Amazing story....not as good story telling. I wish she went deeper into the story and wasn't as shocked of the racial situation in the south in the '40's. Amazing what these men did to only face horrible situation back home.
Amazing story....not as good story telling. I wish she went deeper into the story and wasn't as shocked of the racial situation in the south in the '40's. Amazing what these men did to only face horrible situation back home.
Anyone who is knowledgeable about African American or military history will probably find that this book retreads a lot of ground in an effort to provide context. Perhaps due to the sparseness of the military records, Hervieux relies on this background material to flesh out the narrative. Nevertheless, she successfully sheds light on the contributions of a group that has almost been erased from history.
Full review: https://goo.gl/SFwbQ7
Working on discussion questions for tomorrow's book club meeting. So much to dig into, from Jim Crow, to in-army segregation, to difficulty in accessing GI benefits post-war, and then the erasure of these men from history and the collective memory of the war.
Finished the second part of this book today, dealing with the transport of troops to Britain, and the experience the black soldiers had while billeting there. While they waited for the invasion, they lived among British citizens who refused to allow white Americans to draw them into Jim Crow behaviours.
Been digging into this one since my book club is discussing it later this week. It is about the only African American army unit that landed at D-Day, but so far the first third is all context: Jim Crow, the Great Migration, the history of black military units, and a background chapter on barrage balloons and their history, since the 320th was a balloon unit.
#TBR #FeistyFeb
Next #ReadHarder challenge; the ever present; JOHNNY FUCKING MARR. @RealLifeReading