In the acknowledgements, the author said she tried to tell herself that nobody want to read this ‘stuff’ anyway. I disagree. This was a wonderful book about strong, talented women. Those young women worked hard to become even more than the admiral women that they were before WWII began, and they did it against odds not in their favor. This book was a delight to read, and based on true stories of African-American women and their experiences during WWII. It’s about friendship, camaraderie, resilience, and self-improvement. There’s a tiny touch of romance, but it’s truly about friendship and family, love of country, and doing what’s right. There are instances of bigotry and loss set against instances of accomplishment and success.

The characters are delightful and realistic, except for Mr. Jones, who came across as too George Jefferson-y for my taste. Still, he was a loving father, even when he acted as a toddle throwing temper tantrums when he didn’t get his own way. Grace, Eliza, Charity, and the other WACs were remarkably well drawn, believable characters.

I wasn’t surprised by what Grace found when she returned home after the war. I expected that to happen because I read the initial document carefully. For others who didn’t/don’t, well, a surprise is in store for you.

I highly recommend this book. It informed me of many things I had not known before reading it. It’s interesting, entertaining, and kept me turning pages.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley. I thank all involved for their generosity, but it had no effect on this review. All opinions in this review reflect my true and honest reactions to reading this book.

The two maiin characters, Grace and Eliza, have a love-hate relationship. They meet the first time at the Women's Recruitment Building in NYC. From there, these two different women [a pianist, a journalist] meet again and again.
The author tells an interesting and informative sotry of the Women's colored Battalion. One learns so much about their feelings, their trials, the attitude of people, and the work they performed both in US and then England and France.
This is a story well told and definitely worth reading.

I loved this book and read it over 4 days. I shared my thoughts on goodreads.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3976433420

Kaia Alderson was featured on the FreshFiction.com blog in an exclusive interview, which you can see here: https://freshfiction.com/page.php?id=11420

Despite my history classes and the many novels I've read about World War II, I am amazed to still be learning something new about that period of history. Kaia Alderson did a wonderful job in her debut novel of capturing my interest and creating characters that I quickly came to care about. I will definitely be watching for future novels from this talented writer. Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Sisters in Arms.

I love reading books that not only entertain me but also educate me. This book is one of them. Before reading it I never knew about the story of the only all-Black battalion of the Women’s Army Corps, the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion.

But the book is more than educational, it is also inspirational, it shows the battles and struggles that these women had to go thru to be considered as real soldiers not only because of their gender but especially because of the color of their skin.

Mostly tells the story of New Yorkers, most specifically Harlem, Grace and Eliza who couldn't be more different one from the other, Grace who hails from working class parents and aspires to be a famous piano composer while Eliza comes from a privilege background where her father owns a newspaper.

Fate and destiny throws them together to the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), where both become officers in the first ever Black women battalion.

Thru ups and downs, trials and tribulations these two women fight with each other, support each other, became estranged, and then friends until they realized that they are true sisters that would do anything one for the other.

Very well researched book with alive and strong characters, I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in strong female protagonists and WWII books.

African American Grace Steele and Eliza Jones decide to join the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps. They are quickly chosen to be among the first class of black female officers in the army. This book follows their reluctant friendship, training, and assignments during WWII.

I have to admit that I did not love this book. Grace and Eliza were constantly bickering, which made their a bit unlikable. I wanted to cheer them along as they faced racism and sexism, but their behavior and attitude was off putting. I also felt like the book continually went over the same information about the past and relationship. This bogged the story down. Overall, 2 out of 5 stars.

I definitely enjoyed this book. A solid 3.5 stars, only because I felt like there was lots of room for story and character development. There was a lot of historical detail, but not much detail for the characters. Occasional clumsy dialogue, too. This was more like a Young Adult read that a typical historical fiction.

Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for a free copy of Sisters in Arms in exchange for an honest review.

Sisters in Arms by Kaia Alderson was an engaging fictional account of Negro members of the first group of WACs (Women's Army Corps) during World War II. It was a struggle, but then it probably was for all of the WACs, not just the Negros. Many people seemed to think their primary purpose would be "comfort" for the "real" soldiers. People from different backgrounds were brought together and had to function as a team. It was far from a smooth road. At first, they weren't even allowed to go overseas, like their white counterparts; none of them were trained in the used of weapons, even for personal protection. It was a good story, eye-opening and well-written. A story that needs to be told and retold. War is a dangerous time, but the only dangers should come from the enemy, not from within.

The two major players in this story were Grace Steele and Eliza Jones. Grace came from a working-class family. She was a piano virtuoso. On the day she auditioned for Julliard, they had just received word that her brother had been killed in the Philippines. Needless to say, she bombed the audition. Instead of going home, where her mother made life a misery, she took herself to the recruiting headquarters and signed up. While she was there she met Eliza, who to all appearance, was a spoiled rich kid. An impression she carried until she discovered how wrong she was. They met people and did things and eventually got sent to Europe where their battalion was to sort and deliver six hangars full of mail that had been sitting for much of the war. Eventually they got sent to France, to accomplish the same miracle. It was a moving story about human beings in a terrible time. I recommend it.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Sisters in Arms by William Morrow, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine.

Alderson tells the story of the first Black Women in the US Army, from the viewpoint of two young women who become two of the first officers in this branch of the army. As she tells in the end notes, some of the events in the book are based on real events during WWII but some are purely fictional.
Grace is a talented young pianist who has just found out her brother has been killed in action in the Pacific Eliza is the daughter of wealthy and worldly parents and has already traveled the world before joining the WAACs (later changed to just WAC). These two young women come from different backgrounds, one working class and one upper class, one a grieving sister, one an only child. Yet, what they have in common is that they are both Black and both choose, for their own reasons to join the Army.
Once in the army, they face grueling training, long days of hard work, and a great deal of prejudice. Although Grace and Eliza do not get along, they respect each other and throughout the book, they have each other's back.
Alderson presents us with a realistic story that has empathetic characters, love, grief and joy. I learned a great deal about the great women who served in the first black contingents of the US Army, their bravery and their stamina. These women were true heroes and Alderson brings them to us beautifully!
One thing I noted while reading was the phrase, "people who look like us." This was code for another Black person. I was not sure why this phrasing was used, so just curious.

I loved learning about the Six Triple Eight Unit and all of the hidden history revealed by Kaia Alderson's detailed research and well told story. I had trouble with the pacing and the structure of this novel in spots (it would seem like either of the main protagonists would disappear for chapters at a time, only to reappear for their own section as the star), but I enjoyed both Grace and Eliza and admired their bravery and fortitude. I look forward to reading more of Alderson's work. Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow Books, and Book Club Girl for the ARC.

I was first drawn to Sisters in Arms by its beautiful cover. Secondly, I enjoy WWII historical fiction and KaiaAlderson’s debut novel about the first Black women’s Battalion of the WAAC’s is a new piece to the WWII puzzle for me. Alderson’s research on this subject shines through in her writing.Our author weaves the story through the eyes of two young women from different backgrounds. Grace Steele, a piano artist who bombs an audition for Juilliard (for good reasons). She has a domineering mother and a doting father who is gone a lot due to his job as a Pullman conductor. Eliza Jones is an aspiring journalist who works under the eyes of her father who runs a black newspaper. Her father takes credit for an article she wrote. Eliza received an invitation from Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune to join and go to Officer training for the first all-Black Six Triple Eight Battalion. Having failed her audition, Grace Steele also signs up for officer training.

Grace and Eliza meet and start an adventure as true-to-life sisters. One minute they dislike each other and the next minute they bond. Throughout the story, Alderson interjects some real-life WWII figures. The characters, Grace and Eliza, are based on Black women who served during the war.

The weakness I found in the book was that fifty percent of the book was spent in the training camp in Iowa before actually leaving for Europe. I would have liked more time spent when they were in Europe. I found the battalion’s job of finding the recipients of missing mail intriguing. I also felt the ending was rushed. I look forward to this author’s next book and watching her growth. My thanks to William Morrow and Custom House and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

What a great read! I loved this book. The women and the history that are truly an inspiration. This is the story of their friendship, their trials and tribulations, and the prejudice they faced. Wonderful storytelling. I also found that I really learn a lot in this but I wasn't bored at all! I kept turn gin the pages to see what would happen next. I truly was inspired by reading this. I really want to read what this author writes next.

i really enjoyed this book. Not only was it a good read it also includes timelines of history that I was not aware of. I enjoyed that the characters came from different lifestyles and different living areas. Set in WWII they joined up and gave their all to show the world that they could do the job. I thank Netgalley and Kaia Alderson for the advance copy and would highly recommend this book..

I loved this book soooo much. I am on a historical fiction kick and I loved the story and perspective here.

What a great read! This was unput down able. Grace and Eliza from the same area yet so completely different. They worked so well together but couldn’t get past the hard headed ways they each had in different ways. Just read it. You will enjoy this book.

I really love reading stories based off of women in history. Kaia Alderson bases her story off the women in the 6888th Postal Battalion during WWII. I enjoyed learning the history of the African American female military experience and also enjoyed the strong female characters that were able to overcome struggles. Thanks William Morrow, Net Galley, and Book Club Girl for the advanced copy.

Interesting debut novel. Women’s Auxiliary Army Corp during WWII . Grace and Eliza are two young women who make up the first black women officers unit. Near the end of the war they end up in England and France. Lots of drama and squabbling during the 3 years they are in service. A different perspective than what I’ve read before.

I loved that this was about the start of the black WAAC, because I had never known anything about the it. The book highlighted the injustices that the women had to endure and gave insight into the people who were important to its beginnings. I could never quite figure out the relationship between the two main characters and I thought the ending was a little too neat, but I enjoyed the book and found it a quick read.

I read a lot of WWII books. I love that there are still new stories to be told and from different perspectives. That was part of why I was so excited when I heard about Kaia Alderson's Sisters in Arms. This historical fiction novel just released today and I was interested because it featured two Black women from New York City and their war story - something I haven't encountered before in my (very white) WWII reading. The idea was amazing but the actual execution of the story let me down.

Here's the book's description:
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.
It sounds so good, right? I think my issue was how the story was actually told. Which, uh, wasn't well. There are two main characters but their stories didn't seem to be told in equal measures. For example, there's a Major Thing that happens to one of the women but it took ages for the story to get back to her to find out how she was coping - it was so strange. I also never really got a good handle on either woman. Their actions didn't always seem to match their personalities or what the reader was told, at least, that's how I felt. They also didn't really feel like fully fleshed out characters. So much of what we knew about Grace was her ability to play piano and, for Eliza, it was that she came from a wealthy family. I'm sure Alderson wanted to have two women from very different economic backgrounds to give a better idea of what it was like for these women but I think it would have been better to have it focus on one woman and another just being a really good friend who could tell her stories to the other women.




I also felt like the story dragged on a bit. Which is strange since it started in 1942, years after the war actually started, and ended not too long after VE Day in May 1945. But it felt much longer. I know why it made sense to have the story span all that time - it was important to know why it was such a big deal for these Black women to be accepted into service and the show the struggles they faced even when they were allowed in. Their work was heavily administrative - important work, to be sure - but it didn't exactly allow for an exciting read.

I wasn't surprised to read about the sexist and racist behaviour the women faced. That said, I was still appalled. Their superiors didn't know how to deal with women in the army and they had no interest in even pretending they wanted anything to do with "coloured" women. These women had to work so much harder to prove to white men (and women) that they were just as good as anyone else. They couldn't afford to make any mistake. And what's frustrating is I've read books and interviews from present day where women of colour are still saying the exact same thing. Over 70 years later. Something has to change.

I know Sisters in Arms didn't thrill me but I still think it's an important addition to WWII set novels. I'll keep an eye on Kaia Alderson and see what she writes next.

*An egalley was provided by the publisher, HarperCollins Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*