I took many trips down to New Orleans trying to experience the city as deeply as possible. I'm from Detroit so New Orleans seemed very exotic to me. — Ruta Sepetys Copy Share Image
I took several trips to New Orleans and met with people who had intimate knowledge of the underbelly of the city in the 1950s. The meetings were both fascinating and terrifying. — Ruta Sepetys Copy Share Image
“I didn’t agree with Cokie. It wasn’t just rich folks. Mother was soul broke, too.” — Ruta Sepetys Copy Share Image
“What if this is a horrible mistake?" I croaked. "Oh, it'll be horrible fine, just a bunch of pretentious rich people with shelves of… — Ruta Sepetys Copy Share Image
“There was no ‘Miss Woodley.’ There was Willie. Willie was about life, and she grabbed it by the balls. Y’all know that. She loved… — Ruta Sepetys Copy Share Image
“The fact that Cincinnati thought I resembled him in any way sickened me. It made me want to run and hide. When I was a child in Detroit and terrors chased me, I would run to my hiding spot, a crawl space under the front porch of the boardinghouse we lived in. I’d wedge my small body into the cool… — Ruta Sepetys Copy Share
“Well, I don't know, Lina. But let's just say I've met a lot of dead people.” — Ruta Sepetys Copy Share Image
“War is catastrophe. It breaks families in irretrievable pieces. But those who are gone are not necessarily lost.” — Ruta Sepetys Copy Share Image
I wasn't certain of anything anymore, except that New Orleans was a faithless friend and I wanted to leave her. — Ruta Sepetys Copy Share Image
“Andrius turned. His eyes found mine. "I'll see you," he said. My face didn't wrinkle. I didn't utter a sound. But for the first… — Ruta Sepetys Copy Share Image
“Some wars are about bombing. For the people of the Baltics, this war was about believing. In 1991, after fifty years of brutal occupation,… — Ruta Sepetys Copy Share Image
“I don't want to see no dead body. Willie ain't in there. She put her walkin' shoes on. She gone to see the Lord.” — Ruta Sepetys Copy Share Image
“They drink like fish and ask the most probing questions." "Welcome to the South." Patrick laughed.” — Ruta Sepetys Copy Share Image
“That’s a good hustle,” I told him. “We both got a little hustle, don’t we?” He pulled on his jacket. “But I like to… — Ruta Sepetys Copy Share Image
