept me on the edge of my seat due to the drama and suspense rooted in the plot. I think this is a must read for anyone interested in trillers or exploring new cultures!

I‘m loving this book so far! I‘m only 100 pages in, but I‘m really enjoying myself. Not only do I love how the author describes communist Romania, but I love how they draw parallels from America. For instance, there‘s a chapter where the protagonist gets shocked when he meets an American and learns how different his country‘s is compared to Romania.

It‘s so nice to read an entertaining book while also learning about the world and history that may have fallen thru the cracks.

For my chosen book, I decided to read I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys. This book follows a 17 year old in communist Romanian who is forced to become a spy. I really like how informative this book is! In the first few chapters, the author explains a lot of Romanian‘s history and how the communist party works there. I found this aspect to be really fascinating!

Ok...it took a while to decide which one was my favorite read. I might change my mind later on. 😅

What a great book! It's an easy read but full of emotions. Reading it here in Romania made the story even more powerful.

Though this is a work of fiction, the author did a great job researching all the things that happened during communist Romania. I highly recommend this book.

So much exploring here in Romania that I finally found time to read.

I knew a tiny bit about the fall of Communism in Romania before reading this, but this novel really gives you the sense of what it was like. It‘s a real thriller, too!

“Romanians were joining in hand and heart. And together they were finally calling-
For freedom.”

“He had a leather jacket, a Walkman, Air Jordans, and something else.
Intel.
Dan Van Dorn knew he was under surveillance.”

This book is great!!! I enjoyed reading this book!!! I loved the historical fiction of this book. I rated this book a 5 out of 5 stars.

#IdiomInsight

The idiom #StabInTheBack is a betrayal, an act of treachery, a demonstration of deceit in the face of trust, disloyalty. The verb phrase stab someone in the back means to betray someone or to be disloyal.

War often causes betrayals. This book has been in my #TBR for a while now. I have loved the author‘s other books but need to be in the right mood emotionally to read them as they usually are pretty gut wrenching.

This author has a habit of blowing me away with her awesomeness. That said, I really liked this but it wasn't epic and it didn't blow my mind. As it's YA, definitely not her target audience. Maybe it's because I lived through this time period and have friends from Romania.

#DoubleSpin @TheAromaofBooks

1. Tagged

2. She‘s a must read for me! Beautiful writer of historical fiction.

This was a 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ gut punch pick. Living in the West it seemed so simple; people in countries that moved into Communism after WW II rose up in the late 1980‘s and began to demand more freedoms. Of course it wasn‘t that easy. Cristian is 17, loves Romania, but is hungry, afraid and forced to spy on an American friend. As unrest unfolds in Romania, he learns the personal cost of protests against a despot.

“Guilt walks on all fours. It creeps, encircles, and climbs. It presses its thumbs to your throat. And it waits” -14

Soft pick; the writing style didn‘t seem to gel well with the subject, especially early in the book. I did enjoy it, though! ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

What a fabulous book! Historical fiction about the 1989 Romanian Revolution told from the POV of Cristian, a 17-year-old blackmailed into being an informer. I was that age in 1989 and knew nothing about what Romanians were going through and how horrible things were under Ceausescu‘s dictatorship. This was so wonderfully done - I felt all the feelings!

#bookspinbingo - free space

Two YA historical fiction books both set in periods of history I don‘t know much about. IMBY was my favourite out of the two. Ruta Sepetys is a fast becoming a must read author for me.
#52books23 #bookbeginningwithI #bookbeginningwithG
#bookspin - for once read the book early in the month! 😊

Nicolae Ceaușescu certainly fits the corrupt power theme. Ruta Sepetys marvelous, heartbreaking novel shows us the what it was like to survive in the Romania when it was ruled by this tyrannical dictator.

#ThemedThursday
@MaggieCarr
@dabbe

Finishing up this one today. What will you be reading?

I was a young teen when the Romanian Revolution happened. I remembered bits and pieces but never knew what it was like for the Romanian people. An excellent fictional account of the horrors they lived through daily.

I loved this story. It was well written but also very sad. Its crazy knowing that you cant trust anyone.

4th Ruta Sepetys
#goodreads #goodreadsreadingchallenge2023

Ruta Sepetys is a consummate researcher with mad writing skills. Here she has given us a novel that puts a human face on the horrors perpetrated under the Romanian Ceaușescu regime. Based on true stories. Christian Florescu, 17, yearns for a life free from oppression. Blackmailed into becoming an informer, his life spiraling out of control, Christian seeks allies that will help him reveal the truth. Set in the months before the regime‘s fall.

Very sad story about hardships of that period... Everything (story, ending) felt rushed, but informative, and eloquent.

Had to #reread this for Professional Reasons and damn, it does hold up. Cristian's frustration and bravery feel so real, and I'm also in love with Liliana Pavel. Shines a light on an era I can barely believe is history. #yalit #yahistoricalfiction

In 1980s Romania, you shouldn‘t fall in love, have friends, or expect loyalty from anyone. Trust no one. Someone is always watching. This gripping tale is set in Ceausescue‘s Romania. A place of long lines and minute betrayals. A slow start but an intense finish.

🎧Really love these books by Ruta Sepetys!❤️❤️❤️❤️

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was excellent! Hearing the Romanian words spoken helped put me in the story. I wasn‘t completely satisfied with the ending, but Cristian‘s story was compelling, and I learned a lot about life in Romania during this time. Would recommend, with the caveat that the last half contains some gore and violence that may be difficult for some. #2023 #aw80books

Historical fiction is in fact not a favorite genre of mine. One book club I‘m in, thoroughly enjoys them, so it forces me out of my comfort zone. I am always fascinated by what I learn and just how much history goes unnoticed. This happened 33 years ago and the totalitarian dictatorship carried on post the uprising. It is crazy to think how not long ago it was..I was just born! A heartbreaking, enlightening and moving story.