pn_hinton's review against another edition
4.0
This is a solid 4.5 stars but again no half stars so here we are.
One thing I really appreciated about this book was the education over a part of history I had no idea about. I know nothing about the Six Triple Eight Battalion or what they did, or even that Women of Color were allowed in the military as early as WWII. Despite what people may want to think, America is not a forward thinking country and to hear that this happened earlier than I thought was eye-opening. So, I feel it is something that everyone should read for that alone.
That said, there were a few things that I feel took away. First, I found the synopsis to be not as accurate as it should have been. From it, you would think tat when they went overseas it was straight to Paris but it was not. It took quite a while to get there and when they did, it didn't play out as they expected. I expected to hear more about that then the training the jobs they did before they were assigned to the 6888th.
The relationship between Eliza and Grace was also painted as they were friends from the start, when in actuality they were more like frenemies for most of the back. And that's another thing; their constant back and forth and bickering grated after a while. Even if the reason for the animosity from when they got on the boat was understandable, to have it spill over to Scotland and then France was a bit much.
I also found one aspect of the ending to be too clean. I won't say what it is because it's a spoiler but it felt like it was thrown in for a happy ending.
Overall I did enjoy this book and I think it's important to read. But don't rely too much on the publisher's description to paint an accurate idea of what it is because it was way off in my opinion.
One thing I really appreciated about this book was the education over a part of history I had no idea about. I know nothing about the Six Triple Eight Battalion or what they did, or even that Women of Color were allowed in the military as early as WWII. Despite what people may want to think, America is not a forward thinking country and to hear that this happened earlier than I thought was eye-opening. So, I feel it is something that everyone should read for that alone.
That said, there were a few things that I feel took away. First, I found the synopsis to be not as accurate as it should have been. From it, you would think tat when they went overseas it was straight to Paris but it was not. It took quite a while to get there and when they did, it didn't play out as they expected. I expected to hear more about that then the training the jobs they did before they were assigned to the 6888th.
The relationship between Eliza and Grace was also painted as they were friends from the start, when in actuality they were more like frenemies for most of the back. And that's another thing; their constant back and forth and bickering grated after a while. Even if the reason for the animosity from when they got on the boat was understandable, to have it spill over to Scotland and then France was a bit much.
I also found one aspect of the ending to be too clean. I won't say what it is because it's a spoiler but it felt like it was thrown in for a happy ending.
Overall I did enjoy this book and I think it's important to read. But don't rely too much on the publisher's description to paint an accurate idea of what it is because it was way off in my opinion.
kay_slayerofbooks's review against another edition
5.0
So glad I got this book
Cause I loved it! It catered to my need to read more books by POC authors with POC main characters and my love of historical fiction. I love hearing about these girls and what they went through. Despite the fact that it was fiction. So well written.
4.5 stars
Cause I loved it! It catered to my need to read more books by POC authors with POC main characters and my love of historical fiction. I love hearing about these girls and what they went through. Despite the fact that it was fiction. So well written.
4.5 stars
melomindy's review against another edition
4.0
Hard cover owned (book of the month club) - not keeping. Excellent read, and a great look at the first black women in the military (from a historical fiction perspective). I liked seeing the two main characters grow, as it covered from before their enlistment to the end of the war and what their future plans were. I think because it covered a longer time frame than most WW2 historical fiction novels it was slightly less gripping, as the tension ebbs and flows through the book.
charleewalton's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Absolutely incredible historical fiction about the only all-black battalion of the Women's Army Corps. Fantastic read.
sarah_mcalister's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
shesgotstories's review
4.0
" Our army refused to give us weapons, but we knew that we don't need guns to fight for what's right."
I'll admit that I had never heard of the Six Triple Eight before this book and it's such a shame they are not taught about in history classes because they are certainly role-model material. I am so glad I picked up this book.
Eliza and Grace (both fictional) are very different girls that end up signing up for the WAAC, later the WAC, and ship off to Iowa to become some of the first female officers in the army. They look out for each other despite a dislike for one another and climb the ranks before being shipped to Europe. Between them and another officer named Charity (a real person), they never backed down no matter how much racism and sexism they were forced to endure. Finding out that the iconic scene where Charity stood up to a general did indeed actually happen made me admire the grit of these women all the more.
This book is a relatively quick read but does read a little more YA than adult than I had thought. While I love the attention to detail to make the story historically accurate, I feel like a lot of the women's accomplishments were overlooked a little too much in regards to the main character for a "war story". I would have loved to have learned more about the women as they were promoted through ranks and not skipped over that because this was such a monumental moment for these women. And while I understand that it's not easy to get along with who you work with, the two main characters and their constant arguments did get a little old and distract from how strong sisterhood bonds would've been between women in the 6888th battalion where they needed each other's support.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book because it's strong women like these that are great role models and should be acknowledged more. I certainly won't forget the story of these badass women and their role in history.
I'll admit that I had never heard of the Six Triple Eight before this book and it's such a shame they are not taught about in history classes because they are certainly role-model material. I am so glad I picked up this book.
Eliza and Grace (both fictional) are very different girls that end up signing up for the WAAC, later the WAC, and ship off to Iowa to become some of the first female officers in the army. They look out for each other despite a dislike for one another and climb the ranks before being shipped to Europe. Between them and another officer named Charity (a real person), they never backed down no matter how much racism and sexism they were forced to endure. Finding out that the iconic scene where Charity stood up to a general did indeed actually happen made me admire the grit of these women all the more.
This book is a relatively quick read but does read a little more YA than adult than I had thought. While I love the attention to detail to make the story historically accurate, I feel like a lot of the women's accomplishments were overlooked a little too much in regards to the main character for a "war story". I would have loved to have learned more about the women as they were promoted through ranks and not skipped over that because this was such a monumental moment for these women. And while I understand that it's not easy to get along with who you work with, the two main characters and their constant arguments did get a little old and distract from how strong sisterhood bonds would've been between women in the 6888th battalion where they needed each other's support.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book because it's strong women like these that are great role models and should be acknowledged more. I certainly won't forget the story of these badass women and their role in history.
laurafalls's review against another edition
3.0
This book taps into a part of history I knew very little about – the Black women who fought for their country in more ways than one. This is not just a war novel – it's much more than that.
diegopv's review against another edition
1.0
After reading the synopsis, I was excited to read the amazing story of the first all-female-black battalion during WW2, but I couldn’t be more wrong. I know we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but I should have listened to my intuition here.
The writing was kind of poor and modern, and did not transport me to the 1940s as I expected. The book had no plot, nothing major happens besides Grace and Eliza joining the army and serving for a couple of years. It is basically filled with the two main characters bickering at each other in an army setting. That’s it. No major/interesting army events. Even the racial and feminist discussions were minimal and lacked depth.
Character-wise, they were all flat and I didn’t care about anyone besides a couple of moments. Their development was also very lacking throughout the book, Grace and Eliza are pretty much the same from beginning to end. Which actually makes some sense now that I think about how uneventful the book is…
The romance plot was another disappointment, it didn’t make much sense and it was forced to me. I felt like the author decided that they needed a love interest and shoved it without making their development seem natural.
The end in general was underwhelming. Some decisions contradicted the characters development and the little “twist” at the end was a big WTF moment that almost made me drop the book. The plot was basically “fixed” for the purpose of a happy ending. I feel like it was a cheap choice from the author that ruined the character development for me. Really disappointed here.
The writing was kind of poor and modern, and did not transport me to the 1940s as I expected. The book had no plot, nothing major happens besides Grace and Eliza joining the army and serving for a couple of years. It is basically filled with the two main characters bickering at each other in an army setting. That’s it. No major/interesting army events. Even the racial and feminist discussions were minimal and lacked depth.
Character-wise, they were all flat and I didn’t care about anyone besides a couple of moments. Their development was also very lacking throughout the book, Grace and Eliza are pretty much the same from beginning to end. Which actually makes some sense now that I think about how uneventful the book is…
The romance plot was another disappointment, it didn’t make much sense and it was forced to me. I felt like the author decided that they needed a love interest and shoved it without making their development seem natural.
The end in general was underwhelming. Some decisions contradicted the characters development and the little “twist” at the end was a big WTF moment that almost made me drop the book. The plot was basically “fixed” for the purpose of a happy ending. I feel like it was a cheap choice from the author that ruined the character development for me. Really disappointed here.
joelleen's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25