Publisher: William Morrow / Harper Audio
Published: August 3, 2021
Source: Print – Personal Copy / Audio via Library
Summary:
Kaia Alderson’s debut historical fiction novel reveals the untold, true story of the Six Triple Eight, the only all-Black battalion of the Women’s Army Corps, who made the dangerous voyage to Europe to ensure American servicemen received word from their loved ones during World War II.
Grace Steele and Eliza Jones may be from completely different backgrounds, but when it comes to the army, specifically the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), they are both starting from the same level. Not only will they be among the first class of female officers the army has even seen, they are also the first Black women allowed to serve.
As these courageous women help to form the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, they are dealing with more than just army bureaucracy—everyone is determined to see this experiment fail. For two northern women, learning to navigate their way through the segregated army may be tougher than boot camp. Grace and Eliza know that there is no room for error; they must be more perfect than everyone else.
When they finally make it overseas, to England and then France, Grace and Eliza will at last be able to do their parts for the country they love, whatever the risk to themselves.
Based on the true story of the 6888th Postal Battalion (the Six Triple Eight), Sisters in Arms explores the untold story of what life was like for the only all-Black, female U.S. battalion to be deployed overseas during World War II.
My thoughts:
I picked up this book because it was a book club selection for one of the online bookclubs I am part of and I am so glad it was chosen…it was such a great read. We had such a great discussion about the book and even had a chance to chat with the author, too, which is always so interesting!
Historical fiction has really become a sweet spot for me lately – I just get so caught up in the stories and no matter what the subject is, I always end up learning something new, which I absolutely love. In this case, a book set during WWII, where there is already a market heavily saturated with books, we have a story that is one I have never heard yet and this is why I continue to read in this time period because I always end up learning about something I haven’t heard of yet. I didn’t know there was an all-Black, female U.S. battalion and that they were deployed overseas during WWII.
This story focuses on two women, women who were like oil and water, yet you couldn’t help but become attached to both of them as the story progressed. Grace and Eliza come from different backgrounds, socially, and they each their own reasons for signing up to join the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), but once at training they are on even ground.
This book explores so many different themes throughout the book, especially women’s empowerment back at a time when it wasn’t looked favorably at women for being strong. You’ll find yourself rooting for them along the way, cringing at the injustices done to them and cheering when they stand their ground.
I loved the way the author blended fact and fiction throughout this book – it was such an engaging and compelling read, one that I really didn’t want to see end. Her author’s note is definitely a must-read and she provides a great list of books that helped her in the writing of this book – books that I know I will be checking out because I am definitely eager to learn more about the Six Triple Eight!
Audio thoughts:
This book just lended itself so wonderfully to audio and Shayna Small did a fantastic job bringing the story to life. She did a great job with all the voices, giving each character a unique personality. Her pacing and intonation was spot on and she infused just the right amount of tension and emotion into her voice as needed. I really enjoyed listening to this one.
