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You may have seen that there’s a new Netflix movie starring Kerry Washington and Oprah Winfrey about a little-known part of American WWII history. The movie, directed by Tyler Perry, tells the story of the Six Triple Eight, the 688th Central Postal Battalion, which was the only battalion of Black women to serve overseas during WWII. These women faced down racism, sexism, and an entire system, hoping to see them fail even as they put everything on the line to serve their country. Perry’s movie is based on a WWII History Magazine article by Kevin M. Hymel. But that’s far from the only piece written about the incredible history of the Six Triple Eight. In fact, in addition to a number of nonfiction books, recent years have seen several historical fiction books come out about the women of the Six Triple Eight.
Whether you’ve already seen the movie and just can’t get enough of this story or are simply looking for a great new historical fiction book to read, these three books about the Six Triple Eight are calling your name. These books would all be a great way to fulfill one of this year’s Read Harder tasks if you haven’t already: #17 Read a book about little-known history. That’s a lot of great reasons to read these books if you ask me.
No Better Time by Sheila Williams
No Better Time gives us a look into life in the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, from recruitment to deployment overseas, through the eyes of a librarian who joins up in the wake of Pearl Harbor. Dorothy Thom wants to do her part to help the war effort. But she soon learns Black women in the army are treated with even less respect than the German POWs held nearby. They at least get central heat, while Ft. Riley’s women’s barracks rely on coal-burning stoves. Despite the hardships, Dorothy and eight hundred of her fellow African American WACs sail across the North Atlantic to undertake the arduous task of sorting through more than 17 million pieces of mail. Much of the mail, stockpiled for two years, is in poor condition and sometimes illegible. It’s up to Dorothy and her sisters in the Six Triple Eight to finally get these letters into the hands of soldiers and their loved ones.
Women of the Post by Joshunda Sanders
Three women, a new Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps recruit, one of the only Black female officers in the WAC, and a woman who only discovered she was Black after joining the army are brought together through their work in the 688th Central Postal Battalion. Judy, Charity, and Mary Alyce each have their own reasons for becoming part of the war effort and the only unit of Black women to serve overseas during WWII. But their important work becomes even more personal when Mary Alyce discovers an old letter addressed to Judy within the millions of pieces of backlogged mail.
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Sisters in Arms by Kaia Alderson
As part of the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, Grace Steele and Eliza Jones will be among the first class of female Army officers and the first Black women ever allowed to serve. They have little in common outside of the WAAC, but they both know they’ll have to be better than everyone else in order to see the Six Triple Eight—and their fellow Black women in the army—succeed. Getting there may be the hard part, but once they reach England and France, they’ll risk everything to do their part and see their battalion through to the end.
You can learn even more about the history of the Six Triple Eight in nonfiction books like The Six Triple Eight: The True Story of the 6888th Battalion and Their WWII Mission by Dorian Ashveil and The Heroic Legacy of the 6888th Battalion: How Major Charity Adams and the Six Triple Eight Overcame Racism, Misogyny, and War by Tiffany C. Kingsbury (who also wrote the exposé turned into another Netflix drama in Apple Cider Vinegar).
