[This review was first published by me on my website. It reviews another writer’s novel, not one of mine.]
This review is about the aura and overall special place in literature for this book and a little light on long lists of specifics. It is about why the reader needs to pick up a copy and experience the specifics of this wonderful novel for themselves. After reading the book many months ago, I messaged the author of SISTERS IN ARMS that I was planning to write a great review. It was my way of thanking her for creating such a good work. I’m no one important, but I know quality art. I write and paint, and my novels, which any reader of this review is probably not familiar with, are good and received well. You wouldn’t have seen or heard of them because they are not widely publicized or marketed. I’m too busy in my later years writing and painting. There’s much to do while I am still on the planet and less time to do it.
I put off writing this review because I considered it so important that I wanted to get it right, . . to say things correctly. The book spoke to me so strongly, partly because of my interests in the setting, topic, and historical issues, that I needed to say the truth about the book and I wasn’t ready. This is a special novel that begged for my full understanding of why I liked it so much. This is such a special novel that I wish it were mine. But of course this needed to be written by Kaia Alderson. It is her book.
What is important to say first about SISTERS IN ARMS is that many authors may wish they had written it. A book, a work of art like a painting, is one of the artist’s babies. And at the time written, it is the baby. Readers of this review should not mistake the tone of my comment; do not undervalue it. For a serious artist like me, who works in the same field as the creator of the work, in this case Kaia Alderson, the evaluation “I wish I had written this book” is one of the highest compliments we can make. It is a nod to another artist that you see them as someone to look up to, even if you think you are on a par with them in a general sense. Since we all have strong egos, that is saying a lot.
SISTERS IN ARMS required someone closer to the women who lived the story in real life and whose heroic lives are echoed or reflected in this great work of fiction. This book required a certain, special, black woman author in my opinion. So, other writers like this white male Southern guy who is speaking here could not have created this, though I often write black female and male characters.
I’ll go a step farther and say this book required Kaia Alderson in particular as the author. I do not know the writer, but novels and poems are personal, even when they are not about you the artist yourself, . . even when you are writing about something before your time . . from history. As finely crafted and delicately written as SISTERS IN ARMS is, it must have required the particular craftswoman who wrote it. This is a story from a sad part of the history of a great nation that required being told and made more publicly known, and Kaia is the one who took up the mantle and told it. She could not have chosen a better, more sadly neglected part of our history.
She told it well. From page one until page three hundred seventy-two you feel the locations as if you are back there. She makes you suspend belief in your modern reality and feel you are there in a time with no cellphones or any other digital devices, where you have to find a phone to make a call, or be in a club or near a record player to enjoy music. This is “period fiction” Kaia is writing, and the reader has to get back to that period. Skillfully, Kaia Alderson gets you there. Her characters are believable people that you care about (with the depth to be believable). With whatever personal flaws or weaknesses each may have, they are positive people you want to know in real life. This is especially true of Kaia’s fictional main characters. And when that happens, when you want to meet a fictional character in reality, the author has done a stellar job.
When you meet a book like this one and finish it, all you can do is sit down in your favorite spot at home or in your favorite special café or tavern, lean back with a mug or glass of your favorite nectar, look up and out, and tip the glass to the author, wherever she or he is, and sip. You can’t read for a while. You’re not yet done with this volume. You’ve only finished reading it.
Review by Robert F. Jackson, Jr.
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Reviews with images
Important part of U.S. history - Must read!
I purchased Sisters in Arms by Kaia Alderson as an early release through my Book of the Month club membership. The synopsis is what made me select this book. The story narrowly focuses on two African American women from different backgrounds who, in an attempt to run away from some challenges at home, join the Women's Army Corps during World War II. The book is historical fiction in that the two primary characters are fictional; however, the Women's Army Corps that quickly cleared a months-long backlog of mail for soldiers, was indeed real. Many of the secondary characters in the book are based on real people and some points of the broader plot are based in fact.I really enjoyed reading about this part of U.S. history that has been hidden but is now making its way to the forefront. In July of 2021, news outlets reported that the 6888 Central Postal Directory Battalion may finally receive a Congressional Medal for their efforts.The book is a fast and easy read. I did this as a buddy read with one of my bookish friends. We set out to just read the first five chapters before discussing but quickly surpassed that! The underlying theme of race and the time period the book was set in created tension. Because these women were doing something groundbreaking with respect to race and gender there wasn't much foreshadowing needed to predict that some horrible conflict was going to be the central and defining aspect of the story's plot. The things I didn't care for in the book was the alternating perspectives without giving a clear indicator. Additionally, in dialogue, I wish the author would have just referred to some of the secondary characters by name. For example, in chapter 5, there's an exchange between Eliza and her parents. And as the dialogue transitions from character to character, the author identifies Eliza but refers to her parents as "Mother" and "Father," which I found a little cumbersome.Overall, this was a good book about an important, overlooked, part of U.S. history. I would love for Alderson to explore writing additional books about some of the other secondary characters in the book. It would make for an engaging series. (And I'm not even big on book series!)Recommendation: I would definitely recommend this book as an educational read for middle schoolers and up. The historical background and creative writing makes it a pleasurable read.Until next time ... Read on!Regardless of whether I purchase a book, borrow a book, or am gifted one, my ultimate goal is to be honest, fair, and constructive. I hope you've found this review helpful.
