Ruta Sepetys at a Glance

Full Name: Ruta Sepetys

Pronunciation: ROO-tuh suh-PEH-tees

Born: November 19, 1967

Nationality: Lithuania, United States

Education:

• Hillsdale College (BS, International Finance)
• ICN Business School (Nancy, France)
• Centre d'études Européennes (Toulon, France)

Genres:

• Historical fiction
• Young adult fiction

Biography & Background

Ruta Sepetys Biography

Ruta Sepetys is a Lithuanian American author. Born and raised in Michigan, Sepetys earned a degree in international finance from Hillsdale College. After graduation, she moved to Los Angeles, California, where she opened an entertainment management business, merging her knowledge of business and music to support emerging musicians. Although she now focuses full time on her writing career, Sepetys maintains her interest in the music industry as the director of the Make a Noise Foundation, which raises money for music education.

In 2011, Sepetys made the shift to writing with the publication of her first novel, Between Shades of Gray. Although it was written for young adults, the book gained widespread popularity with adult audiences too. The novel also marked her entrance into the historical fiction genre with its portrayal of a Lithuanian girl sent to a Siberian labor camp in the 1940s. Sepetys followed up the success of her debut with Out of the Easy (2013), the story of a young girl in 1950s New Orleans, which was named an Editor’s Choice by The New York Times.