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Sepetys Route (Detroit, Michigan, 1967). Writer with several best sellers under her belt. His new novel, The Fountains of Silence (Maeva), takes place in Franco's Spain and deals with stolen children.

Why did you decide to place your new novel in Franco's Spain? While touring Spain for my first novel, Entre Tonos de Gris , I learned more about the country's history under the Franco regime. And I was very inspired by the incredible resilience of Spain. Franco's period is not studied much in the United States, so I wanted to share with others that underrepresented historical period. His novel reflects very well the contrast between Spain and the United States in that period. What are the main differences between the two countries today? It seems to me that today many American citizens are more isolated and less aware of the history and current events that take place outside the United States. In Spain I find that there is more global awareness. His book is about children stolen during the Franco regime, in the novel there is actually an American couple who takes over one of those children. Do you have any idea how many of these children could be adopted by Americans? No, I could not find clear estimates about it. Could the phenomenon of children stolen during Franco's regime have taken place without the participation of the Church? What role did it play in this regard? As far as I know only a few specific churches, not all churches, were involved in facilitating the transfer and adoption of those children. The vast majority of those stolen children came from Republican families. Were they taken from their parents to make money from them or for ideological reasons, to try to 'regenerate' them? The research I have conducted suggests that there were three different ideological periods regarding stolen children. The first took place during and immediately after the Civil War, and in it several children were ripped from their parents as punishment for Franco's opposition. Secondly, during the Franco period that followed the civil war, some children were put up for adoption in an attempt to "rehabilitate" them by coming from families considered to have the "red gene". And, in later years, the stolen children were part of a trafficking operation for financial gain. How much could a couple pay for one of those children? Each case was different. But during my research, for example, I learned that in 1971 a couple from Texas who took one of these children to that state in the United States paid 5,000 dollars for the baby at that time. There were also families that made annual payments for 10 years for the children they adopted. You have done extensive research to write this book, the bibliography it includes is staggering. What is the most incredible discovery you have made? What has surprised me most have been the documents I have discovered that underlined the objectives of the United States in Spain during the Franco period. Many Americans know very little about the Franco period, and would be surprised to know the goals of the United States, of American diplomats, and of American tourists in Spain during that period. His book reflects the position so soft and smooth that the US Administration had with Franco. Why do you think you chose this route? My research suggests that the perception of the US Administration of Franco changed over the years. Initially, President Truman took a tough stance against Franco, but successive American presidents softened it in later years because they believed it was valuable to have military bases in Spain against the Soviets during the Cold War. Valle de los Caídos, where only a few months ago Franco's body was exhumed. How about getting it out of there? It's a very complex matter, and being from the outside, I can never pretend to fully understand it. But I hope that, having taken Franco out of there, the Valle de los Caídos can become a place for reflection. Because examining the past together you can find opportunities to grow, for education, for progress. Perhaps one day the Valley of the Fallen can offer the context of the Spain of the past and allow people of all backgrounds to have the opportunity to reflect and learn. In your book there are journalists, photographers ... Was your work important to explain Franco's Spain to the world? It was very important. The Spanish civil war was captured through the painters' brush, the writers' pen and the photographers' lens. The varied interpretations - especially in the post-war period, when the media were censored - intrigued me and I wanted to include that in the novel. In this sense, it was very interesting to compare the chronicles sent by foreign journalists living in Spain with the private comments they made orally in their interviews, which I found in archives. One of the characters in her book is a Spanish woman married to a Texan. , who has lived in Texas for years and yet is not fully accepted by Texan society for being too "ethnic". Could that be the prelude to what is happening today in the United States with Mexicans? No, it was not the prelude to the current situation with Mexicans in the United States. What I wanted to illustrate is that in the United States in the 1950s immigrants were sometimes branded as "foreigners" and often had to fight to fit in or assimilate. For example, my father was born in Lithuania, fled from Stalin and came to the USA in 1949, after spending nine years in refugee camps in Europe. In the 1950s he tried hard to "fit in" with Americans and American life. At home my father spoke in Lithuanian, but outside he did in English. He had one foot in each of the two cultures. What you wanted was to highlight the challenges faced by those who were perceived as "different" in the United States between 1950 and 1970. You live in Los Angeles, right? How is the coronavirus crisis being experienced there? I have lived many years in Los Angeles but for 18 years I have lived in Nashville, Tennessee. Here in Nashville we are staying home and trying to focus on how we can help others who need it or who are suffering. Our community was devastated just a few weeks ago by several terrible tornadoes. Some 140 buildings were left in ruins, many people died and some are still missing. But now, aid to tornado victims has stopped because of recommendations to keep distance from others, and that for many people is tragic.For many young people in the United States, the coronavirus crisis is the first national crisis due to the that happen. So in this difficult period it seems important to me to look at history. History offers us examples of resilience and hope in the midst of difficulties. Many survivors throughout history have shown us that sometimes it is in these torn moments that we find courage. And in the midst of that is a force we never knew we had: the opportunity to help others and the ability to find meaning in the midst of difficulties. And there, once again, the resilience of Spain is a source of inspiration.

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