Book Review: Women of the Post by Joshunda Sanders

Rating: 4.5⭐

“Segregation in civilian life was still very much the law of the land, but the wartime needs in all areas of the military forced the government to admit that they would need to make some exceptions in order to win the war.”

In 1944, as WWII rages on, Judy Washington and her mother are struggling to make ends meet. Judy’s husband Hervert is off fighting the War, enlisting after the bombing of Pearl Harbor resulted in African American men being drafted into the Armed Services. However, correspondence and money from Herbert had been irregular, forcing Judy and her mother to join the Bronx Slave Market where Black women wait on street corners hoping to be employed for domestic services by White women in exchange for a pittance. With the men fighting the war, there was an opportunity for women to join the Woman’s Army Corps (WAC) and after the massive loss of lives in the D-Day Invasion, Allied soldiers from different branches including those handling the post were also called onto the front leading to short staffing and a lag in postal services thereby creating an opening for women, including Black women to join the war effort. Judy decides to enlist eventually becoming a part of the 6888th Central Postal Battalion or Triple Six Eight Battalion as it was commonly referred to, led by Captain Charity Adams (one of the most high-ranking Black officers in the WAC). The Battalion included approximately 850 Black women who were tasked with sorting and redirecting a massive backlog of correspondence between soldiers and their loved ones back home.

“No mail, no morale. It will be our mantra.”

We also meet others from Judy’s Battalion including Stacy McFadden who hails from a farming family in Missouri, Bernadette Moore from Chicago and Mary Alyce Dixon from Vermont whose journey is made more difficult after a personal revelation leaves her shaken. The narrative follows these women over the next year and a half as they complete their training, cross the Atlantic and are eventually stationed in Birmingham, England till the end of the war. We bear witness to their personal struggles and aspirations, their camaraderie and how they become an integral part of one another’s support systems in difficult moments. The story is shared from the perspectives of Judy, Charity and Mary Alyce for the most part and not only details the working of the Six Triple Eight Battalion but also paints a picture of the bigotry, segregation, sexism and discrimination not only in WWII era United States by also within Army ranks and also how their experiences outside their country allows them an opportunity to view life as Black women from a different perspective, which impacts the decisions they make in the aftermath of the war.

“Everything in America, in life, made it clear that remembering one’s place meant remembering your inferiority to anyone white. The signs, the looks, the treatment—what waited for her back home was now the inferior version of a run-down waiting room, a crowded hospital, a diner’s back entrance or a broken water fountain.”

The brilliant Author’s Note sheds light on the real events and people who inspired this novel while also detailing the facts and fictionalized elements that have been woven into the narrative.

Overall, I found Women of the Post by Joshunda Sanders to be an impeccably researched, informative, insightful and engrossing read that highlights the contribution of African American women to the WWII effort. This is the first work of fiction where I have come across this aspect of the war effort and I commend the author for the beautiful way she has told this story. With its excellent writing, superb characterizations and a rare glimpse into a part of history that is rarely talked about, this is an exceptionally written novel that I would not hesitate to recommend to those who enjoy WWII fiction inspired by true events/people.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing/Park Row Books for the digital review copy and a special thanks to the publisher for the gifted copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.