Thanks to NetGalley and Amistad publisher for the advance reader copy in exchange for a thoughtful review. This will appear on Goodreads.
Another little known WWII story of the black women who overcame much discrimination to join the army and be a part of try war effort overseas. The women sorted mail, likely millions of letters and packages, and found their recipients.
This story exposed what it must have been like for these women joining the army, going through boot camp, given whatever job necessary, regardless of their background or experience, and vastly under constant and blatant discrimination . The insights were particularly interesting in the hospital and barracks, and learning of the German POWs. These women stood by each other through thick and thin and the camaraderie shone through.
The downside for me was the way it was written. It felt much like the women were sitting around telling their stories, which can be great, but like in storytelling among friends, there are distractions and missing details and inside jokes that leave the reader wondering what they missed. I felt like there were enough gaps, mostly small ones, to distract me,
Would I still recommend to some of my patrons looking for lesser known stories of WWiI? Absolutely. But for me it was a 3.25 rounded to 3.5 *

3.5⭐️s. This is a hard one to rate because the facts were interesting but it was written more like a nonfiction book, not a fictional novel.

This is the 3rd book about the 6888th and I liked the different perspective that dealt with the military bases holding WACs the 6888th started from, besides Ft Des Moines, which is what the other books were set in because Charity Adams was there. There were also more/different stories, more perspectives, and more facts that this book brought to light, and honestly did it in a really great way - but if it was a nonfiction book.

However, it was the proverbial tell rather than show - it walked you thru facts and events but didn’t get to a character level or let you see thru the characters’ eyes. It was more an education. So while I enjoyed the book, I didn’t care for the format having one foot in both worlds. I kind of wish it had just picked one and developed it as is.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are mine.

Thank you, @netgalley, for my gifted e-copy of “No Better Time” by Sheila Williams.

This historical fiction covers a unique WWII perspective, telling the story of two Women of Color who served in the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, which was a branch of the Women’s Army Core (WAC).) The battalion was tasked with the insurmountable task of sorting years’ worth of mail and making sure that letters were received.

I found the subject to be very fascinating, and I feel that this is a WWII story that has not yet been told in a novel. Unfortunately, though, this book did not read much like a novel. There is a lot of information and little dialogue comparatively. I found the writing to be a bit clunky, but I still enjoyed reading through and learning about something new in history. I had never heard of the 6888th Battalion before and am so glad that I know about this piece of WW2 history now! It was heartbreaking to read about the racism that these women endured and interesting to learn more about what different aspects of the WAC were like and the different kinds of circumstances that lead women to join.

I would definitely recommend this book to you if you are interested in WW2 or WAC history!

This book was eye-opening, as I didn't know that this existed! There were Blacks that served during WWII, that is fairly common knowledge, but I did not know of this particular group of Black women who served. What a fascinating, and at times heartbreaking, fictionalized tale of their lives and experiences.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this historical fiction novel. I enjoyed this read about negro WACS in WWII who sorted mail. The struggles and experiences were well researched and brought to light here. I was expecting more to this novel overall and maybe a bit of romance. The time in the US seemed to drag in the novel which I'm sure was true in real life. A good read overall.

No Better Time is a historical novel about the little-known Black contingent of the Women's Army Corps during World War II. It's a fictionalized account of the only Black WACs to serve overseas during that time, the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. The novel follows two women, Dorothy, a Spelman graduate and librarian who is looking for adventure and an opportunity to use the French language that she studied, and Leila, a single mother who sees this as an opportunity to better her life as well as the life of her young son. Ms. Williams weaves an engrossing story of this forgotten piece of history. The author's style has a simplicity that makes it accessible also for young adults, but anyone interested in historical fiction, WWII, or the Women's Army Corps. It was a pleasure reading this book. Many thanks to NetGalley and Amistad for the ARC.

An interesting story about a group of women who were responsible for sorting a backlog of mail (some 2-3 years worth) for the military. This mountainous task was given to a group of Black women who had joined the Army for various reasons. They were quite a determined and often times, humorous group of women who supported each other through thick and thin. The book outlines the discrimination they received and it is remarkable how they rarely let it get them down. I did feel the story seemed a bit rushed at times and thus my rating of 4 vs. 5 stars. With that said, I admire the author and thank her for sharing their story with us. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Pub. For providing me a copy of this book for my honest review.

This books story is something I didn't know existed during WWII. It is about a group of black women who decide to for various reasons, be it bored or for some $$, enlist into the army. It is an eye opener. Because they received discrimination from the white male soldiers and the army disregarded them. Their quarters left much to be desired. But, the eye opener is that these women stuck up for themselves and persevered throughout their time.

The story is told thru 2 black women Dorothy Thom, who went to college and spoke French, and Leila Branch who had a baby and no money or education. They became the best of friends.

They were eventually assigned to 6888 Postal Directory Battalion of the army. The job was to sort over 17 million pieces of mail stocked in various locations and which were in less than fair condition with illegible names and addresses. They started training in the Iowa and Kansas. The conditions and treatment of these women in a few instances got so bad they had to revolt to get the treatment or conditions changed.

They eventually went to Burmingham, England and Roen, France. It is here where they got to see and feel the devastating effects of war, the destruction and death. Yet, they had each other for support and maintained their
strength.
When they finally got home they brought with them a new meaning of love for their country. If your into women of strength stories and the war, give this a read!

An amazing story of two women serving with the 6888th Postal Unit during WWII. While not as detailed and alive as Women of the Post, this is still an enjoyable and arc to put down story!

I first learned of the Six Triple Eight when I read Joshunda Sander's Women of the Post, which I loved. I was excited when I learned of No Better Time being released soon, hoping it would be as good. I needn't have worried because this book is outstanding. Much of the book focuses on what these Black women faced in the U.S. Army, which didn't want women in their ranks in the first place and definitely didn't want "colored" women. Their treatment was beyond disgraceful but these women were resilient. I was outraged by what I read. It was such a contrast to the way women were treated in the British military in World War II.

It is unimaginable now to think of U.S. servicemen in the European theatre receiving no mail from home for 2 years! In January 1945, the women of the #6888 were sent to Birmingham, England to set up a sorting system. Awaiting them was a 2-3 year backlog of letters & packages to sort, repackage, and then forward to wherever the men were currently serving. (The food in those packages, now moldy or worse, from home, had also attracted rats!) The benefit of being overseas for these women was there was no segregation and little racism from the locals. They did face racism from many of the white American servicemen, unfortunately. The women of the 6888 Postal Battalion will inspire you and make you proud. I highly recommend this excellent book to everyone and will definitely be buying a copy for myself.

Many thanks to NetGalley & Amistad for the opportunity to read the digital ARC. All opinions & the review are my own.