(3.5 stars, rounded up to 4)

Kaia Anderson's "Sisters In Arms" is a compelling historical fiction novel that brings to life the untold stories 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. Anderson's portrayal of the characters is vivid and authentic, with each protagonist facing their own challenges and triumphs in the face of war.

The character portrayal and historical accuracy are strengths of the novel, with acute attention paid to historical accuracy, shedding light on the often overlooked contributions of women, particularly Black women, to the war effort. Anderson's research is evident in the richly detailed descriptions of wartime settings and the authentic portrayal of the experiences of the women who served during the war. The one negative of this fantastic novel is the plot pacing. The narrative unfolds steadily but slowly, with moments of tension and drama interspersed throughout. Some readers may find the story lacking in momentum, particularly in the later chapters.

Overall, "Sisters In Arms" is a compelling and informative glimpse into a lesser-known aspect of World War II history. Its strong character portrayal, historical accuracy, and thoughtful exploration of the women's experiences make it a worthwhile read for fans of historical fiction.

Sisters in Arms explores the history of the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps’ 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, called the “Six Triple Eight.” The 6888th had 855 women, amongst whom were three Latinas. They were among the first Black women allowed to serve in the US Army during World War II.

This historical follows Grace Steele and Eliza Jones, from their recruitment in New York City to their mission in Europe. As part of the 6888th, their task is to tackle a substantial backlog of mail.

The novel not only addresses the challenges of wartime but also the harsh realities of segregation and prejudice. Despite its historical significance, my journey through this novel left me conflicted.

While Grace and Eliza are fictional, Alderson weaves in real-life characters, adding an authentic touch to the story. The depictions of boot camp and a U-boat chase are exciting highlights.

While the historical backdrop is interesting, the execution of the novel leaves much to be desired. The dialogue needed more work and was occasionally punctuated by contemporary phrases that seemed out of place in the 1940s setting. The constant arguing between the main characters became annoying, taking away from their potential depth.

Alderson’s writing style fell short of my expectations. The language was too explanatory and repetitive, with occasional problems with sentence structure. The overall tone felt more akin to young adult fiction.

In the end, despite the novel’s attempt to illuminate a lesser-known chapter of history, I could only muster a 2-star rating. I struggled to finish a book that should have been right up my alley.

** Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions are my own.

Sister In Arms by Kaia Alderson

This book about the 6888th Battalion Black Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps 1944-45, is for me a book that should be in everyone’s library.

Ms. Alderson does a great job with telling this story of brave women who faced and fought against many obstacles at home and abroad. Following the characters, Grace and Eliza as they experienced life at home, then war abroad had me hooked from page one.

This story has history, suspense and action but most importantly for me being a Army Veteran, it was a story I related to because of the issues they faced and the politics of enlisting in the military at that time.

I highly recommend it, especially as a book club read.

Rating 4
Linda C.

This debut historical novel tells the story of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps at the time that black women were first allowed to join. Through the characters one learns about the role of WAAC, and how difficult it was for these soldiers to do their jobs due to the rules that they had to live by not just because they were women but also because of the color of their skin.

The book was well researched and an interesting read; however, I felt that it was too long. Moreover, I found Grace and Eliza's personalities grating in their whininess. As characters their clashes caused harm that could have been irreparable and traumatizing. Their growth and maturity was slow in developing.

Sisters In Arms By Kaia Alderson is a story of courage, hope and strength during the very worst of times. If you are a fan of historical fiction and World War II this is a wonderful read! Happy reading!

Two Black women, from different upbringings in NYC, make the choice to join the Women's Army Corps during WWII. We see how their choices impact their family, push them to lead, expose them to vulnerable and dangerous situations, and how ultimately it changes their lives forever.

The story was fascinating, I would be interested in what happened to the women who in real life were part of the WAC and how it influenced them afterwards!

Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for the review copy, I enjoyed this and also purchased a copy for myself.

I really enjoyed this historical fiction. I learned a lot about the WAC and about Black womens’ experience in the WAC. Can’t say I am surprised. In so many ways, we’ve not changed much as a country. Igreat chracter development in addition to a good story.

Sisters in Arms by Kaia Alderson was an exceptional read about African-American women and their part in World War II. The fictional story highlighted the roles played by famous individuals such as General Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., Mary McLeod Bethune, and Eleanor Roosevelt to mobilize African-American troops, both female and male during World War II.

The title and description of Sisters in Arms is a bit misleading. I was expecting there to be a heartwarming friendship between the two main characters, but instead they are pretty awful to each other for the majority of the book. Some of their conflicts were understandably upsetting, but some were just petty. There is very little about their actual work as the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. Most of the book is about their family issues and then the drama between the Grace and Eliza. I did enjoy the parts about their military training and the very brief part about their work to find the mail recipients. I wish those parts had been the focus of the book instead of the Grace and Eliza's frustrating encounters.

Thank you NetGalley and Book Club Girl for this ARC

This was an amazingly done debut about the African American battalion of WAAC. There was so much history woven into the fiction of this novel it was hard to realize it was fictional at times.

This book shows the triumphs and tragedies of an amazing group of soldiers and strong women as they strive to be part of the WWII fighting efforts.

Eliza and Grace come together fight hard to be able to go overseas to feel like they are doing something for the war efforts. Their story is very inspiring and shows their tenacious spirits to reach their goals and prove to themselves and their families that they have made the right choices for themselves.

Triggers: Some violence/behavior due to race, an objectionable word used again and again (due to the time period)
My favorite paragraph from the novel:
"It's one thing to have lived it. You suck it up all while making promises to yourself that you will endure if only to ensure that those types of horrors never happen again. And then you become one of the lucky ones who gets to come home, only to be subjected to unimaginable indignities for having the nerve to hold your head a little bit higher because you did serve...all because of the color of your skin. But you persevere. You put your head down and work hard. Push against the obstacles put in your path because your skin is wrong, where you come from is wrong, how you speak is wrong. Despite all that you make it."
Sisters In Arms is a fictionalized story of Grace and Eliza, two black young women who decide to join the all black US women army battalion. Some of the characters in the novel are based on real people. This novel unlike other historical fiction set during World War II does not take us into the war zone but deals with the struggles that these two women have navigating the prejudice attached with the color of their skin.
This novel gives us a glimpse of 6888th postal battalion and I would have loved to read more about them. The author did a good job of conveying the struggles that these women would have faced being first women and second that of color. This book is more than Grace and Eliza's story but is also the story of every person who has to battle prejudice, race, color of skin and prove themselves.

We made sure to add this to our library's collection because it brings to light the hidden heroes of WWII. We even showcased at our library women in the military (plus Women in WWII) from our community at our library because of this book. The author created two characters who are both strong headed women who can't stand each other at first due to their different family backgrounds, but find they are best friends at the end. It's a soft read where I think even high schoolers would enjoy and even benefit from the story and history it provides.

Great character development! I enjoyed this book since it was part of the war that I had not heard of before.

I love learning about things in history that I don’t know much about. This was the intriguing and important story of the first black group of women to join the WAC in WW2. The characters were interesting and the book was very well paced and written. I would recommend this book for anyone who enjoys WW2 historical fiction! I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC copy of this book. I think the original idea is an A+. This was about the first all female, all black battalion to serve during World War II and could have been an amazing and inspiring literary journey. I had never known about the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. It started out with good background character development of the two main characters, musician Grace and rich girl Eliza. After that, the story moved very slowly for the next two quarters of the book, thankfully picking up around the 75% mark till the end. It suffered from leaps in time, which made me wonder where my characters had been for the past year (like when Grace gets a job in Washington, sleeps with her boss one time, and then it’s suddenly a year later when we learn that she’s a great employee, they never had sex again, and there is no explanation as to what happened). Much of the plot followed more of the uninteresting personal lives and interaction between the two main characters, who spent way too much time arguing with one another, making up, arguing, making up again…. I had expected to read so much more about the gender and racial issues. I expected more military action, or at least more references to true historical events. Our story takes place during World War 2. We could have gotten several more actual events into the plot, and had our characters react to them. There were under-developed love stories for both women, and under-developed male leads. I so wanted to love this book. I just didn’t.

I wanted to enjoy this one. Historical fiction, about WWII, and a rarely covered portion at that with the WAAC being the main focus. That said Grace was obnoxious, the dialogue was amateur, and the anachronistic phrases used was jarring and unauthentic. There's not character development, it's all tell not show, and felt pointless overall.

This a wonderful read and so interesting. It dealt with the first Black group of women in the army. These women dealt with discrimination from their peers, men in the service and women who did not believe women should be in the military. Their parents and families also added to the turmoil. We meet Grace, an accomplished pianist whose plans became sidetracked. Grace has a huge personality and doesn't back down for a second. Eliza has a totally different personality. We watch them enlist and participate in World War II. The book points how the dangers but allows us to see Grace and Eliza as people with emotions.

A very enjoyable historical read. Very interesting in the fact it was based on a true story.
Enjoyed the characters and their challenges. Thanks #netgallery for a ARC copy

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

(3.5⭐️) A unique look at the daring women in the only black battalion of the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corp during WWII.

Grace and Eliza are strong, independent women needing to break away from their domineering families. At the same time, the Six Triple Eight was being formed, setting the perfect stage for their coming of age transitions.

While set in a historic timeframe, this book is primarily a character study. Grace and Eliza grew up in very different households, and their temperaments and personalities highlight that. Eliza is bubbly and charismatic, while Grace is curt and prickly. In different circumstances, these women would not likely be friends. But in war, they must learn to depend on one another. Just like real sisters, we watch Grace and Eliza bicker while also having each other’s backs. As the women transition from training to boots on the ground, both show great strength, resilience, and heart. Alderson creates a depth in both unique women and their relationship as the book progresses.

The depth seen in the characters takes the space I desired for the historic backdrop. Ultimately, the storyline lacked a richness of details in the work of the battalion and how these women served a vital role in the wartime mission. I longed for much more background on this unit and their historic operation.

Overall, this is an enjoyable story that focuses on this courageous sisterhood and the daring black women of the Six Triple Eight.

Thank you Kaia Alderson, William Morrow and Custom House, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book.