No Better Time: A Novel of the Spirited Women of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion follows the stories of Leila Branch and Dorothy Thom in their lives before and during World War II. Both women coming from different backgrounds decide to “do their part” and join the United States military for their own varying reasons. They meet upon entering the military and they are among the women deployed overseas as part of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, an all African-American, all women battalion.

As someone who has read A LOT of literature revolving around WWII, I had never heard of this group of women. Their motto of “no mail, no morale” rallied them around a common cause to get the much anticipated mail and packages to the soldiers fighting all over Europe. Their work, from my research, has gone relatively thankless, and their presence in the war was met with much disdain because 1) they were women and 2) they were Black women.

This book ignited a new interest for me; I want to learn all about women’s work during wartime throughout American history. I want to learn their names, I want to appreciate their sacrifices.

Sheila Williams did a great job of capturing and conveying the camaraderie between the women in the story. Their work, the struggles they faced, the backlash they received were all communicated well. I really did enjoy Williams’ writing and was able to finish the book within a couple days. If you love WWII focused historical fiction and novels about women’s contributions and hard work, this is a book I recommend!

I found this to be a very interesting read. Not knowing much about the Women’s Auxiliary Core for women of color, I was curious what they did during the war. I enjoyed the different characters and stories of their time in the army. These women were smart, educated and dedicated. They fought two wars it seemed. A war against racism and the war against Hitler. An easy read. If you like WWII novels, add this to your TBR. You want to get this perspective.

Thanks to NetGalley for my copy of Sheila Williams’ recent novel, No Better Time, that releases on February 27.
I REALLY wanted to like this since it’s my favorite genre but it’s rudimentary writing style reads like a middle school book requirement. Not a ton of details provided for such a poignant historical era. It needed more sustenance that 240 pages just don’t allow for.

I enjoyed this book. This is a poignant piece and a significant subject.

The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the only Black WACs to serve overseas during WWII. The women were responsible for sorting the mail sent to GI's; an enormous task since there was a huge backlog. The story centers on Dorothy Thom, a Spelman graduate who joins the Women’s Army Corps in search of adventure. Many of the other women join for different reasons, but their courage is what carries them through the troubles of war.

I do agree that the storyline went flat at times but the premise is strong. Because the character development was not as robust, the story felt like snaps of life experiences, rather than a historical fiction novel. Nevertheless, I found this book to be a good read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have read a lot of WWII books, but none on the postal service employees so I was looking forward to this one. Unfortunately, it just didn’t prove to be what I was expecting. This is a short read, finished in one day.

I was looking for detailed descriptions of life in the war. This book covers more of the personal trials and tribulations for the African American women treated unfairly. In that sense it was very informative. I did learn some things, but the story lacked depth. I enjoyed the read. And I do appreciate the sacrifice and service these women performed for our country.

I received an ARC from Amistad and NetGalley for my unbiased review – This one comes in with 4 stars.
This was a good murder mystery which grabbed my attention from the first chapter. It is also a coming-of-age story of a young boy that truly enjoyed his uncle who was accused of the murder and sent to prison which sets in place the future for Isak. Other characters in the story are Edvard’s sister, her husband and how this entire case affected the policeman that investigated the case.

The story kept my attention most of the way through, it fell a bit flat in the middle but picked back up again for a great ending. I would highly recommend if you enjoy police procedurals, it is well written.

Amistad and NetGalley provided this Galley edition for no requirement other than my offer to provide an unbiased review. This one comes in with 4 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley for this eARC to review. I am a fan of some historical fiction, such as The Personal Librarian and The Other Einstein, so I had high hopes for this book, especially because of the subject matter. The women of WAC a part of history I had never heard about. I did look into the facts from which this book is inspired, and I was immediately intrigued. I enjoyed the beginning of the book and the two characters that were introduced. But unfortunately, the book started to fall a little flat, as there was no real plot or storyline. There didn't seem to be much of a plot, no arch, with a conclusion to which the reader was being led. It was just a series of events, with some facts, and places thrown in, and often the timeline was strange. I was also disappointed in the lack of background character development, lack of dialogue, and not enough focus on the actual work of the WAC's. When I read about 75% , if I had stopped, I wouldn't have missed anything. The ending was very uneventful. The writing is nice, but the reader is not taken on much of a journey.

No Better Time, by Sheila Williams, tells the story of the 800 plus American women of color who volunteered for the Women's Army Corps (WAC) during WWII. Although the military initially seemed to flounder a bit as to how best to put them to work, eventually they formed a postal unit charged with directing mail from the States to the military fighting in Europe whose locations changed with the fortunes of war. How they were received by the Europeans as contrasted by Americans was described in depressing detail and serves to remind the reader how deeply ingrained racism (and sexism) is in the United States. The story of the origins of women serving in the military during the WWII is a fascinating story of heroism.

Unfortunately, the telling of the story feels like the recollections of elderly women. The sense of immediacy and emotion is mostly absent. The characters lacked nuance. Like the male units, this unit is segregated. Rarely does the author address how challenging it must have been to be so far from home and family. Did they feel lonely? Were any of them sorry they had volunteered? Did the money they earned make a difference and justify their absence? How did it impact the rest of their lives? I wish I had had the chance to know these women better.

I have read a lot about WWII, and this is the first I have heard of this unit. Thank you to NetGalley and Amistad Press for the opportunity to read this book and learn. Despite my reservations about the character development, I highly recommend it.

A story of of duty love and sacrifice, No Better Time give us a glimpse into the lives of the Six Triple Eight WAC unit. Sheila Williams has given us a story that has been waiting over 80 years to be told. Add this to your TBR and move it to the top!

This is the story of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the only Black WACs who served overseas during World War II. I was excited to learn more about this group and their work, but didn't feel like the story got too deep into that topic. The chapters of this book are short and quick, but that results in little character development and a weaker storyline.

Ebook received for free through NetGalley

A good read about a group of people that aren’t known as much. I’m really glad I came across this.

This is the story of several women who joined the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion which saw the only black WACs during World War II who served in Europe. The book concentrates on the experiences of Dorothy and Leila, two very different individuals who find themselves friends for life. Dorothy is a college graduate, librarian and Francophile (fully conversant in French which makes her handy indeed), and when the opportunity presents itself, she grabs it in search of adventure as much as doing her bit for the war effort. Leila is a single unmarried mother who grabs the chance of an income that could set up her son for life. What follows is the women discovering that adventure as well as more than earning their way to a better life. We see the Army stumble and flail as it tries to figure out just what to do with women as well as Black women in the War. Everything is made up on the fly, training, barracks, duties. When the massive amount of mail sent to the soldiers in Europe is backlogged by the warehouse full, someone has an AHA moment and sends the 6888th to sort it all out, first in England, and then in Rouen, France. Leila makes it to France!
This has engaging characters and fascinating, well-integrated historical detail. There is great immediacy to the story that anyone should be able to empathize with. All rings true and makes for an absorbing, quick read. Highly recommended.

I had enjoyed other books from Sheila Williams, so I was really excited that there was a new book coming out. It had everything that I enjoyed about a historical fiction novel. The characters all felt like they belonged there and I enjoyed getting to know them.

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!

The 6888th Battalion was formed during WWII. It was comprised of 800 plus Black American women who enlisted in the Army. Eventually they were sent to Britain and France. Their mission: to resolve a back log of 2 to 3 years of mail for American soldiers. They received terrible treatment from the Americans. This was an incredible story that focuses on a few of the women. Why they enlisted, their service, etc. An incredible story that I’m so thankful was written. Looking forward to more by this author.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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.