I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys

 My Rating: 5.0

Romania, 1989. Communist regimes are crumbling across Europe. Seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu dreams of becoming a writer, but Romanians aren’t free to dream; they are bound by rules and force. Amidst the tyrannical dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu in a country governed by isolation and fear, Cristian is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer. He’s left with only two choices: betray everyone and everything he loves—or use his position to creatively undermine the most notoriously evil dictator in Eastern Europe.

Wow! This should be mandatory reading for every high school. The sense of suspense, despair and mistrust is palpable. Beautiful writing that captures so much of the human desperation. Highly recommend!

I have read two other books by this author, Between Shades of Grey and Salt To The Sea. I look forward to reading more by her as she only gets better and better!