With Sisters in Arms, Kaia Alderson gives the Black women of the 6888th battalion--the only all-Black battalion of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC)--their rightful place in the robust category of World War II historical fiction.
Reserved piano prodigy Grace Steele and spirited aspiring journalist Eliza Jones grew up in very different socioeconomic groups, but they both crave the opportunities promised by the newly formed WAAC. While their relationship is often contentious, the bond they forge gets them through some of the hardest times in their lives and the devastating war.
Alderson deftly blends fiction with history, incorporating prominent figures, places and cultural touchstones. For example, one of the most compelling secondary characters is civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune--in real life a close friend of Eleanor Roosevelt--who in Sisters in Arms helps Eliza secure her post in the WAAC. Alderson's Harlem is vibrant and multi-faceted, dotted with notable landmarks and clubs where jazz musicians are exploring the bebop sound, and the details of daily life are dropped in seamlessly. Never does this read as though Alderson is regurgitating her doubtlessly extensive research. Instead, the history grounds the story and gives depth to the characters and context for their actions.
Sisters in Arms is at times harrowing, as the main characters are both Black and women in the 1940s United States and in the U.S. Army, but it's also hopeful, romantic and defined by the kind of friendship that changes lives--and history--forever. --Suzanne Krohn, editor, Love in Panels