Whether love of friend, love of country, love of God, or even love of enemyโlove reveals to us the truly miraculous nature of the human spirit.
Ruta SepetysI planted a seed of hatred in my heart. I swore it would grow to be a massive tree whose roots would strangle them all.
Ruta SepetysHow did I get here How did I end up in the arms of a boy I barely knew but knew I didn't want to lose I wondered what I would have thought of Andrius in Lithuania. Would I have liked him Would he have liked me
Ruta SepetysMy art teacher had said that if you breathed deeply and imagined something, you could be there. You could see it, feel it. During our standoffs with the NKVD, I learned to do that. I clung to my rusted dreams during the times of silence. It was at gunpoint that I fell into every hope and allowed myself to wish from the deepest part of my heart. Komorov thought he was torturing us. But we were escaping into a stillness within ourselves. We found strength there.
Ruta SepetysWhat do you do with all this bank, Josie? Be a lot easier if you just lifted your skirt.โ โThe only reason Iโd lift my skirt is to pull out my pistol and plug you in the head.
Ruta SepetysMy husband, Andrius, says that evil will rule until good men or women choose to act. I believe him. This testimony was written to create an absolute record, to speak in a world where our voices have been extinguished. These writing may shock or horrify you, but that is not my intention. It is my greatest hope that the pages in this jar stir your deepest well of human compassion. I hope they prompt you to do something, to tell somone. Only then can we ensure that this kind of evil is never allowed to repeat itself.
Ruta Sepetys