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The Remarkable Life of Reed Peggram: The Man Who Stared Down World War II in the Name of Love
The dramatic and heartrending true story of one remarkable young man's account of love in the time of war, by a celebrated historian of untold Black stories
On the eve of World War II, a handsome young scholar arrived in Paris. The queer, Black son of a housecleaner, who had nevertheless been decorated in the halls of Harvard and Columbia, Reed Peggram flirted with Leonard Bernstein, sat for portraits by famous artists, charmed minor royalty and became like a little brother to famed researcher and writer Jan Gay. Finally in Europe and on the same prestigious scholarship as literary luminaries Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes before him, he ignored the increasingly alarmed calls to return home to a repressive, segregated America and a constrained life as a second class citizen. And as tensions grew and gas masks were distributed in the City of Lights, Reed turned instead to the new life he’d made: with Arne, a tall and dashing Danish scholar with whom he had formed a deep bond.
Award-winning historian Ethelene Whitmire unearthed a trove of Reed’s letters when she met one of his descendants at a lecture, awed that she’d heard so little of this charismatic man and his fascinating true story of love and war. In The Remarkable Life of Reed Peggram, she introduces us to an unforgettable character who fled from country to country as fighting advanced, was captured by Nazis and outwitted them in a daring escape, and risked it all in a personal fight for a life of love, freedom, beauty and dignity in a world set against him.
On the eve of World War II, a handsome young scholar arrived in Paris. The queer, Black son of a housecleaner, who had nevertheless been decorated in the halls of Harvard and Columbia, Reed Peggram flirted with Leonard Bernstein, sat for portraits by famous artists, charmed minor royalty and became like a little brother to famed researcher and writer Jan Gay. Finally in Europe and on the same prestigious scholarship as literary luminaries Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes before him, he ignored the increasingly alarmed calls to return home to a repressive, segregated America and a constrained life as a second class citizen. And as tensions grew and gas masks were distributed in the City of Lights, Reed turned instead to the new life he’d made: with Arne, a tall and dashing Danish scholar with whom he had formed a deep bond.
Award-winning historian Ethelene Whitmire unearthed a trove of Reed’s letters when she met one of his descendants at a lecture, awed that she’d heard so little of this charismatic man and his fascinating true story of love and war. In The Remarkable Life of Reed Peggram, she introduces us to an unforgettable character who fled from country to country as fighting advanced, was captured by Nazis and outwitted them in a daring escape, and risked it all in a personal fight for a life of love, freedom, beauty and dignity in a world set against him.
320 pages, Hardcover
Published February 3, 2026
About the author
Ethelene Whitmire
4 books29 followersEthelene Whitmire is a writer and professor, and the former chair of the Department of African American Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Ethelene is the author of The Remarkable Life of Reed Peggram (forthcoming February 2026) and Regina Anderson Andrews, Harlem Renaissance Librarian. Her research has won awards and funding from the Ford Foundation, the Fulbright Program, the Lois Roth Foundation, the American Scandinavian Foundation, and the American Library Association. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s from Rutgers University – New Brunswick and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor. She was a former Librarian-in Residence at Yale University before becoming a professor at the University of California – Los Angeles, and her current institution, the University of Wisconsin - Madison. She’s published essays in the New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine, Narratively, and Longreads. She has been a fellow at artists’ residencies at Yaddo, Ucross, Hedgebrook, and Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. Born in New Jersey, she now divides her time between Madison, Wisconsin and Copenhagen, Denmark.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
March 10, 2026
Reed Peggram was an extremely intelligent young man with a skill for languages. His goal was to be a French professor. He graduated from prestigious institutions, including Harvard, and also attended Columbia (which he thought wasn’t up to snuff). He accomplished this while facing racial discrimination. He was also a closeted homosexual. Shortly before the start of WWII he traveled to Europe to further his education, escape the racism that made it difficult for him to get his desired job, and to have an adventure. Despite numerous warnings, he refused to leave Europe as war approached because he insisted on staying with his Danish lover Arne. The two encountered problems with money, immigration paperwork and the war, and later in life he battled mental illness which seemed to run in his family.
Reed had a lot of things working against him, but he did have a bright future that totally fell to pieces due to his refusal to leave Europe. His life turned out to be sad, but I would definitely not describe it as remarkable. First, I did not find him likable. Fortunately for the author, a lot of letters to and from Reed survived, so you can get an excellent picture of him. The author was probably not aiming for this impression, but I found Reed to be smug, snobbish, shallow, naive and obnoxious. Despite their desperate financial situation, neither Reed nor Arne ever even attempted to get any job. Reed wrote some pieces that barely sold. He readily accepted money from his grandmother whose work as a domestic was not well-paid. He relied a lot on the kindness of strangers, some of whom really went above and beyond to help him. Eventually, his family became both frustrated and disgusted with him as he alternately begged for help to return home and refused to leave Arne. I became frustrated with him as well, and basically his life wasn’t very interesting to me. If you want to read about an African American with a really remarkable life, read “All Blood Runs Red: The Legendary Life of Eugene Bullard - Boxer, Pilot, Soldier, Spy”.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
Reed had a lot of things working against him, but he did have a bright future that totally fell to pieces due to his refusal to leave Europe. His life turned out to be sad, but I would definitely not describe it as remarkable. First, I did not find him likable. Fortunately for the author, a lot of letters to and from Reed survived, so you can get an excellent picture of him. The author was probably not aiming for this impression, but I found Reed to be smug, snobbish, shallow, naive and obnoxious. Despite their desperate financial situation, neither Reed nor Arne ever even attempted to get any job. Reed wrote some pieces that barely sold. He readily accepted money from his grandmother whose work as a domestic was not well-paid. He relied a lot on the kindness of strangers, some of whom really went above and beyond to help him. Eventually, his family became both frustrated and disgusted with him as he alternately begged for help to return home and refused to leave Arne. I became frustrated with him as well, and basically his life wasn’t very interesting to me. If you want to read about an African American with a really remarkable life, read “All Blood Runs Red: The Legendary Life of Eugene Bullard - Boxer, Pilot, Soldier, Spy”.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
April 1, 2026
Not what I was expecting in some ways- but I really enjoyed this. I appreciated how raw and terrifying this experience in real time had to be for Reed. I felt connected to him and had a hard time putting this book down- continually wanting more.
March 5, 2026
Before diving too deeply into this title, it’s worth noting a detail that significantly reshapes the reading experience: Teju—Reed’s great-niece—is the daughter of Tarik, who is the son of Reed’s younger brother Vincent Farrar.
As someone who is deeply interested in genealogy, I have to admit that it bugged me to no end that this connection wasn’t revealed clearly from the beginning. That kind of familial detail is the juicy context that helps orient readers within a life story. Instead, I was nearly 87% through the book before fully grasping that relationship, & realizing it reframed several moments in the narrative.
Because of that interest, I actually kept Ancestry open while reading. I found myself repeatedly pausing to dig deeper into the people mentioned throughout the book—family members, friends, & even some of Reed’s acquaintances. In many ways, that added another layer to the experience, allowing me to situate the individuals in Reed’s orbit within broader family & historical contexts.
Interestingly, Teju’s presence in the story is not just genealogical but also central to the creation of the book itself. While in Copenhagen giving a presentation about Reed & her research, Ethel Whitmire happened to discover that Teju was in the audience by pure happenstance. That unexpected moment proved invaluable. Through her, Whitmire gained access to Reed’s personal letters—particularly his correspondence with Laura (his wonderful maternal grandmother)—which provides some of the most intimate glimpses into his thoughts, ambitions, & emotional life. Those letters give The Remarkable Life of Reed Peggram much of its authenticity & emotional depth, allowing Whitmire to reconstruct Reed not just as a historical subject but as a fully realized person with plenty of wit & charm.
The archival side of me hopes that these letters will ultimately be preserved in a formal collection & digitized for wider access. Some of Reed’s letters to Dorothy Norman have already been digitized & are available through Yale because of Norman’s association. Here's the link if you're interested in seeing the aforementioned correspondence between the pair: https://collections.library.yale.edu/... Anywho, expanding that kind of access to the rest of Reed's correspondence would be invaluable—not only for scholars but for anyone interested in the deeply personal dimensions of history that only letters can reveal.
Whitmire’s book tells the story of a Black queer scholar whose life traversed extraordinary geographic & intellectual landscapes. Peggram rose from humble beginnings to become a double Harvard graduate (Bachelor of Arts in Roman Languages & Literatures, 1935; Master’s in Comparative Literature, 1936), a multilingual academic, & a man driven by a deep desire to experience the world beyond the United States. In 1938, supported by a Rosenwald Foundation fellowship & pursuing doctoral work through Harvard, Reed left for Paris filled with promise & ambition.
What followed, however, was not the scholarly adventure he anticipated. Instead, World War II altered the trajectory of his life. Reed fell in love with a Danish man & remained in Europe as war intensified—a decision that ultimately led to his imprisonment in Nazi concentration camps. By the time he returned to the United States in 1945, he was deeply traumatized. The remainder of his life was marked by psychological struggles, including time in a mental institution where he underwent electric shock therapy. The war—& what he endured during it—clearly fractured something that never fully healed.
The book’s title suggests a heroic or triumphant narrative, but that framing didn’t entirely work for me. Calling Reed’s life “remarkable” feels complicated. While his academic achievements & global outlook were extraordinary—especially for a Black man of his era—much of his life story is marked by loss, trauma, & unrealized potential.
At times I found myself questioning the narrative framing. There’s nothing noble about remaining in a dangerous situation out of love when it ultimately results in life-altering trauma. It’s difficult not to wonder whether leaving Europe earlier might have spared him some of the suffering that defined his later years.
It also raises an uncomfortable question about how we narrate sacrifice & devotion. If Reed had been a woman who remained in Europe out of love only to be captured & tortured, would the story be framed with the same sense of tragic romanticism? Or would readers more readily question the decision itself? The reverence surrounding his choice sometimes felt less like clear-eyed historical analysis & more like a reluctance to interrogate the consequences of that decision.
Still, the book is undeniably important. Whitmire’s work illuminates the experience of a Black scholar navigating overwhelmingly white academic institutions in the early twentieth century. Reed’s story highlights the stark contrast between his trajectory & the relative success & stability enjoyed by many of his white contemporaries. Structural barriers, racism, & the isolation of elite academic spaces all hover in the background of his life story.
Another uncomfortable aspect of the narrative is Reed’s long-term financial dependence on his family. Throughout his pursuit of an intellectual & literary life—and later, after returning from Europe unable to fully care for himself—he relied heavily on the support of his mother & grandmother. That dynamic raises complicated questions about aspiration, sacrifice, & the cost of pursuing dreams that the world may not fully allow someone to realize.
Perhaps the most thought-provoking thread in the book is the tension between Reed’s scholarly ambitions & his relationship to his own Black identity. His pursuit of elite education & intellectual recognition often placed him in spaces where whiteness was the standard. At times, the narrative suggests that aligning with those spaces required Reed to distance himself from—or even resent—parts of his Blackness. It leaves the reader grappling with a painful paradox: the very path meant to elevate him also pulled him toward cultural & social alienation.
Moreover, Whitmire carefully traces what became of many of the people who passed through Reed’s life, offering updates & context that help the reader understand the broader network surrounding him. Yet oddly, some figures—such as Arnie’s uncle (Søren Matthesen)—are left without any real follow-up. Given the level of detail elsewhere, that omission stands out & leaves a small but noticeable gap in an otherwise meticulously researched story.
From a storytelling standpoint, part of me also couldn’t help imagining a different narrative possibility—perhaps even a work of historical fiction built from the fragments Whitmire uncovered. A compelling title might center on imagined letters exchanged between Reed & Arne after they returned to their respective home countries. But it also raises a lingering question: why didn’t Reed write Arne—or vice versa? To have been so deeply in love, that seems like the very least they could have done. Or perhaps they made the painful decision not to contact one another at all, understanding that any attempt at correspondence might have posed risks during such a volatile historical moment. That unanswered question lingers long after finishing the book.
As a librarian, stories like Reed’s also highlight something else that often goes overlooked: the importance of how lives are recorded & remembered. I currently serve as the Campus Librarian in Henry County for Southern Crescent Technical College, & at the close of this month I’ll be hosting a two-part program series titled Write Before You Go. The program focuses on the importance of writing one’s own obituary & documenting personal narratives before death.
Reading Reed’s story made that mission feel even more urgent. The exclusion of Cyril in Olgy’s obituary—despite decades of companionship—is heartbreaking. At the very least he could have been listed as a "special" friend. That kind of erasure happens far too often, especially with queer histories. Which is precisely my point: writing your obituary before you expire allows you to control how your life story will be delivered after death. It is one small but powerful way of reclaiming authorship over your own narrative.
In the end, Whitmire’s book may not present a traditionally “remarkable” life story in the celebratory sense. Instead, it offers something far more complex—a portrait of ambition, love, identity, & trauma shaped by race, sexuality, war, & academia. Reed Peggram’s life forces readers to confront the tangled web that forms when personal dreams collide with historical forces far beyond one person’s control.
This is not an easy story, nor a truly triumphant one. But it is a necessary one.
*I received an advance review copy for free & I am leaving this review voluntarily.*
#ThankGodForARCs
As someone who is deeply interested in genealogy, I have to admit that it bugged me to no end that this connection wasn’t revealed clearly from the beginning. That kind of familial detail is the juicy context that helps orient readers within a life story. Instead, I was nearly 87% through the book before fully grasping that relationship, & realizing it reframed several moments in the narrative.
Because of that interest, I actually kept Ancestry open while reading. I found myself repeatedly pausing to dig deeper into the people mentioned throughout the book—family members, friends, & even some of Reed’s acquaintances. In many ways, that added another layer to the experience, allowing me to situate the individuals in Reed’s orbit within broader family & historical contexts.
Interestingly, Teju’s presence in the story is not just genealogical but also central to the creation of the book itself. While in Copenhagen giving a presentation about Reed & her research, Ethel Whitmire happened to discover that Teju was in the audience by pure happenstance. That unexpected moment proved invaluable. Through her, Whitmire gained access to Reed’s personal letters—particularly his correspondence with Laura (his wonderful maternal grandmother)—which provides some of the most intimate glimpses into his thoughts, ambitions, & emotional life. Those letters give The Remarkable Life of Reed Peggram much of its authenticity & emotional depth, allowing Whitmire to reconstruct Reed not just as a historical subject but as a fully realized person with plenty of wit & charm.
The archival side of me hopes that these letters will ultimately be preserved in a formal collection & digitized for wider access. Some of Reed’s letters to Dorothy Norman have already been digitized & are available through Yale because of Norman’s association. Here's the link if you're interested in seeing the aforementioned correspondence between the pair: https://collections.library.yale.edu/... Anywho, expanding that kind of access to the rest of Reed's correspondence would be invaluable—not only for scholars but for anyone interested in the deeply personal dimensions of history that only letters can reveal.
Whitmire’s book tells the story of a Black queer scholar whose life traversed extraordinary geographic & intellectual landscapes. Peggram rose from humble beginnings to become a double Harvard graduate (Bachelor of Arts in Roman Languages & Literatures, 1935; Master’s in Comparative Literature, 1936), a multilingual academic, & a man driven by a deep desire to experience the world beyond the United States. In 1938, supported by a Rosenwald Foundation fellowship & pursuing doctoral work through Harvard, Reed left for Paris filled with promise & ambition.
What followed, however, was not the scholarly adventure he anticipated. Instead, World War II altered the trajectory of his life. Reed fell in love with a Danish man & remained in Europe as war intensified—a decision that ultimately led to his imprisonment in Nazi concentration camps. By the time he returned to the United States in 1945, he was deeply traumatized. The remainder of his life was marked by psychological struggles, including time in a mental institution where he underwent electric shock therapy. The war—& what he endured during it—clearly fractured something that never fully healed.
The book’s title suggests a heroic or triumphant narrative, but that framing didn’t entirely work for me. Calling Reed’s life “remarkable” feels complicated. While his academic achievements & global outlook were extraordinary—especially for a Black man of his era—much of his life story is marked by loss, trauma, & unrealized potential.
At times I found myself questioning the narrative framing. There’s nothing noble about remaining in a dangerous situation out of love when it ultimately results in life-altering trauma. It’s difficult not to wonder whether leaving Europe earlier might have spared him some of the suffering that defined his later years.
It also raises an uncomfortable question about how we narrate sacrifice & devotion. If Reed had been a woman who remained in Europe out of love only to be captured & tortured, would the story be framed with the same sense of tragic romanticism? Or would readers more readily question the decision itself? The reverence surrounding his choice sometimes felt less like clear-eyed historical analysis & more like a reluctance to interrogate the consequences of that decision.
Still, the book is undeniably important. Whitmire’s work illuminates the experience of a Black scholar navigating overwhelmingly white academic institutions in the early twentieth century. Reed’s story highlights the stark contrast between his trajectory & the relative success & stability enjoyed by many of his white contemporaries. Structural barriers, racism, & the isolation of elite academic spaces all hover in the background of his life story.
Another uncomfortable aspect of the narrative is Reed’s long-term financial dependence on his family. Throughout his pursuit of an intellectual & literary life—and later, after returning from Europe unable to fully care for himself—he relied heavily on the support of his mother & grandmother. That dynamic raises complicated questions about aspiration, sacrifice, & the cost of pursuing dreams that the world may not fully allow someone to realize.
Perhaps the most thought-provoking thread in the book is the tension between Reed’s scholarly ambitions & his relationship to his own Black identity. His pursuit of elite education & intellectual recognition often placed him in spaces where whiteness was the standard. At times, the narrative suggests that aligning with those spaces required Reed to distance himself from—or even resent—parts of his Blackness. It leaves the reader grappling with a painful paradox: the very path meant to elevate him also pulled him toward cultural & social alienation.
Moreover, Whitmire carefully traces what became of many of the people who passed through Reed’s life, offering updates & context that help the reader understand the broader network surrounding him. Yet oddly, some figures—such as Arnie’s uncle (Søren Matthesen)—are left without any real follow-up. Given the level of detail elsewhere, that omission stands out & leaves a small but noticeable gap in an otherwise meticulously researched story.
From a storytelling standpoint, part of me also couldn’t help imagining a different narrative possibility—perhaps even a work of historical fiction built from the fragments Whitmire uncovered. A compelling title might center on imagined letters exchanged between Reed & Arne after they returned to their respective home countries. But it also raises a lingering question: why didn’t Reed write Arne—or vice versa? To have been so deeply in love, that seems like the very least they could have done. Or perhaps they made the painful decision not to contact one another at all, understanding that any attempt at correspondence might have posed risks during such a volatile historical moment. That unanswered question lingers long after finishing the book.
As a librarian, stories like Reed’s also highlight something else that often goes overlooked: the importance of how lives are recorded & remembered. I currently serve as the Campus Librarian in Henry County for Southern Crescent Technical College, & at the close of this month I’ll be hosting a two-part program series titled Write Before You Go. The program focuses on the importance of writing one’s own obituary & documenting personal narratives before death.
Reading Reed’s story made that mission feel even more urgent. The exclusion of Cyril in Olgy’s obituary—despite decades of companionship—is heartbreaking. At the very least he could have been listed as a "special" friend. That kind of erasure happens far too often, especially with queer histories. Which is precisely my point: writing your obituary before you expire allows you to control how your life story will be delivered after death. It is one small but powerful way of reclaiming authorship over your own narrative.
In the end, Whitmire’s book may not present a traditionally “remarkable” life story in the celebratory sense. Instead, it offers something far more complex—a portrait of ambition, love, identity, & trauma shaped by race, sexuality, war, & academia. Reed Peggram’s life forces readers to confront the tangled web that forms when personal dreams collide with historical forces far beyond one person’s control.
This is not an easy story, nor a truly triumphant one. But it is a necessary one.
*I received an advance review copy for free & I am leaving this review voluntarily.*
#ThankGodForARCs
Currently Reading
February 16, 2026Another book that looks really interesting yet has rec'd zero promotion from GR. (I know GR can't promote every book that's released, but some books are promoted at every single opportunity, while others are never mentioned.) If GR could periodically have lists such as "Under the Radar Reads" or "GReaders Love These Books," etc -- I'm trying to be constructive instead of just whining -- that would be great.
Anyway, I'll do my part by reading and reviewing this book. I hope it's good!
Anyway, I'll do my part by reading and reviewing this book. I hope it's good!
February 26, 2026
Not what I expected but edifying in the description of racism in the 1930s and beyond. A gay black man gets into Harvard, Columbia, and the Sorbonne but is unemployable because of his blackness. He begins to write, meets a white man, falls in love, and refuses to leave him as World War II grips Europe.
I wanted to go on the writing journey with the author, the research and discovery, instead I got a wonderfully detailed biography.
Still good.
I wanted to go on the writing journey with the author, the research and discovery, instead I got a wonderfully detailed biography.
Still good.
May 8, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a free online ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased and honest review! I'm very grateful <333
While this book was extremely informative and did a really good job portraying events and places, it all felt a bit shallow. The book dragged a bit, and I struggled to feel present or form an emotional attachment to any of the characters. Because of this, it took me a while to read this book.
Despite this, it was still well written, and I learned a lot!
While this book was extremely informative and did a really good job portraying events and places, it all felt a bit shallow. The book dragged a bit, and I struggled to feel present or form an emotional attachment to any of the characters. Because of this, it took me a while to read this book.
Despite this, it was still well written, and I learned a lot!
March 30, 2026
I really enjoyed this book. I loved learning about the experience of an American during WWII “stuck” in Europe. Reed had an interesting life, defying odds, racism, homophobia and stereotypes. The author did a swell job with flow of the book. I’d recommend this book to friends and for Bookclubs!
April 3, 2026
The Remarkable Life of Reed Peggram tells the story of an undeniably brilliant and talented African-American man who managed to overcome tremendous barriers during the 1930s and 1940s. In a time when opportunities for Black Americans were painfully limited, Peggram achieved things that many people of his era simply could not. His intelligence, ambition, and determination make his life story compelling and historically significant.
At the same time, the book does not shy away from portraying the more troubling aspects of his personality and choices. Peggram often comes across as deeply self-centered and, at times, selfish in the way he navigates his relationships and responsibilities. The narrative suggests that he relied heavily on the sacrifices of others—particularly his grandmother and mother—whose support and devotion he seemed willing to take advantage of in pursuit of his own ambitions. That dynamic adds an uncomfortable but important layer to the story, reminding readers that remarkable people can also have serious flaws.
His relationship with Arne is another complicated element. Peggram’s decision to remain abroad with the man he loved rather than return to the United States during World War II struck me as, perhaps, somewhat foolhardy. While their bond is clearly meaningful, the choice ultimately exposed them both to enormous hardship and tragedy. Reading this, I couldn’t help wondering whether some of the suffering that followed—especially Peggram’s later struggles with mental illness—might have been avoided had he made a different decision. But love can be blinding, and the book captures that painful truth.
What makes the biography particularly powerful is that it refuses to turn Peggram into a simple hero. Instead, it presents him as a complex figure: brilliant and determined, yet flawed, impulsive, and sometimes difficult to admire. That honesty makes the story far more interesting and thought-provoking.
Overall, this is a fascinating and emotionally layered biography about an extraordinary man navigating race, identity, love, and ambition in a difficult era. Despite my frustrations with some of Peggram’s choices, the book is engaging and illuminating.
At the same time, the book does not shy away from portraying the more troubling aspects of his personality and choices. Peggram often comes across as deeply self-centered and, at times, selfish in the way he navigates his relationships and responsibilities. The narrative suggests that he relied heavily on the sacrifices of others—particularly his grandmother and mother—whose support and devotion he seemed willing to take advantage of in pursuit of his own ambitions. That dynamic adds an uncomfortable but important layer to the story, reminding readers that remarkable people can also have serious flaws.
His relationship with Arne is another complicated element. Peggram’s decision to remain abroad with the man he loved rather than return to the United States during World War II struck me as, perhaps, somewhat foolhardy. While their bond is clearly meaningful, the choice ultimately exposed them both to enormous hardship and tragedy. Reading this, I couldn’t help wondering whether some of the suffering that followed—especially Peggram’s later struggles with mental illness—might have been avoided had he made a different decision. But love can be blinding, and the book captures that painful truth.
What makes the biography particularly powerful is that it refuses to turn Peggram into a simple hero. Instead, it presents him as a complex figure: brilliant and determined, yet flawed, impulsive, and sometimes difficult to admire. That honesty makes the story far more interesting and thought-provoking.
Overall, this is a fascinating and emotionally layered biography about an extraordinary man navigating race, identity, love, and ambition in a difficult era. Despite my frustrations with some of Peggram’s choices, the book is engaging and illuminating.
April 12, 2026
The Remarkable Life of Reed Peggram
Book Review | 📚📚📚📚 4/5
Ethelene Whitmire | Viking Penguin
Why I was interested in this book:
First, the title and the book cover grabbed my attention. Once I read the book’s compelling description I put it at the top of my TBR list.
My assessment:
What an incredibly wild journey Reed Peggram had throughout his life. He seemed to overcome hurdles because of of – or perhaps despite – his overly confident demeanor. A love story, a war story, a journey story, the title truly says it all. Reed Peggram had a remarkable life.
As a biography, author Ethelene Whitmire’s story crafting was a little hard for me to read because it would often jump from narrative and speculation to long quotes. I appreciated both and would stop throughout the chapters to think about how difficult it must have been for the author to write this with limited sources. The insertion of his written letters made it very personal and the narrative helped point out the discrepancies between life and illusion (or maybe delusion). The author did a very admirable job fusing the direct and indirect/speculative aspects of Reed’s life and intentions. As I mentioned, numerous times I was pulled away from reading the book to think about the story’s flow. For me, those breaks made it more difficult to stay in the moment of the story. Though I’m not sure how else Whitmire could have written it. I am also not sure how the individual recaps of the book’s characters could have been written in a similar style/format as the narrative.
Reed Peggram was a fascinating person. His confidence, intelligence, and drive were those of an aristocratic erudite even though that’s not the life in which he grew up. It is evident that he was an extremely passionate and dramatic person who did not always make the wisest decisions. His story of the human condition truly stems from his heart and his desire to be successful. What a dynamic and full life he lived, sort of. And Reed must have been a very charming and captivating person to continue to get what he wanted and needed from the various friends, family members, and acquaintances in his life.
Book Review | 📚📚📚📚 4/5
Ethelene Whitmire | Viking Penguin
Why I was interested in this book:
First, the title and the book cover grabbed my attention. Once I read the book’s compelling description I put it at the top of my TBR list.
My assessment:
What an incredibly wild journey Reed Peggram had throughout his life. He seemed to overcome hurdles because of of – or perhaps despite – his overly confident demeanor. A love story, a war story, a journey story, the title truly says it all. Reed Peggram had a remarkable life.
As a biography, author Ethelene Whitmire’s story crafting was a little hard for me to read because it would often jump from narrative and speculation to long quotes. I appreciated both and would stop throughout the chapters to think about how difficult it must have been for the author to write this with limited sources. The insertion of his written letters made it very personal and the narrative helped point out the discrepancies between life and illusion (or maybe delusion). The author did a very admirable job fusing the direct and indirect/speculative aspects of Reed’s life and intentions. As I mentioned, numerous times I was pulled away from reading the book to think about the story’s flow. For me, those breaks made it more difficult to stay in the moment of the story. Though I’m not sure how else Whitmire could have written it. I am also not sure how the individual recaps of the book’s characters could have been written in a similar style/format as the narrative.
Reed Peggram was a fascinating person. His confidence, intelligence, and drive were those of an aristocratic erudite even though that’s not the life in which he grew up. It is evident that he was an extremely passionate and dramatic person who did not always make the wisest decisions. His story of the human condition truly stems from his heart and his desire to be successful. What a dynamic and full life he lived, sort of. And Reed must have been a very charming and captivating person to continue to get what he wanted and needed from the various friends, family members, and acquaintances in his life.
Read
March 23, 2026Reed Peggram was born in 1914 and raised mostly by his adoring grandmother, Laura, who worked as a custodian. Due to his success as a scholar, he was accepted at Boston Latin school and matriculated to Harvard. After graduation, Reed receives a Rosenwald Fellowship to study in France.
I was so excited to read this book, but I found Peggram to be extremely self-centered and entitled. Another quality I abhorred was the disdain with which he looked upon other Black students at Harvard, preferring to associate only with white students. His disdain continued throughout his time in Europe.
"Reed encountered other African Americans in Copenhagen, including some he jokingly called "coons".
When Reed refuses to leave Europe before the Nazi invasion due to his relationship with Arne, he consistently asks Laura, now retired, for money. When he has drained her of her life savings, he turns to the Rosenwald committee. They send him cash, airline and steamship tickets, but he refuses to leave without Arne. Finally, they refuse to send more money. Reed's response is:
"Is it really possible that the Foundation believes that I wish to stay in Italy (which is at war, by the way) because I preferred instead of a ticket to America the equivalent in cash? What a deplorable lack of fantasy.But you will realize your mistake later. So glad you feel morally justified."
When the war ended, Arne returned to Denmark, Laura was dead, and Reed suffered a complete mental breakdown and lived for many years in an "asylum" before returning home to live with his mother, a retired cleaning lady. Reed was gifted, yet because of hubris and feelings of entitlement, he died without ever being "remarkable" in any way, in my opinion.
I think the promo for this book was misleading. It was advertised as a love story wrapped in war and loyalty, but turned out to be extremely frustrating. Laura was the "remarkable" one in the family.
I was so excited to read this book, but I found Peggram to be extremely self-centered and entitled. Another quality I abhorred was the disdain with which he looked upon other Black students at Harvard, preferring to associate only with white students. His disdain continued throughout his time in Europe.
"Reed encountered other African Americans in Copenhagen, including some he jokingly called "coons".
When Reed refuses to leave Europe before the Nazi invasion due to his relationship with Arne, he consistently asks Laura, now retired, for money. When he has drained her of her life savings, he turns to the Rosenwald committee. They send him cash, airline and steamship tickets, but he refuses to leave without Arne. Finally, they refuse to send more money. Reed's response is:
"Is it really possible that the Foundation believes that I wish to stay in Italy (which is at war, by the way) because I preferred instead of a ticket to America the equivalent in cash? What a deplorable lack of fantasy.But you will realize your mistake later. So glad you feel morally justified."
When the war ended, Arne returned to Denmark, Laura was dead, and Reed suffered a complete mental breakdown and lived for many years in an "asylum" before returning home to live with his mother, a retired cleaning lady. Reed was gifted, yet because of hubris and feelings of entitlement, he died without ever being "remarkable" in any way, in my opinion.
I think the promo for this book was misleading. It was advertised as a love story wrapped in war and loyalty, but turned out to be extremely frustrating. Laura was the "remarkable" one in the family.
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March 27, 2026Ethelene Whitmire, UW faculty
From Dr. Whitmire:
The dramatic and heartrending true story of one remarkable young man’s account of love in the time of war, by a celebrated historian of untold Black stories.
On the eve of World War II, a handsome young scholar arrived in Paris. The queer, Black son of a house cleaner, who had nevertheless been decorated in the halls of Harvard and Columbia, Reed Peggram flirted with Leonard Bernstein, sat for portraits by famous artists, charmed minor royalty, and became like a little brother to famed researcher and writer Jan Gay. Finally, in Europe and on the same prestigious scholarship as literary luminaries Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes before him, he ignored the increasingly alarmed calls to return home to a repressive, segregated America and a constrained life as a second-class citizen. And as tensions grew and gas masks were distributed in the City of Lights, Reed turned instead to the new life he’d made: with Arne, a tall and dashing Danish scholar with whom he had formed a deep bond.
From Dr. Whitmire:
The dramatic and heartrending true story of one remarkable young man’s account of love in the time of war, by a celebrated historian of untold Black stories.
On the eve of World War II, a handsome young scholar arrived in Paris. The queer, Black son of a house cleaner, who had nevertheless been decorated in the halls of Harvard and Columbia, Reed Peggram flirted with Leonard Bernstein, sat for portraits by famous artists, charmed minor royalty, and became like a little brother to famed researcher and writer Jan Gay. Finally, in Europe and on the same prestigious scholarship as literary luminaries Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes before him, he ignored the increasingly alarmed calls to return home to a repressive, segregated America and a constrained life as a second-class citizen. And as tensions grew and gas masks were distributed in the City of Lights, Reed turned instead to the new life he’d made: with Arne, a tall and dashing Danish scholar with whom he had formed a deep bond.
February 21, 2026
The author did a Herculean job researching for this book about the life of Reed Peggram, a queer Black writer who won a scholarship to study in Paris in 1938, and though Europe was on the verge of war, he decided to take the chance. In telling the story, the author details what life was like for the few African-American Harvard students. She also details the tradition of African-American writers, artists, and performers traveling to Europe.
Much of the book would not have been able to be written if the author hadn’t chanced upon one of Peggram’s relatives at a conference . Not only was she able to hear family history, but she was given access to all of Peggram’s surviving letters.
Peggram’s year in Paris turned into seven years running from WWII in what was a harrowing, if sad adventure. I learned a lot from this book.
Much of the book would not have been able to be written if the author hadn’t chanced upon one of Peggram’s relatives at a conference . Not only was she able to hear family history, but she was given access to all of Peggram’s surviving letters.
Peggram’s year in Paris turned into seven years running from WWII in what was a harrowing, if sad adventure. I learned a lot from this book.
February 23, 2026
This book truly amazed me. It is a biography that feels like a captivating story, powerful, emotional, and so relatable that you sometimes forget it’s about a real person. Reed Peggram's ife was a rollercoaster of love and hardship; his love outweighed the risk and his choice and its consequences are something I'll remember for a long time. What makes this book really impactful is how the author, Whitmire, includes Reed's letters throughout the story. You don't just learn facts about Reed, you truly connect with him. You sense his humor, ambition, stubbornness, and vulnerability. It's an eye-opening examination of race, sexuality, conflict, and education, bringing to light an incredible life that deserves to be remembered.
February 15, 2026
This book contains so many facets: biography, travelog, Black history, queer history, love story. Reed's life story, mostly documented from 200 letters sent to family, traces his journey as a Harvard graduate, writer, traveler, man about town. Spending much of his youth in Europe, Reed struggles with his place in the world and where his future--will take him. As WW2 looms, Reed's actions and inactions show a man ruled by his head and heart.
March 8, 2026
Not sure how this one fell in my lap but I’m glad it did.
This biography possibly historical fiction due to the mental state of Mr Reed throughout the read makes some parts questionable. Non the less the recounts of history, the story, and the journey made for an educational and engaging read.
I really enjoyed the list of books referenced in the read. I will try to read as many of Reeds books that he checked out/borrowed from libraries abroad.
Cheers!
This biography possibly historical fiction due to the mental state of Mr Reed throughout the read makes some parts questionable. Non the less the recounts of history, the story, and the journey made for an educational and engaging read.
I really enjoyed the list of books referenced in the read. I will try to read as many of Reeds books that he checked out/borrowed from libraries abroad.
Cheers!
April 23, 2026
The remarkable thing about Mr.Peggram’s life is that he squandered everything his grandmother sacrificed for in order to give him a “ better” life. It is also remarkable that so many of his friends and acquaintances are more deserving of having books written about their lives. Several times while reading this it became so annoying that I put it aside to read something else. It is a testament to Ms.Whitmire’s ability as a writer that I was able to finish the book.
February 25, 2026
An excellent nonfictional account of the life of Reed Peggram, a gay African American graduate of Harvard. Peggram’s story, revealed through a collection of over 200 letters, serves as a recovery of a "lost" intellectual voice caught between the forces of racism and homophobia.
March 18, 2026
Maybe it was the pacing. Maybe it was the tell, not show. Maybe it was because I found Reed to be so frustrating. Sure you are smart, but no one owes you a living. Grown men need to get jobs and stop living off their grandmothers (who works as a domestic). The book never took off for me.
March 1, 2026
3.5 stars. Will forever be thinking of Reed, Arne, and their stories.
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March 9, 2026dnf.probably good but couldn't get into it
March 15, 2026
Audiobook
March 17, 2026
Incredible story. Glad this story and wonderful human is getting the spotlight it deserves. We need more stories like this.
Read
March 20, 20263.75 stars
March 26, 2026
3.5⭐️
March 30, 2026
Reed Peggram had so much promise, and the attitudes of the world stacked against him. I just kept thinking if only, if only. This was a sad story but I’m glad the author brought his story to light.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 5, 2026
The Remarkable Life of Reed Pegram was my first time reading anything by this author, and I was immediately impressed by the depth and charm of the storytelling. The book is engaging, thought-provoking, and full of emotional nuance. I found myself completely absorbed in Reed’s journey and the world built around him. The narrative was both intriguing and beautifully paced, with moments of quiet reflection balanced by powerful revelations. It’s the kind of book that lingers in your mind and makes you think long after you’ve turned the last page. I’m so glad I discovered this author, and I’ll definitely be reading more of their work. Highly recommended for anyone who loves character driven fiction with emotional depth and a compelling voice. Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC! #theremarkablelifeofreedpeggram
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