The horrors of Hitler and the Holocaust are well-known events of World War II, but many people don't know that Stalin killed more than 20 million people in during the same period, whether by murder or starvation in Siberian labor camps. Between Shades of Gray reveals the lost story of millions of Lithuanian, Estonian, Latvian and Finnish lives lost. The annexation of the Baltic States, the harsh conditions of Siberia and the frightening life they had to lead after being liberated are wonderfully described in the novel. In Between Shades of Grey, Lina lives in Lithuania, one of the three Baltic states occupied by the Soviets. Union. In the novel, Lina describes how she feels about the annexation. She said: “I think Joseph Stalin is a tyrant. I think we should drive his troops out of Lithuania. They shouldn't be allowed to come and take what they want...'” She also made her own political cartoons depicting Stalin in a clown costume, much to her father's horror, as they also depicted him and some of his colleagues mocking Stalin. In his flashbacks, Lina's father talks about the new government put in place by Stalin and how it is ruining their country. Many Lithuanians, Etonians and Latvians felt the same way. In August 1939, Stalin accepted Hitler's non-aggression pact. Under this pact, Germany got Poland and Russia got Latvia and Estonia. Later, the Soviets and Lithuanians signed the Soviet-Lithuanian Mutual Assistance Treaty. Under this treaty, Lithuania would allow the Soviets to establish five military bases with 20,000 troops throughout the country. This treaty was very similar to those signed by the Soviet Union with Estonia and Latvia. The Baltic states agreed to the treaty because the Soviets said they were... middle of paper ... in time capsules that would be discovered in the future, so people could know the truth. When Lina returned 12 years after being arrested, she included all of her drawings, stories and experiences in her time capsule, which was not found for 40 years. Even today, some Lithuanian survivors refuse to talk about their experiences. Bronislave Abukauskiene, a Lithuanian survivor, said: “I don't like to talk about this, because when I do, my heart hurts. It hurts too much. » Lithuanians and neighboring countries experienced very difficult lives during World War II. They were torn from their homes, worked to death in Siberia and returned with nothing to live a painful life. But even after this terrible situation, they still find hope. They hope people will one day know their stories and recognize the pain that filled their bones and the love that healed their souls..