Publication Date: Feb 2016

Blurb:

While the Titanic and Lusitania are both well-documented disasters, the single greatest tragedy in maritime history is the little-known January 30, 1945 sinking in the Baltic Sea by a Soviet submarine of the Wilhelm Gustloff, a German cruise liner that was supposed to ferry wartime personnel and refugees to safety from the advancing Red Army. The ship was overcrowded with more than 10,500 passengers — the intended capacity was approximately 1,800 — and more than 9,000 people, including 5,000 children, lost their lives.

Joana, a Lithuanian with nursing experience; Florian, a Prussian soldier fleeing the Nazis with stolen treasure; and Emilia, a Polish girl close to the end of her pregnancy, converge on their escape journeys as Russian troops advance; each will eventually meet Albert, a Nazi peon with delusions of grandeur, assigned to the Gustloff decks.

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What To Expect:

Salt to the Sea is a historical YA novel that conveys the story of the 1945 sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff by a Soviet submarine through four historically accurate fictional characters. Readers can expect war stories, a struggle for survival, peril, and clean romance.

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Content Warnings:

Language: Mild – One instance of profanity, plus one or two uses of “hell” as a swear

Sexual Content: Closed Door – Brief kissing

Violence: Moderate – A rape is implied, though the scene fades to black and is never described. Death & war injuries

Substance Use: Mild – Some mentions of alcohol

Prejudices: Heavy prejudices against Poles and other key nationalities/ethnicities during WWII

Religious Themes: None

Other Topics: A teen pregnancy is followed throughout the story

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