Ruta Sepetys is a Lithuanian-American writer known for her historical fiction. Born on November 19, 1967, she is a New York Times and international bestseller, and has been awarded the Carnegie Medal and The Josette Frank Award for Fiction. Sepetys is also a Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Fellow and holds the distinction of being the first American writer of young adult literature to speak at the European Parliament and NATO.

Her works have been published in over sixty countries and translated into forty languages. Sepetys's novels are being developed for film and television, bringing her compelling narratives to a broader audience. Raised in Michigan, Sepetys comes from a family of artists, readers, and music lovers. As the daughter of a refugee, she is drawn to underrepresented stories of strength through struggle, aiming to give voice to those unable to tell their stories.