I would like to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book even though I did not finish this book.

This book was researched thoroughly and we're given a lot of historical information. It was half romance, half history dealing with racism, prejudice, bigotry, misogyny.

In Enemies in love, la storia d'amore tra un'infermiera di colore e un prigioniero di guerra tedesco, deportato negli Stati Uniti, è lo spunto per un interessante saggio sui trattamenti riservati agli afro-americani nell'esercito, che si trattasse di soldati o infermiere.

E' questa un'ulteriore pagina che si aggiunge alla vergognosa storia del razzismo, dell'apartheid e delle leggi Jim Crow.
Una pagina, però, che mi era quasi totalmente sconosciuta, e che non ha mancato di turbarmi.
L'autrice, infatti, pone l'accento sul fatto che i bianchi americani, ufficiali dell'esercito e civili, trattassero di gran lunga meglio i prigionieri tedeschi, appartenenti ad un popolo in quel momento nemico, piuttosto che i propri connazionali "rei" di avere la pelle scura. Se, infatti, ai soldati era praticamente preclusa la possibilità di una carriera e i loro luoghi di svago erano attentamente separati da quelli dei bianchi, la situazione delle donne non era migliore. Innanzitutto, pur avendo bisogno di infermiere, l'esercito negò per anni l'entrata di un elevato numero di infermiere di colore specializzate, destinando le poche che riuscirono a farcela, alla cura dei soli soldati neri e, ormai alla fine della guerra, ai campi che ospitavano prigionieri tedeschi, pensando che, tra i due gruppi, non avrebbero mai potuto instaurarsi rapporti di amicizia o cameratismo.

Nel profondo sud, inoltre, dove il razzismo era più radicato e le leggi Jim Crow seguite alla lettera, alle infermiere nere non era consentito frequentare locali pubblici, cosa che le condannava all'isolamento e alla frustrazione.

Tutto ciò ci porta a riflettere, con orrore, sulla somiglianza tra l'ideologia hitleriana della razza ariana superiore, e quella americana, di un popolo che pur combatteva il nazismo, ma che contemporaneamente considerava le persone di pelle scura, cittadini di seconda classe.

Proprio in un campo di detenzione per prigionieri tedeschi, si incontrarono e innamorarono i due "nemici" del titolo, Frederick, paracadutista amante della musica, ed Elinor, statuaria infermiera.
Dei due ci viene descritto il background familiare: anaffettivo per lui, sempre alla vana ricerca della considerazione e dell'apprezzamento di un padre assente e rigido; anomalo per quei tempi per lei, cresciuta in una comunità in cui la sua famiglia era rispettata e stimata.
L'autrice non ci narra un idillio, ma piuttosto la verità ricostruita attraverso svariate testimonianze: le difficoltà incontrate dalla coppia a causa del colore della pelle di Elinor; i tradimenti di Frederick; la distanza della coppia dai due figli, lasciati soli ad affrontare un mondo ostile.
In particolare, ho trovato interessante la parte in cui viene narrato il tentativo della famiglia di vivere in Germania, tentativo miseramente fallito a causa del rifiuto della società nei confronti delle coppie miste e dei loro figli.
A questo proposito, vi fu addirittura, dopo la guerra, il "Brown baby plan", un programma di adozione che trasferiva i bambini nati da donne tedesche e soldati afro-americani negli Stati Uniti, affinché i piccoli, outsider nel proprio paese e destinati a crescere negli orfanotrofi, fossero adottati da famiglie di colore e potessero così avere una vita migliore.

Ho trovato Enemies in love molto interessante, tuttavia non posso dire che mi abbia tenuto incollata alle pagine. Credo che se non fosse presentato solo come una storia d'amore, ma come ciò che è, ovvero principalmente un saggio - e un ottimo saggio, direi - potrebbe attirare una fetta di lettori più adatta, maggiormente interessata e ricettiva. Io stessa avrei scelto comunque di leggere il libro, ma in un momento diverso.

I really wanted to like this book. The topic interested me, the thought of unallowed love seemed enthralling but I could not get into the book. I can't tell you exactly what caused the disconnect but I could not enjoy this book or the love story behind it.

This book offers an unique insight into the lives of Elinor Powell an African American and army nurse and Frederick Albert a German prisoner of war. When they met the World War II was an on-going calamity, destroying human lives, whole families, cities and countries. In Germany Adolf Hitler spread hate and racist propaganda. In America Jim Crow was the law and lynching of black men was commonplace. At that difficult time it was a complete anomaly that a mixed-race couple found love and comfort in each other.

This book is important for many reasons and I think that anyone interested in history of racial discrimination in America and Jim Crow should read it. The data that the author revealed was truly shocking. The treatment of the prisoners of war by Americans was in many instances much better that the treatment of African Americans, who joined the American army. For example, Elinor Powell who was an African American and an army nurse wouldn’t be served in a restaurant “for white people only”, but the Nazi POW would be served in the same restaurant without complaints or objections.

In this reality the decision of Elinor and Frederick to be together was more than courageous and bordered on pure madness. The book shows the tremendous odds that they had to overcome and everyday heartaches and moments of humiliation they had to live through. The author was objective and didn’t try to paint their relationship as perfect or to shape it as a modern fairy-tale. Far from it. Elinor and Frederick were not perfect spouses or perfect parents, but their love and devotion to each other as showed in the book were unquestionable. There are beautiful family pictures in the book, which helped me to imagine how family life of Ellie and Frederick might look like.

I found this book very interesting and really heart-wrenching at times. I recommend it to everyone!

I received "Enemies in Love" from the publisher via NetGalley. I would like to thank the author and the publisher for providing me with the advance reader copy of the book.

I took my time with this book, because anything that involves war always has me either sad, completely guilty or angry at the human race. However, this book had two people that had to overcome that and so much more simply because they loved each other. It's a well written book and I enjoyed reading it. Forget the genre, you'll love this story because it's as heart-breaking as it is inspirational. Thank you Netgalley and New Press for the eARC and my major apologies for taking time to share my views, I loved this book.

This was an ok book for me. It was more a narrative of where they came from, the history of the Florence, Arizona, POW camp where they met, and how the Jim Crow laws affected the camps and their relationship. The closest story I know to this is the one my mom told me of my Japanese-American aunt -- her parent were married in a camp in California, they had Jell-o for their wedding cake because sugar was rationed, he joined the Army because he was beneficial to fighting the Japanese, he was killed in action before my aunt was born 9 months later, and her mother never remarried. I did know there was a POW camp not far from where I grew up, but only that it was there, not WHO was there (and I still don't).

The story centered around Frederick Albert, a German POW, and Elinor, a African-American nurse who later became his wife. The first part of the book told their family history, where they came from, their family dynamic, and why Frederick and Elinor were probably the way they were. It told little about their courtship, not that they had much of one, but it was mostly in secret as it was against the law for a black woman to have a relationship with a white male, let alone a German POW.

The points I found the most interesting was their life in the camp, how most of the nurses at these camps were African-American and from the North. Which made it all the more interesting because they were not used to the way Southerners treated African-Americans. It was also interesting how the author spoke with other POWs and their reactions to how they were German and POWs yet they were treated better than the African-Americans living and working here in America. I also found it interesting that their oldest son would not participate in the making of the book.

Like I said this was more of a narrative, as Frederick and Elinor have already passed, they did not speak much of their life in the camp or how they met. It read a lot like an article you would find in a news magazine, interesting, but not the kind of book I was anticipating. I am giving this 3 stars only because it gave an insight to the life in the POW camps, more into the Jim Crow laws (as I grew up in the North, I did not experience this until I moved to Mississippi in 1998), and though I did not mind the style of writing, I would have like to know more about Frederick and Elinor and what they felt regarding how society impacted their relationship.

In Enemies in Love Alexis Clark recounts the story of a very unlikely love between a black American nurse, Elinor Powell, and a German POW, Frederick Albert, during WW2. Elinor and Frederick met in a POW camp in Arizona, and fell in love. Recollected by Alexis Clark via journals, interviews with friends and family members, scrapbooks, and a huge amount of background research, Enemies in Love is, in my opinion, a fascinating story.

First of all, while the premise of this book is a love story, it is actually a deeply researched essay on segregation, racism, and bias that black women faced in general in their day to day lives in the first half of the 20th century, even after WW2. While I think most people are somewhat knowledgeable on the lasting effects of Jim Crow nowadays (I would hope), this type of reading is incredibly important because it contains so much information that we never hear about really, especially in most WW2 literature. Alexis Clark delves deeply into the huge blocks that black women had to jump over in order to first of all be able to qualify as nurses, and then find work, even in the armed forces during WW2 when there was a huge shortage of nurses. She also gives us a detailed background of how and why German POWs ended up in the US. It seems insane to think that a country would turn qualified nurses away because of their skin color even in a time when the country needed them, but it happened.

I think all of the relevant history around the story helps visualize both of the characters properly, it also provides us with a relevant, and important, history lesson.

I thought I was pretty well-versed in WW2 information but I had no idea of the amount of Axis POWs that were shipped to the US and interned here! I also think it’s incredible how German POWs were treated better than black nurses and soldiers in many areas in the armed forces and in civilian life. The enemy was treated better than US citizens that were fighting against the enemy!! I think we can still see this great hypocrisy displayed today in regards to current events.

All in all, Elinor and Frederick’s story is very touching, especially considering how they defied the odds and remained together until they died. Their union was very much out of the ordinary, and they even had a child out of wedlock out of choice, which at the time was of course a huge no-no. I found their story to be incredibly inspiring, especially as Alexis Clark really does her best to portray them as human beings, with their good and bad sides.

If you are looking to read about a romance with a WW2 backdrop this may not be for you. But if you are interested in learning about parts of WW2 that we never really hear about then you will definitely appreciate Enemies in Love.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy. Enemies in Love will be published by The New Press on May 15, 2018.

A very interesting book on two people that I previously knew nothing about. I definitely enjoyed reading this and learning more about them and the time period they lived in.

Thank you, Netgalley, for this arc! A quick, interesting read of a slice of history that I didn't know anything about. Frederick and Elinor's love story stood strong. It was fascinating.

“Enemies in Love” by Alexis Clark is a novel about the unlikely love between a German POW and a Black nurse during WWII. This is a true story which the author pieced together from interviews with a son and friends of the couple.

Frederich Albert was a German POW captured by the Allies and sent to a POW camo in the Arizona desert. Elinor Powell was a Black nurse in the military during the war. Black nurses were treated as second class citizens by the military, much like the black soldiers were treated. Jim Crow was alive and well during this period of our history. It is interesting that Nazi Germany considered colored people and mixed race people the same as some Americans thought of them. Fraternization between the two races was highly frowned upon by the military brass and the citizens in general. In fact, the German POW’s received better treatment than the Black nurses and soldiers.

An unlikely romance blossomed between Frederich and Elinor. Before Frederich was shipped back home to Germany, Elinor became pregnant, had to leave the military and move back home with her mother. She counted on the fact that Frederich promised to come back and that they would marry. Some years after their son was born, Frederich was able to get a visa to the United States; they married and began life together. It was not easy, as mixed marriages were not legal in all the states at this time. The book goes on to tell their story.

Even though this book is supposed to be about love between enemies, most of the book details the treatment of blacks in this country during that time. I was not aware of some of the methods of segregation. Even though I did know about the Jim Crow attitude of white citizens, I was not aware of the depth of hatred and humiliation handed down to those of color. To say that this book was interesting to read is an understatement.

This was not the book I was expecting to read, based on the synopsis given:

“This is a love story like no other: Elinor Powell was an African American nurse in the U.S. military during World War II; Frederick Albert was a soldier in Hitler’s army, captured by the Allies and shipped to a prisoner-of-war camp in the Arizona desert. Like most other black nurses, Eleanor pulled a second-class assignment, in a dusty, sun-baked—and segregated—Western town. The army figured that the risk of fraternization between black nurses and white German POWs was almost nil.

Brought together by unlikely circumstances and racist assumptions, Elinor and Frederick should have been bitter enemies; but instead, at the height of World War II, they fell in love. Their dramatic story was unearthed by journalist Alexis Clark, who through years of interviews and historical research has pieced together an astounding narrative of race and true love in the cauldron of war.”

Yes, this tells the story of Elinor and Frederick, who fell in love during WWII and eventually married. But this book is about much more than that. In fact, the story of Elinor and Frederick is just a small part of what I see as a history book that depicts a deep American shame, a not-so-well known event that occurred on U.S. soil, and an ongoing struggle for human rights and dignity.

Probably about half of the book is devoted specifically to the two lovers, including the family history of each and how they came to meet, marry, and finally settle down after years of struggling to find a place to live without prejudice and hate. The other half describes two very distinct situations in the United States that I’m ashamed and embarrassed to say I wasn’t very knowledgeable about. One of those situations describes the extreme level of segregation and bigotry toward black nurses in the early 1900’s and subsequent years by the American Nursing Association and the U.S. Army. It wasn’t until 1941 that black nurses, after years of protest and pushing, were allowed, with a restricted quota, into the U.S. Army Nurse Corps. They were also restricted to treating only black soldiers. Nurses were sent to bases that were totally segregated. Elinor Powell was sent to Fort Huachuca in Arizona, but not to treat black soldiers. Instead, to her shock, she would be treating German prisoners of war.

The fact that the U.S. had several prisoner of war camps here was another eye-opener for me. These camps were kept as low-key as possible, as the government was holding the prisoners here reluctantly and they didn’t want U.S. citizens to be frightened or angered. Most of them were transferred here from Britain, which had no place to hold them, and after repeated entreaties from them, the U.S. finally agreed to let them send some of their German and Italian POWs here.

The book describes, in much detail, the intense racism that black nurses had to endure. The author goes on to describe the bigotry Elinor, Frederick and their children were subjected to as a mixed race family here in America and in Germany. It’s evident from some of those interviewed by the author that this irony was not lost - white supremacy was a value shared by both Americans and Germans. The fact was, that even with a shortage of nurses overseas and at home to tend to injured soldiers, our country denied thousands of black nurses the ability to perform their jobs and treat these soldiers. This indicates the pervasive level of ignorance and racism in America.

Author Alexis Clark did her homework with this book. It is notated thoroughly; in fact, a good 20% of the pages are acknowledgements and bibliography. I learned a lot and am grateful for her diligence. I feel like Elinor’s and Frederick’s story itself is merely a lead-in to the real truth of this book – the deep prejudice that has existed in the history of our country and is still prevalent today. After reading it, I feel a deep depression that we have allowed, and continue to allow, such hate, ignorance and intolerance to be an ingrained part of America’s culture.

As to the story of Elinor and Frederick, I would give this 3 stars. I felt that part of the book, while interesting, was not the main focus and the title was somewhat misleading in this regard. The rest of the book was fascinating, so I’m giving this 4 stars overall.

Thanks to NetGalley and The New Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.