Title: The Fountains of Silence
Author: Ruta Sepetys
Genres: YA fiction, historical fiction
* the Lithuanian experience in Siberia during World War II (Between Shades of Gray)
* 1950s New Orleans (Out of the Easy)
* World War II refugees (Salt to the Sea)
In her latest book The Fountains of Silence, Sepetys introduces readers to life under Franco's Spain. While most of us learned about dead dictators (Mussolini, Stalin, Pol Pot, etc.) in high school and college, life under the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco's Spain was glossed over in American history classes because Franco lived until 1975, the United States constructed trade deals with Spain during Franco's lifetime, and the US and Spanish governments encourages US citizens to spend their tourist dollars in Spain.
Sepetys skillfully weaves together a budding romance between Daniel, a rich American boy pursuing secret dreams of photography despite his father's disapproval, and Ana, a poor Spanish girl who works in the hotel where Daniel's family is staying. Ana suffers from poverty due to the aftereffects of the Spanish Civil War decades before and the death of her parents (Spanish Republicans) by the Francoist government. Rumors of stolen babies and kidnappings are interlaced with the fear ordinary Spaniards lived with for decades.
The book contains multiple points of view and excerpts of oral histories from various politicians and ambassadors involved in American dealings in Spain. A glossary of Spanish terms and phrases found throughout the book is included along with an extensive research and recommended reading list.
You can read more about Francoist Spain and the stolen babies scandal here:
https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/07/27/spains-dictator-is-dead-but-his-popularity-lives-on/
https://www.npr.org/2018/08/17/639226190/how-spanish-women-were-allegedly-targeted-in-stolen-babies-cases-for-decades
