Hooked on Books

Salt to the Sea follows refugees from different countries that have banded together while trying to safely evacuate in the midst of World War II. Each refugee has their own unique history and some even have reasons for wanting to stay under the radar of the German soldiers. They are all trying to reach a port and board a ship in hopes of traveling to a safe destination away from the war. The ship they board though just happens to be the Wilhelm Gustloff.

I thought this was a good story but I felt like it was toned down. These refugees go through one harrowing experience after another and even though I can imagine the roller coaster of emotions they went through from fear, to relief and hope, to fear and defeat again, the actual story itself did not evoke those emotions from me or the sympathy I would expect to feel from reading a war story. And that may be because it's a young adult book and geared toward a younger audience. With that said, it's a decent introduction into some of the tragedies suffered during World War II.