Sisters in Arms

A Novel of the Daring Black Women Who Served During World War II

By: Kaia Alderson

Narrated by: Shayna Small

Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's 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 US battalion to be deployed overseas during World War II.

©2021 Kaia Alderson (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

Excellent!

Great story...loved the characters. Looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.

great story

I loved the story line and the performance. i would recommend this book to anyone who loves African American novels. I gave this book five stars because it was interesting ( just enough romance) and It was easy to imagine myself having this experience.

Wonderful!

This story was fabulous, well written and inspiring. It was great to read something that shows black women as intelligent, educated, independent, and human! Bravo!! I look forward to more books like this.

A Must Read!!

I literally felt as if I was there with the characters! Flawlessly written! Awesomely read!

This could have been my aunt's story

The voice changes were excellent. there were times when I was unsure what would happen next. wished that I had asked my aunt more questions. great read.

Excellent story.

The characters were realistically fictitious and the story line portrayed some truths of American history.

Great Capture of Female WWII Heroes

I enjoyed how the characters were displayed. The back stories of black female military members and their service to our country during WWII came to life in this story. This listen made a long drive speed by.

Enjoyed

I liked the easy writing style of the author. I could imagine the WACs standing at attention, crisp, proud and tall. I loved the historical references and also liked the fact that the author didn’t skirt around the bigotry experienced within the military. Enjoyable read.

Enemies to Friends

The characters are so well defined you actually feel you know them. Misreading other's intentions, speaking out of turn, and blatant racism woven together make this feel more biographical than fictional.

Overall solid, easy read.

This author draws inspiration from women serving in the military during WWII. But this is not just another WWII story: this is a stirring and timely novel about the only all-Black battalion of the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, a group of women who had to fight resolutely against countless obstacles in order to be permitted to serve their country. While some characters were loosely based on real life figures, the two leads, Grace and Eliza are fictional characters.

An excellent book full of action and pain. I felt that some aspects were wrapped up a little to neatly and conveniently at the end. Overall, a solid historical fiction that covers a part of history that is too often glossed over.