I Must Betray You by Sepetys takes place in Romania during the fall of Communism in 1989. This book reads like a firsthand account. The palpable feeling of life in a police state is remarkable. Cristian is a 17-year-old who’s been blackmailed into becoming an informant. Conflicted by his actions and trying to save his dying grandfather, Cristian gradually learns the truth about his country, his family, and friends.
I Must Betray You is a story about life under an oppressive dictatorship where no one is allowed to voice their own opinion, or risk torture, jail, or death. It’s a perfect example of how absolute power corrupts absolutely. Nicolae Ceaușescu, a Romanian dictator controlled the whole country with the use of a massive number of secret police and informants. Essentially everyone was being watched and informed on at all times.
As Cristian becomes trapped in the web of fear and lies, he keeps questioning not only the living conditions but the dominant view of “no choice” in a country of broken spirits.
Through his actions, Cristian shows that even in the worst of circumstances, humans still have the power of choice, even when that means standing on your own for what you believe in.
Just as his world was closing in on him, Cristian throws it all in an attempt to make a change for the betterment of all. The breath of possibility appears as he realizes that in the country of 23 million he is not alone. The revolution however costly wasn’t in vain.
I Must Betray You is a must-read text about the Eastern European Communist-style regime of the 1970s and 1980s and world history.
New quite interesting things learned from this historical fiction:
– Romanians are not Slavs
– The Romanian language is related to French and Spanish
– After 24 years of Nicolae Ceaușescu’s oppressive regime, his trial lasted less than 2 hours before he was sentenced to death and executed
– The members of the secret police went without punishment even though they were responsible for the death of thousands of Romanian citizens
Here’s what teachers just like you are saying about this resource:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Literature4u says, “There is a lot of great stuff in this resource. The vocabulary was excellent. The questions were in-depth and thought-provoking. It’s worth the money spent. “
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Northern Classroom says, “Thank you for sharing this amazing resource! My students learned so much, and the questions were great to assess comprehension and connect the story to the study of world history and civics.”
Mrs. Lena, M.Ed.
Follow me on Pinterest!
Kids Read 