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Enemies in Love
This is a love story like no other: Elinor Powell was an African American nurse in the US military during World War II; Frederick Albert was a soldier in Hitler's army, captured by the Allies and shipped to a prisoner-of-war camp in the Arizona desert. Like most other black nurses, Elinor pulled a second-class assignment, in a dusty, sun-baked--and segregated--Western town. The army figured that the risk of fraternization between black nurses and white German POWs was almost nil. Brought together by unlikely circumstances in a racist world, Elinor and Frederick should have been bitter enemies; but instead, at the height of World War II, they fell in love. Their dramatic story was unearthed by journalist Alexis Clark, who through years of interviews and historical research has pieced together an astounding narrative of race and true love in the cauldron of war. Based on a New York Times story by Clark that drew national attention, Enemies in Love paints a tableau of dreams deferred and of love struggling to survive, twenty-five years before the Supreme Court's Loving decision legalizing mixed-race marriage--revealing the surprising possibilities for human connection during one of history's most violent conflicts.
288 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 15, 2018
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March 12, 2018
This was not the book I was expecting to read, based on the synopsis given:
“This is a love story like no other: Elinor Powell was an African American nurse in the U.S. military during World War II; Frederick Albert was a soldier in Hitler’s army, captured by the Allies and shipped to a prisoner-of-war camp in the Arizona desert. Like most other black nurses, Eleanor pulled a second-class assignment, in a dusty, sun-baked—and segregated—Western town. The army figured that the risk of fraternization between black nurses and white German POWs was almost nil.
Brought together by unlikely circumstances and racist assumptions, Elinor and Frederick should have been bitter enemies; but instead, at the height of World War II, they fell in love. Their dramatic story was unearthed by journalist Alexis Clark, who through years of interviews and historical research has pieced together an astounding narrative of race and true love in the cauldron of war.”
Yes, this tells the story of Elinor and Frederick, who fell in love during WWII and eventually married. But this book is about much more than that. In fact, the story of Elinor and Frederick is just a small part of what I see as a history book that depicts a deep American shame, a not-so-well known event that occurred on U.S. soil, and an ongoing struggle for human rights and dignity.
Probably about half of the book is devoted specifically to the two lovers, including the family history of each and how they came to meet, marry, and finally settle down after years of struggling to find a place to live without prejudice and hate. The other half describes two very distinct situations in the United States that I’m ashamed and embarrassed to say I wasn’t very knowledgeable about. One of those situations describes the extreme level of segregation and bigotry toward black nurses in the early 1900’s and subsequent years by the American Nursing Association and the U.S. Army. It wasn’t until 1941 that black nurses, after years of protest and pushing, were allowed, with a restricted quota, into the U.S. Army Nurse Corps. They were also restricted to treating only black soldiers. Nurses were sent to bases that were totally segregated. Elinor Powell was sent to Fort Huachuca in Arizona, but not to treat black soldiers. Instead, to her shock, she would be treating German prisoners of war.
The fact that the U.S. had several prisoner of war camps here was another eye-opener for me. These camps were kept as low-key as possible, as the government was holding the prisoners here reluctantly and they didn’t want U.S. citizens to be frightened or angered. Most of them were transferred here from Britain, which had no place to hold them, and after repeated entreaties from them, the U.S. finally agreed to let them send some of their German and Italian POWs here.
The book describes, in much detail, the intense racism that black nurses had to endure. The author goes on to describe the bigotry Elinor, Frederick and their children were subjected to as a mixed race family here in America and in Germany. It’s evident from some of those interviewed by the author that this irony was not lost - white supremacy was a value shared by both Americans and Germans. The fact was, that even with a shortage of nurses overseas and at home to tend to injured soldiers, our country denied thousands of black nurses the ability to perform their jobs and treat these soldiers. This indicates the pervasive level of ignorance and racism in America.
Author Alexis Clark did her homework with this book. It is notated thoroughly; in fact, a good 20% of the pages are acknowledgements and bibliography. I learned a lot and am grateful for her diligence. I feel like Elinor’s and Frederick’s story itself is merely a lead-in to the real truth of this book – the deep prejudice that has existed in the history of our country and is still prevalent today. After reading it, I feel a deep depression that we have allowed, and continue to allow, such hate, ignorance and intolerance to be an ingrained part of America’s culture.
As to the story of Elinor and Frederick, I would give this 3 stars. I felt that part of the book, while interesting, was not the main focus and the title was somewhat misleading in this regard. The rest of the book was fascinating, so I’m giving this 4 stars overall.
Thanks to NetGalley and The New Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
“This is a love story like no other: Elinor Powell was an African American nurse in the U.S. military during World War II; Frederick Albert was a soldier in Hitler’s army, captured by the Allies and shipped to a prisoner-of-war camp in the Arizona desert. Like most other black nurses, Eleanor pulled a second-class assignment, in a dusty, sun-baked—and segregated—Western town. The army figured that the risk of fraternization between black nurses and white German POWs was almost nil.
Brought together by unlikely circumstances and racist assumptions, Elinor and Frederick should have been bitter enemies; but instead, at the height of World War II, they fell in love. Their dramatic story was unearthed by journalist Alexis Clark, who through years of interviews and historical research has pieced together an astounding narrative of race and true love in the cauldron of war.”
Yes, this tells the story of Elinor and Frederick, who fell in love during WWII and eventually married. But this book is about much more than that. In fact, the story of Elinor and Frederick is just a small part of what I see as a history book that depicts a deep American shame, a not-so-well known event that occurred on U.S. soil, and an ongoing struggle for human rights and dignity.
Probably about half of the book is devoted specifically to the two lovers, including the family history of each and how they came to meet, marry, and finally settle down after years of struggling to find a place to live without prejudice and hate. The other half describes two very distinct situations in the United States that I’m ashamed and embarrassed to say I wasn’t very knowledgeable about. One of those situations describes the extreme level of segregation and bigotry toward black nurses in the early 1900’s and subsequent years by the American Nursing Association and the U.S. Army. It wasn’t until 1941 that black nurses, after years of protest and pushing, were allowed, with a restricted quota, into the U.S. Army Nurse Corps. They were also restricted to treating only black soldiers. Nurses were sent to bases that were totally segregated. Elinor Powell was sent to Fort Huachuca in Arizona, but not to treat black soldiers. Instead, to her shock, she would be treating German prisoners of war.
The fact that the U.S. had several prisoner of war camps here was another eye-opener for me. These camps were kept as low-key as possible, as the government was holding the prisoners here reluctantly and they didn’t want U.S. citizens to be frightened or angered. Most of them were transferred here from Britain, which had no place to hold them, and after repeated entreaties from them, the U.S. finally agreed to let them send some of their German and Italian POWs here.
The book describes, in much detail, the intense racism that black nurses had to endure. The author goes on to describe the bigotry Elinor, Frederick and their children were subjected to as a mixed race family here in America and in Germany. It’s evident from some of those interviewed by the author that this irony was not lost - white supremacy was a value shared by both Americans and Germans. The fact was, that even with a shortage of nurses overseas and at home to tend to injured soldiers, our country denied thousands of black nurses the ability to perform their jobs and treat these soldiers. This indicates the pervasive level of ignorance and racism in America.
Author Alexis Clark did her homework with this book. It is notated thoroughly; in fact, a good 20% of the pages are acknowledgements and bibliography. I learned a lot and am grateful for her diligence. I feel like Elinor’s and Frederick’s story itself is merely a lead-in to the real truth of this book – the deep prejudice that has existed in the history of our country and is still prevalent today. After reading it, I feel a deep depression that we have allowed, and continue to allow, such hate, ignorance and intolerance to be an ingrained part of America’s culture.
As to the story of Elinor and Frederick, I would give this 3 stars. I felt that part of the book, while interesting, was not the main focus and the title was somewhat misleading in this regard. The rest of the book was fascinating, so I’m giving this 4 stars overall.
Thanks to NetGalley and The New Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
June 8, 2018
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
_____
I guess with this being a non fiction account of the union of Elinor and Fredrick this book needed to have some sort of back story and history of the people in the story. Sadly, the lack of shared history (to their children) that was available to Clark, I felt that this 200+ page book was filled with fillers. A beautiful love story that is filled with racism and tons of education on how German POW's were treated in comparison to how black AMERICANS were treated; I almost felt that their union was formed out of desperation and loneliness. And don't let me forget; selfishness. I don't want to spoil anything for future readers of course! I would recommend this book, but in a way, I would want suggest it for educational purposes. This books touches on things I've never thought about in regard to WWII and the Hitler regime.
_____
I did cry 😢
But I wanted more of their story. I wanted them to have more than an undying love that at times didn't seem justified to me.
_____
I plan to do a full review on my blog soon.
July 16, 2018
The real-life inspiration behind the author's work--how a German POW and a black nurse would meet let alone fall in love and marry--had in it the seed of a spark. Sadly, that never fully materialized for me in this story. Frederick and Elinor's relationship seemed like a hazy, elusive shadow, partly due to the fact, I'm sure, that the author had only interviews with people who knew them and letters and scrapbooks to go by, since she could not interview the couple. Where Clark delves into the realities of Elinor's service during the war and how she was still treated as sub-human just because of her race were of more interest to me than the so-called love story. The book did teach me about several historical occurrences that I'd never learned about before, in particular, Mabel Grammer's work finding homes for the Mischlingskinder/"Brown Babies" that resulted from interracial relationships between black service men and German women. That, I'd read a book about.
February 12, 2019
Today in “ I would like the time I wasted on this back “
I will give the author credit on their research on poor treatment of the African American members of the armed forces I wasn’t surprised but it was qwhite educational.
OTHERWISE
1. They fool around in the OR like an 1940’s grey’s anatomy episode (Ellis and Richard would NEVER)
2. Knocks her up she gets an dishonorable discharge. War is over so he gets released from POW camp and is shipped back to Germany immediately starts fooling around with his landlord . While she has to go home and face her family ALONE.
3. 4 years later he gets his visa. They get married and he leaves her again for baking school in Chicago still cheating on her
4. Moves to CT works for Pepperidge Farms Apple Pie recipe they use might be his.
Cheats on her throughout their 54 year marriage
I will give the author credit on their research on poor treatment of the African American members of the armed forces I wasn’t surprised but it was qwhite educational.
OTHERWISE
1. They fool around in the OR like an 1940’s grey’s anatomy episode (Ellis and Richard would NEVER)
2. Knocks her up she gets an dishonorable discharge. War is over so he gets released from POW camp and is shipped back to Germany immediately starts fooling around with his landlord . While she has to go home and face her family ALONE.
3. 4 years later he gets his visa. They get married and he leaves her again for baking school in Chicago still cheating on her
4. Moves to CT works for Pepperidge Farms Apple Pie recipe they use might be his.
Cheats on her throughout their 54 year marriage
June 21, 2018
I took my time with this book, because anything that involves war always has me either sad, completely guilty or angry at the human race. However, this book had two people that had to overcome that and so much more simply because they loved each other. It's a well written book and I enjoyed reading it. Forget the genre, you'll love this story because it's as heart-breaking as it is inspirational. Thank you Netgalley and New Press for the eARC and my major apologies for taking time to share my views, I loved this book.
December 25, 2023
I don't think I've ever rated a book below 3 stars for a nonfiction book, but this one, unfortunately was it!!
I was looking for this book for the longest time after I saw an YouTube interview of the author for this book, and when I finally read it, I couldn't say I was elated.
Don't get me wrong, I learned a lot from this book. I had no idea that the U.S. actually used POWs from World War II as cheap labor. I also had no idea that even during the war, the "Jim Crow" laws was still going strong. I mean, they would rather let soldiers die than hire black nurses who are more than qualified for the job to help with the nurse shortages.
If you're hoping for this book to have page-by-page information about this couple, you're going to be disappointed. Their story starts very late in the book—nearly after 100 pages, I think. There were so many facts shared about the situation of black soldiers and black nurses in the military. While this information is very important in understanding this couple's time in the war, it also sometimes felt like I was reading a history text book. Also, I didn't know about Mischlingskinder/"Brown babies. Of course, I knew about mix-raced children in Europe during World War II, but I didn't know what happened to those kids, especially in countries that did not welcome black people.
I have high respect for black people who were born and raised during the "Jim Crow" laws. My god! The heck was wrong with people back then? You'd think that by the time World War II came, they would have diminished or even loosened the grip on that stupid law, but NOOOOOO it was even more prominent during the war. Like, WTH are you even fighting for? A country that legitimizes anti-black racism.
I was upset when I read how amazing well German POWs were treated compared to black American soldiers and nurses. You would fight a country that practices Nazism, yet at the same time glorify the "Jim Crow" laws as the way of life in the USA. It sickens me how some of the POWs noticed this when they arrived in the USA and they felt bad for the blacks. Of course not all, because these are all Nazis people after all. But if they could see the hypocrisy in the USA as clear as crystal, what's stopping them from executing white supremacy? It baffles me how the US military treats black soldiers and nurses with such detestation, and they always turn a blind eye to any complaints and petitions to improve their treatment in the military.
I was so ready to read about Frederick and Elinor, but my enthusiasm diminished very quickly after they decided to have a child in the mist of not knowing what the future is like for Frederick as an ex-German POW and unmarried Elinor knocked up with a mixed-raced child in the time of "Jim Crow" era. It was very risky and very dangerous.
I think the reason I didn't really like this book was because of the couple itself. I felt like, because we never read this book from the couple's own re-telling, I often felt like it was more like what everyone else thought or vaguely understood about this couple. We don't really know if that is what they were actually feeling or being honest about. Their lives were kind of stuck in a loop of dependence and racism. Both their lives were really hard; Frederick found it hard to get a well-paying job, and Elinor had a toddler to take care of and felt isolated. They moved a lot because, almost everywhere they went, there was always someone or something that made their lives miserable. Racism had always been a part of their lives, and the addition of a mixed-race child heightened their unwanted attention. I applauded Frederick and Elinor because they made it work, but their move to Germany was not fruitful at all. I didn't know why Elinor thought his parents would be accepting of their marriage and child. But I credit them for keeping it together and making it work, even though it was strenuous on everyone.
The main turn-off for me was that Frederick cheated throughout his married life (and before) with Elinor and because of the relationship the kids had with their parents, they can't really recall or understand what is happening between their parents. So, we will never know why Frederick cheated on his wife while also doting on love and affection for her at the same time. Or why did Elinor (of which I'm sure she was aware) still choose to stay with him and be in love with him? He seemed more preoccupied with showing love to his wife than his own children, but at the same time he also wanted Elinor dependent on him so that if Elinor decided to leave him for his infidelity, she couldn't afford to do it because she was so out of touch with her career at this point.
Why they didn't educate their children about the reality of "Jim Crow" laws and talk about race is beyond me. I understand that both Frederick and Elinor craved normality and acceptance for their livelihoods, but they did quite a poor job of making their children see the real truth. I'm glad the kids at least had a good childhood with mixing with other races before the reality of the real world came at them. I understand why Frederick functioned the way he did but it still perplexed me, same goes for Elinor too.
I have no doubts that Frederick and Elinor loved each other, but I also felt like something was wrong with this couple. I know back in the day, people tried to make their marriage work and put on a happy face even when they're unhappy with it. Maybe Frederick and Elinor loved each other but turned a blind eye to each other's flaws?
- Did they feel like they had to stay together to "prove" to people that their type of racial mixing works?
- Did Frederick cheat (assuming with white women) because it gave him a sense of relief that nobody seemed to shun or frown on same-race flings?
- Why did they decide to have a baby when they knew the chances of Frederick not coming back from Germany were so high?
- Did Elinor ever feel like she was trapped in her marriage and wanted to leave him?
- Why did Elinor still back up and stand with her husband even when there was a riff growing between father and son?
- Was Frederick in love with Elinor because she was black, or did he even like other black people besides jazz music artists?
Pictures of their lives was added bonus :)
I was looking for this book for the longest time after I saw an YouTube interview of the author for this book, and when I finally read it, I couldn't say I was elated.
Don't get me wrong, I learned a lot from this book. I had no idea that the U.S. actually used POWs from World War II as cheap labor. I also had no idea that even during the war, the "Jim Crow" laws was still going strong. I mean, they would rather let soldiers die than hire black nurses who are more than qualified for the job to help with the nurse shortages.
If you're hoping for this book to have page-by-page information about this couple, you're going to be disappointed. Their story starts very late in the book—nearly after 100 pages, I think. There were so many facts shared about the situation of black soldiers and black nurses in the military. While this information is very important in understanding this couple's time in the war, it also sometimes felt like I was reading a history text book. Also, I didn't know about Mischlingskinder/"Brown babies. Of course, I knew about mix-raced children in Europe during World War II, but I didn't know what happened to those kids, especially in countries that did not welcome black people.
I have high respect for black people who were born and raised during the "Jim Crow" laws. My god! The heck was wrong with people back then? You'd think that by the time World War II came, they would have diminished or even loosened the grip on that stupid law, but NOOOOOO it was even more prominent during the war. Like, WTH are you even fighting for? A country that legitimizes anti-black racism.
I was upset when I read how amazing well German POWs were treated compared to black American soldiers and nurses. You would fight a country that practices Nazism, yet at the same time glorify the "Jim Crow" laws as the way of life in the USA. It sickens me how some of the POWs noticed this when they arrived in the USA and they felt bad for the blacks. Of course not all, because these are all Nazis people after all. But if they could see the hypocrisy in the USA as clear as crystal, what's stopping them from executing white supremacy? It baffles me how the US military treats black soldiers and nurses with such detestation, and they always turn a blind eye to any complaints and petitions to improve their treatment in the military.
I was so ready to read about Frederick and Elinor, but my enthusiasm diminished very quickly after they decided to have a child in the mist of not knowing what the future is like for Frederick as an ex-German POW and unmarried Elinor knocked up with a mixed-raced child in the time of "Jim Crow" era. It was very risky and very dangerous.
I think the reason I didn't really like this book was because of the couple itself. I felt like, because we never read this book from the couple's own re-telling, I often felt like it was more like what everyone else thought or vaguely understood about this couple. We don't really know if that is what they were actually feeling or being honest about. Their lives were kind of stuck in a loop of dependence and racism. Both their lives were really hard; Frederick found it hard to get a well-paying job, and Elinor had a toddler to take care of and felt isolated. They moved a lot because, almost everywhere they went, there was always someone or something that made their lives miserable. Racism had always been a part of their lives, and the addition of a mixed-race child heightened their unwanted attention. I applauded Frederick and Elinor because they made it work, but their move to Germany was not fruitful at all. I didn't know why Elinor thought his parents would be accepting of their marriage and child. But I credit them for keeping it together and making it work, even though it was strenuous on everyone.
The main turn-off for me was that Frederick cheated throughout his married life (and before) with Elinor and because of the relationship the kids had with their parents, they can't really recall or understand what is happening between their parents. So, we will never know why Frederick cheated on his wife while also doting on love and affection for her at the same time. Or why did Elinor (of which I'm sure she was aware) still choose to stay with him and be in love with him? He seemed more preoccupied with showing love to his wife than his own children, but at the same time he also wanted Elinor dependent on him so that if Elinor decided to leave him for his infidelity, she couldn't afford to do it because she was so out of touch with her career at this point.
Why they didn't educate their children about the reality of "Jim Crow" laws and talk about race is beyond me. I understand that both Frederick and Elinor craved normality and acceptance for their livelihoods, but they did quite a poor job of making their children see the real truth. I'm glad the kids at least had a good childhood with mixing with other races before the reality of the real world came at them. I understand why Frederick functioned the way he did but it still perplexed me, same goes for Elinor too.
I have no doubts that Frederick and Elinor loved each other, but I also felt like something was wrong with this couple. I know back in the day, people tried to make their marriage work and put on a happy face even when they're unhappy with it. Maybe Frederick and Elinor loved each other but turned a blind eye to each other's flaws?
- Did they feel like they had to stay together to "prove" to people that their type of racial mixing works?
- Did Frederick cheat (assuming with white women) because it gave him a sense of relief that nobody seemed to shun or frown on same-race flings?
- Why did they decide to have a baby when they knew the chances of Frederick not coming back from Germany were so high?
- Did Elinor ever feel like she was trapped in her marriage and wanted to leave him?
- Why did Elinor still back up and stand with her husband even when there was a riff growing between father and son?
- Was Frederick in love with Elinor because she was black, or did he even like other black people besides jazz music artists?
Pictures of their lives was added bonus :)
February 15, 2019
I did a speed read of this for a project at work. It was a really interesting story, covering an aspect of WWII history that doesn't get discussed very often. The writing style was very engaging, so it was an easy, quick read that offers you a nice blend of historical and personal details.
Unfortunately, the subjects of the book, Elinor and Frederick, passed away before the author began doing her research, so the book is based on interviews with relatives and friends, as well as some scrapbooks, letters, and journals. This represents an impressive amount of research, for which the author should get recognition. But since it seems that both Elinor and Frederick were intensely private people who didn't talk about their story even with their children or close family, there were several 'holes' in the story. As a reader, I couldn't help wondering from time to time how much richer this account would have been if the author had been able to talk to Elinor and Frederick themselves.
Unfortunately, the subjects of the book, Elinor and Frederick, passed away before the author began doing her research, so the book is based on interviews with relatives and friends, as well as some scrapbooks, letters, and journals. This represents an impressive amount of research, for which the author should get recognition. But since it seems that both Elinor and Frederick were intensely private people who didn't talk about their story even with their children or close family, there were several 'holes' in the story. As a reader, I couldn't help wondering from time to time how much richer this account would have been if the author had been able to talk to Elinor and Frederick themselves.
July 2, 2018
There are so many aspects of history that never make it into history books. Little has been written about the experiences of black women who served as nurses in the military during World War II and even less about the prisoner of war camps that were here in the United States. This book covers both of these subjects, plus telling the story of an African-American nurse who falls in love with a German POW. And finally it tells the story of the challenges a mixed race family had in the America of the 1950's.
Listening to this audio book made me angry at the prejudices of the military, and also of the American people, who relegated black military personnel to second class assignments, and the customs of the country that kept them segregated from the opportunities of normal American life. We should have done better and we still need to do better.
Listening to this audio book made me angry at the prejudices of the military, and also of the American people, who relegated black military personnel to second class assignments, and the customs of the country that kept them segregated from the opportunities of normal American life. We should have done better and we still need to do better.
September 26, 2019
What a fascinating read. I actually didn't know there were POW camps on US soil during WW2, and I've read a bit about the war, although mostly from the European point of view.
This book is about much more than the love story between two individuals. It covers the treatment of POWs as well as this of Black nurses and soldiers during the war (or should I say mistreatment). So you won't just be reading about Frederick and Elinor. I found the whole thing so interesting. The love story allows to make it all more real and closer to home as we're talking about actual people, while the historical background gives so much depth to the whole thing. You can tell the research has been carried extensively. Full of information but easy and compelling to read.
Disclaimer - I received a free digital copy of this book courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This book is about much more than the love story between two individuals. It covers the treatment of POWs as well as this of Black nurses and soldiers during the war (or should I say mistreatment). So you won't just be reading about Frederick and Elinor. I found the whole thing so interesting. The love story allows to make it all more real and closer to home as we're talking about actual people, while the historical background gives so much depth to the whole thing. You can tell the research has been carried extensively. Full of information but easy and compelling to read.
Disclaimer - I received a free digital copy of this book courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
June 15, 2018
A few weeks back I saw an interview with this book's author and was fascinated. I spied the book at the Chicago Public Library, so I swooped in and grabbed it. Enemies in Love is not really a “romance,” it is a non-fiction book about the slow integration of the country and the issues surrounding it, and how those issues swirled around one particular couple, Elinor and Frederick, a black nurse and a German POW who met at a POW camp during WWII. It is amazing, and sometimes really heartbreaking, and reveals a lot of "hidden" history I knew nothing about. (Read more on my blog: https://www.cgockelwrites.com/2018/06... )
November 28, 2018
The history of racial discrimination in the US military during WWII has been well documented. Clark expands that narrative with details about the plight of African American nurses who joined the Army and were poorly treated and underutilized. That part of the story was told with some depth—even outrage. The “love” story was stiffly rendered. Picture a stone being skipped over the surface of still water...the author barely touched on the personas of the main characters. I felt like her research didn’t provide enough details about these people and so her readers don’t really get to know them.
December 30, 2021
As a long-format article on the racisms Black nurses endured during WWII then this book was spot on and interesting.
As a romance it failed. Nobody wants to know that the couple grew to be selfish parents and that the man was a philanderer. Nothing is romantic about that.
(The author's attempts to downplay the adultery was extremely off putting ... at one point she mentioned that perhaps there had been a discussion of an open relationship but we couldn't know since Frederick and Elinor were both dead and hadn't been interviewed. Ugh.)
As a romance it failed. Nobody wants to know that the couple grew to be selfish parents and that the man was a philanderer. Nothing is romantic about that.
(The author's attempts to downplay the adultery was extremely off putting ... at one point she mentioned that perhaps there had been a discussion of an open relationship but we couldn't know since Frederick and Elinor were both dead and hadn't been interviewed. Ugh.)
April 18, 2020
Man I’m having a pretty rough book week.
I just couldn’t get into the “beautiful” and “groundbreaking” love story when it included cheating. It just made the experience of reading a love story regrettable. Also it was weird how the author kept stressing how devoted the husband was while explaining his extramarital affairs. Obviously not as devoted as the meaning entails.
I just couldn’t get into the “beautiful” and “groundbreaking” love story when it included cheating. It just made the experience of reading a love story regrettable. Also it was weird how the author kept stressing how devoted the husband was while explaining his extramarital affairs. Obviously not as devoted as the meaning entails.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 5, 2018
This was an ok book for me. It was more a narrative of where they came from, the history of the Florence, Arizona, POW camp where they met, and how the Jim Crow laws affected the camps and their relationship. The closest story I know to this is the one my mom told me of my Japanese-American aunt -- her parent were married in a camp in California, they had Jell-o for their wedding cake because sugar was rationed, he joined the Army because he was beneficial to fighting the Japanese, he was killed in action before my aunt was born 9 months later, and her mother never remarried. I did know there was a POW camp not far from where I grew up, but only that it was there, not WHO was there (and I still don't).
The story centered around Frederick Albert, a German POW, and Elinor, a African-American nurse who later became his wife. The first part of the book told their family history, where they came from, their family dynamic, and why Frederick and Elinor were probably the way they were. It told little about their courtship, not that they had much of one, but it was mostly in secret as it was against the law for a black woman to have a relationship with a white male, let alone a German POW.
The points I found the most interesting was their life in the camp, how most of the nurses at these camps were African-American and from the North. Which made it all the more interesting because they were not used to the way Southerners treated African-Americans. It was also interesting how the author spoke with other POWs and their reactions to how they were German and POWs yet they were treated better than the African-Americans living and working here in America. I also found it interesting that their oldest son would not participate in the making of the book.
Like I said this was more of a narrative, as Frederick and Elinor have already passed, they did not speak much of their life in the camp or how they met. It read a lot like an article you would find in a news magazine, interesting, but not the kind of book I was anticipating. I am giving this 3 stars only because it gave an insight to the life in the POW camps, more into the Jim Crow laws (as I grew up in the North, I did not experience this until I moved to Mississippi in 1998), and though I did not mind the style of writing, I would have like to know more about Frederick and Elinor and what they felt regarding how society impacted their relationship.
The story centered around Frederick Albert, a German POW, and Elinor, a African-American nurse who later became his wife. The first part of the book told their family history, where they came from, their family dynamic, and why Frederick and Elinor were probably the way they were. It told little about their courtship, not that they had much of one, but it was mostly in secret as it was against the law for a black woman to have a relationship with a white male, let alone a German POW.
The points I found the most interesting was their life in the camp, how most of the nurses at these camps were African-American and from the North. Which made it all the more interesting because they were not used to the way Southerners treated African-Americans. It was also interesting how the author spoke with other POWs and their reactions to how they were German and POWs yet they were treated better than the African-Americans living and working here in America. I also found it interesting that their oldest son would not participate in the making of the book.
Like I said this was more of a narrative, as Frederick and Elinor have already passed, they did not speak much of their life in the camp or how they met. It read a lot like an article you would find in a news magazine, interesting, but not the kind of book I was anticipating. I am giving this 3 stars only because it gave an insight to the life in the POW camps, more into the Jim Crow laws (as I grew up in the North, I did not experience this until I moved to Mississippi in 1998), and though I did not mind the style of writing, I would have like to know more about Frederick and Elinor and what they felt regarding how society impacted their relationship.
November 23, 2019
-sigh-
So, I actually don’t know how I feel about this. Especially considering that this book is a non-fiction. Like I can’t imagine judging someone’s life like I do with fiction books. Ya feel? With that said, I do think this is a great educational read. It touched on POW (Prisoner of War) camps that were in America during WW2..Which I never knew that we had hundreds of camps spaced out in America where Germans and other soldiers considered as enemies were placed! This book also touched on how segregated it was for black nurses during this time, as they were forced to look after the POWs instead of their own Americans. Not going to lie that there wasn’t an abundance of eye rolls. White supremacy can fuck itself. ANYWAYS, being born mixed during this time was also discussed...and honestly as someone who is mixed, it was really hard to stomach what I was reading. As for the love story between Elinor and Fredrick, I thought their story was lovely. Did I think they were the most amazing individuals? No, they were quite selfish to their two sons to be quite honest... BUT, their story was still impactful and I found that they were both resilient considering the backdrop of which they met each other in. So yeah, rating this book a 3.5 or 3.75 ✨!
So, I actually don’t know how I feel about this. Especially considering that this book is a non-fiction. Like I can’t imagine judging someone’s life like I do with fiction books. Ya feel? With that said, I do think this is a great educational read. It touched on POW (Prisoner of War) camps that were in America during WW2..Which I never knew that we had hundreds of camps spaced out in America where Germans and other soldiers considered as enemies were placed! This book also touched on how segregated it was for black nurses during this time, as they were forced to look after the POWs instead of their own Americans. Not going to lie that there wasn’t an abundance of eye rolls. White supremacy can fuck itself. ANYWAYS, being born mixed during this time was also discussed...and honestly as someone who is mixed, it was really hard to stomach what I was reading. As for the love story between Elinor and Fredrick, I thought their story was lovely. Did I think they were the most amazing individuals? No, they were quite selfish to their two sons to be quite honest... BUT, their story was still impactful and I found that they were both resilient considering the backdrop of which they met each other in. So yeah, rating this book a 3.5 or 3.75 ✨!
January 31, 2019
I learned so much more then I thought I would reading this. Also it started to reflect social issues we have today. However the players have changed. I’m not saying racism doesn’t exist Since I have experienced it when people discover my ethnicity or my boyfriend’s run in with customers or even police, I can speak more the issues concerning the LGBT community and the focus on that. Human rights shouldn’t be a political or even religious agenda. Doctors shouldn’t deny healthcare to a child of a lesbian couple. Women still shouldn’t be fighting to just be equal or tolerate the shit we tolerate.
That aside I learned so much more about how the military treated black nurses and even how our entire country made life difficult for any sort of difference. Fighting over seas against the powers of Nazis yet our racism was institutionalized. I’m glad to have learned a bit more over a section of war history I find very hard to find in all my research and it came in a very surprising short book.
That aside I learned so much more about how the military treated black nurses and even how our entire country made life difficult for any sort of difference. Fighting over seas against the powers of Nazis yet our racism was institutionalized. I’m glad to have learned a bit more over a section of war history I find very hard to find in all my research and it came in a very surprising short book.
September 13, 2020
The premise was interesting to me (German POW and African American nurse fall in love and get married-true story) and the sections of the book that were during the war were the best. But, in the end, I got little sense of who they were as people (beyond their nationality and race). I really wish one of them (preferably Eleanor) had written this--the journalist tries to weave together a complete story, but both were apparently private and told little of their lives to their friends or children.
Also, the 'great love story' becomes a little less great toward the end of the book when you read about their married lives after the war. Frederick was an emotionally distant serial philander and both seemed self-absorbed enough that one of their two sons chose not to participate in the book and was estranged from them for years. Also, as side note, I did this as an audiobook and the reader's narration didn't help.
Also, the 'great love story' becomes a little less great toward the end of the book when you read about their married lives after the war. Frederick was an emotionally distant serial philander and both seemed self-absorbed enough that one of their two sons chose not to participate in the book and was estranged from them for years. Also, as side note, I did this as an audiobook and the reader's narration didn't help.
October 4, 2018
Wish I knew more about their specific love story. Yet I enjoyed learning about their lives and experiences before and after they met. I knew little about the German POW camps in the USA, and I appreciated that Elinor had as a black woman and then nurse in the military.
June 23, 2024
I really liked this book. It was fascinating! I normally read historical fiction but had come across a statement about Nazi POW camps in the US and it got me very curious. This book dealt with so many big issues in a very readable way. I learned so much! I would love to have met this couple.
August 7, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. Easy to read but hard to put down. I would highly recommend reading this book.
August 21, 2018
This was a very interesting read. It showed so many similarities between race and what an irony that we fought in WWII, when we were segregating and treating other humans in a terrible way.
November 29, 2018
This is a very unique story. I found the book to be quite compelling. I would highly recommend it.
December 21, 2024
4.5 stars ✨• Read via audiobook 🖤🎧
I thought this was going to be a romantic non fiction. A German POV and a black nurse?!?! SIGN. ME. UP.!!!! But turns out not even he can be faithful smh 😑🙄
As a fellow nurse I really like reading about what nurses in our history have gone through, especially nurses of color. What’s crazy is that this happened in the 40s-50s, not even 100 years ago. It feels surreal and almost like you’re reading a scripted, made up time period but NO this really happened.!.!.!
She gets pregnant on purpose before he is sent back to Germany. His goal was to make some money and come back to the US, but SURPRISE, he struggles and ends up starting a relationship with another woman over there.
I think this book took a weird turn towards the end. These two where hopelessly in love with each other. They hated racism, kept moving their children around from city to city to run from it, yet never talked to their children about what it means to be mixed race and how to handle these issues, and they never talked to them about how they met either. The husband also cheated religiously on his wife AND was not a good father to their kids because he didn’t “know how to be” since his dad was the same way. The only thing going for this man was that he had a black wife who he never treated any different. The mom also said to her son, “don’t make me choose between you or him because I will choose him.” Friends of this couple said that they should have never had kids since they seemed to only love each other. 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄
I know this is as nonfiction but ugh, I wanted a happy ending. Especially with this time period of the Nazi’s. I wanted to read about something beautiful that transpired during this time period.
I thought this was going to be a romantic non fiction. A German POV and a black nurse?!?! SIGN. ME. UP.!!!! But turns out not even he can be faithful smh 😑🙄
As a fellow nurse I really like reading about what nurses in our history have gone through, especially nurses of color. What’s crazy is that this happened in the 40s-50s, not even 100 years ago. It feels surreal and almost like you’re reading a scripted, made up time period but NO this really happened.!.!.!
She gets pregnant on purpose before he is sent back to Germany. His goal was to make some money and come back to the US, but SURPRISE, he struggles and ends up starting a relationship with another woman over there.
I think this book took a weird turn towards the end. These two where hopelessly in love with each other. They hated racism, kept moving their children around from city to city to run from it, yet never talked to their children about what it means to be mixed race and how to handle these issues, and they never talked to them about how they met either. The husband also cheated religiously on his wife AND was not a good father to their kids because he didn’t “know how to be” since his dad was the same way. The only thing going for this man was that he had a black wife who he never treated any different. The mom also said to her son, “don’t make me choose between you or him because I will choose him.” Friends of this couple said that they should have never had kids since they seemed to only love each other. 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄
I know this is as nonfiction but ugh, I wanted a happy ending. Especially with this time period of the Nazi’s. I wanted to read about something beautiful that transpired during this time period.
February 2, 2024
So first of all, I had no idea that there were POWs in the US during WWII so this story was full of both the love story and WWII history that I didn't know about. Being in an interracial marriage, it truly breaks my heart what this couple had to endure from their German community and their American community. This story really helped me to re appreciate the privilege I have today and I will probably pick this back up again on Loving Day 💜💜
July 5, 2018
'Enemies in Love', despite the kind of corny title, is one of the most moving books that I have read on the injustice of the Jim Crow era. Written by Alexis Clark, a journalist and former editor of Town and Country magazine, the book has a breezy style that you would expect from a journalist who has a background in lifestyle writing but that makes it all the more engaging for a broad readership.
Ms Clark’s story centers on the relationship between a black Army nursing officer, Elinor Powell, and a German prisoner-of-war who was held at the camp where she worked, Friedrich Albert. Their relationship is the lens through which we learn about the realities of interracial marriage prior to the 1960s and the incredible obstacles to happiness that racism placed in the way of couples like Elinor and Friedrich.
Beyond this more personal and engaging narrative, however, is the more troubling history of the treatment of black nurses during the Second World War by their own government. Ms Clark delves into the archives to reveal just how hard black nurses had to fight to be allowed to serve their country and, even when they won the right to do so, how little thanks they received in return. The US Army was desperately short of nursing staff at times during the war but never took up the offer of service from the many black nursing school graduates who wished to serve. Instead, they even considered conscription of white nursing staff, rather than fill out the ranks of Army nurses with African-American women.
For the ‘lucky’ few thousand African-American women who did get to serve their country as Army nurses, Ms Clark reveals that they faced discrimination in the form of Jim Crow segregation on the military bases where they were stationed. African-American nursing staff were not treated as valuable assets to the military and were instead largely deployed to care for prisoners-of-war at camps across the US. The reason behind this was that the Army did not wish to encourage fraternization with the enemy and it was assumed that an African-American nursing staff would reduce such opportunities for the largely white — and Nazi — prisoner-of-war population, a racist and erroneous assumption.
Ms Clark writes movingly about the ambitious Elinor Powell and how hard she tried to build a nursing career in the face of overwhelming racism and sexism. The in-depth research involved in uncovering the barriers placed in front of African-American nurses during the war is evident but the book also uses in-person interviews from a nursing school friend of Elinor’s and from her son to give us a more personal insight into the shock experienced by Massachussetts-born Elinor when confronted with the Jim Crow racism of the South.
We also get an insight into what attracted the couple to one another while isolated on this prisoner-of-war base in Arizona through interviews with relatives of Friedrich. This is perhaps what is also shocking to the reader of ‘Enemies in Love’: such racism and sexism existed within living memory to the extent that this book can be complemented by contemporary or near-contemporary eye-witness interviews. People are still alive today who experienced the hateful racism of the 1940s.
This is a short book but is neatly focused on the relationship between Elinor and Frederick (as he called himself after moving to the United States after the war) and rarely deviates from their personal story except to give us historical context in which to place their relationship. That is the downside of the book. I felt there could have been a more in-depth exploration of the context for Friedrich and Elinor’s relationship and I would have liked to have known more about their struggle for acceptance in both Germany and the USA. Their relationship is plenty fascinating to last for the 250-odd pages but I wanted to know more. Truth be told, I did not want this book to end.
Rather than give away how Elinor and Frederick’s story ends, I will simply conclude by saying that this book is worth reading in dark times like today. If nothing else, it gives us hope that even the worst kind of discrimination and hatred can still give way to lasting love. Without the racism of Jim Crow, Elinor and Frederick would never have been brought together. Elinor would have been deployed to nurse American soldiers at the front, rather than hidden away on an isolated prisoner-of-war camp where she met Frederick. Despite the sad context to how this couple met, their story is truly a confirmation that ‘love wins’ and that is an uplifting message for our difficult times.
Ms Clark’s story centers on the relationship between a black Army nursing officer, Elinor Powell, and a German prisoner-of-war who was held at the camp where she worked, Friedrich Albert. Their relationship is the lens through which we learn about the realities of interracial marriage prior to the 1960s and the incredible obstacles to happiness that racism placed in the way of couples like Elinor and Friedrich.
Beyond this more personal and engaging narrative, however, is the more troubling history of the treatment of black nurses during the Second World War by their own government. Ms Clark delves into the archives to reveal just how hard black nurses had to fight to be allowed to serve their country and, even when they won the right to do so, how little thanks they received in return. The US Army was desperately short of nursing staff at times during the war but never took up the offer of service from the many black nursing school graduates who wished to serve. Instead, they even considered conscription of white nursing staff, rather than fill out the ranks of Army nurses with African-American women.
For the ‘lucky’ few thousand African-American women who did get to serve their country as Army nurses, Ms Clark reveals that they faced discrimination in the form of Jim Crow segregation on the military bases where they were stationed. African-American nursing staff were not treated as valuable assets to the military and were instead largely deployed to care for prisoners-of-war at camps across the US. The reason behind this was that the Army did not wish to encourage fraternization with the enemy and it was assumed that an African-American nursing staff would reduce such opportunities for the largely white — and Nazi — prisoner-of-war population, a racist and erroneous assumption.
Ms Clark writes movingly about the ambitious Elinor Powell and how hard she tried to build a nursing career in the face of overwhelming racism and sexism. The in-depth research involved in uncovering the barriers placed in front of African-American nurses during the war is evident but the book also uses in-person interviews from a nursing school friend of Elinor’s and from her son to give us a more personal insight into the shock experienced by Massachussetts-born Elinor when confronted with the Jim Crow racism of the South.
We also get an insight into what attracted the couple to one another while isolated on this prisoner-of-war base in Arizona through interviews with relatives of Friedrich. This is perhaps what is also shocking to the reader of ‘Enemies in Love’: such racism and sexism existed within living memory to the extent that this book can be complemented by contemporary or near-contemporary eye-witness interviews. People are still alive today who experienced the hateful racism of the 1940s.
This is a short book but is neatly focused on the relationship between Elinor and Frederick (as he called himself after moving to the United States after the war) and rarely deviates from their personal story except to give us historical context in which to place their relationship. That is the downside of the book. I felt there could have been a more in-depth exploration of the context for Friedrich and Elinor’s relationship and I would have liked to have known more about their struggle for acceptance in both Germany and the USA. Their relationship is plenty fascinating to last for the 250-odd pages but I wanted to know more. Truth be told, I did not want this book to end.
Rather than give away how Elinor and Frederick’s story ends, I will simply conclude by saying that this book is worth reading in dark times like today. If nothing else, it gives us hope that even the worst kind of discrimination and hatred can still give way to lasting love. Without the racism of Jim Crow, Elinor and Frederick would never have been brought together. Elinor would have been deployed to nurse American soldiers at the front, rather than hidden away on an isolated prisoner-of-war camp where she met Frederick. Despite the sad context to how this couple met, their story is truly a confirmation that ‘love wins’ and that is an uplifting message for our difficult times.
February 17, 2023
I enjoyed this book despite the limitations that the author faced. Both Elinor and Frederick had passed away so the author relied on interviews with friends, family and scrapbooks for much of the information about this unlikely romance. The author also detailed the many challenges the couple face both as a couple and as individuals in their integration into society and professional realms in the US and in Germany. Very interesting and worth a read!
May 8, 2018
Enemies In Love turned out to be a highly readable book about a romance between a black Army nurse and a German POW; as well as about the discrimination against black nurses during WWII; and about how POWs were used during the war as much needed labor in the United States. Elinor Powell became an Army nurse in order to have a better paying job and to help wounded American soldiers. Not only did she soon discover black nurses were treated badly, and were only suppose to care for black soldiers, but that they also were suppose to take care of German POWs. She didn't join the Army to take care of enemy soldiers! Black nurses had no voice in the matter, however, and had to put up with Jim Crow treatment, and even had to watch Nazis being less discriminated against than they were. Most black nurses who wanted to join the military were not even allowed to do so, even though nurses were badly needed.
Frederick Albert was one of those Nazi soldiers living in the camp in Arizona where Ms. Powell worked. He wasn't a very good Nazi, though, and decided he wouldn't be a very good cotton picker, either, so he volunteered for kitchen duty. Cotton picking was one of the main jobs POWs had to do, and it was of course backbreaking work. One German, though, in the book was quoted as saying that even though they were worked hard, the blacks who worked the cotton fields were worked even harder. Another German stated how ironic it was that they were told Hitler was bad because he thought Aryan blood was superior, when whites in America were telling him white blood was superior to black blood.
One day, Frederick Albert saw Elinor Powell and instantly fell in love. She was first amused by his attention, and the special food he gave her, but soon started having loving feelings about him, too. They secretly met as often as they could. Once the war ended, however, Mr. Albert was sent back to Europe, and Ms. Powell went home to her mother. Life was not easy for either of them, even after they were reunited in the United States and married. In fact, life as a biracial couple was so hard, they moved to Germany to see if life would be kinder to them there. It was not and back to America they came. Eventually, they found an accepting place to live, Mr. Albert found a well-paying career, and they raised two boys.
How author Alexis Clark discussed the relationship between the Alberts and their sons was the only thing in the story I felt was a bit off. I'm not sure she wasn't disregarding how many parents interacted with their children back in the '40s-'60s; and made them out to be less typical than other parents of their time. When, in fact, they actually sounded typical, although Mr. Albert wasn't very affectionate or patient with his sons. Yet he worked hard to provide for his family, and Mrs. Albert stayed home and took care of the boys, instead of working, as she would have preferred. Back then, too, the life of parents did not revolve around their children, but vice versa. Moreover, many parents did not have complex conversations with their kids about issues such as race. Other than that, I have no complaints about this well-written book; that told a WWII story that hasn't been written about to death; and that, more importantly, brought some much needed attention to how badly black nurses were discriminated against during that war.
(Note: I received an e-ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher or author.)
Frederick Albert was one of those Nazi soldiers living in the camp in Arizona where Ms. Powell worked. He wasn't a very good Nazi, though, and decided he wouldn't be a very good cotton picker, either, so he volunteered for kitchen duty. Cotton picking was one of the main jobs POWs had to do, and it was of course backbreaking work. One German, though, in the book was quoted as saying that even though they were worked hard, the blacks who worked the cotton fields were worked even harder. Another German stated how ironic it was that they were told Hitler was bad because he thought Aryan blood was superior, when whites in America were telling him white blood was superior to black blood.
One day, Frederick Albert saw Elinor Powell and instantly fell in love. She was first amused by his attention, and the special food he gave her, but soon started having loving feelings about him, too. They secretly met as often as they could. Once the war ended, however, Mr. Albert was sent back to Europe, and Ms. Powell went home to her mother. Life was not easy for either of them, even after they were reunited in the United States and married. In fact, life as a biracial couple was so hard, they moved to Germany to see if life would be kinder to them there. It was not and back to America they came. Eventually, they found an accepting place to live, Mr. Albert found a well-paying career, and they raised two boys.
How author Alexis Clark discussed the relationship between the Alberts and their sons was the only thing in the story I felt was a bit off. I'm not sure she wasn't disregarding how many parents interacted with their children back in the '40s-'60s; and made them out to be less typical than other parents of their time. When, in fact, they actually sounded typical, although Mr. Albert wasn't very affectionate or patient with his sons. Yet he worked hard to provide for his family, and Mrs. Albert stayed home and took care of the boys, instead of working, as she would have preferred. Back then, too, the life of parents did not revolve around their children, but vice versa. Moreover, many parents did not have complex conversations with their kids about issues such as race. Other than that, I have no complaints about this well-written book; that told a WWII story that hasn't been written about to death; and that, more importantly, brought some much needed attention to how badly black nurses were discriminated against during that war.
(Note: I received an e-ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher or author.)
July 22, 2018
The story was fascinating, especially how they met and carried on their relationship. The author certainly researched well.
June 23, 2018
This book offers an unique insight into the lives of Elinor Powell an African American and army nurse and Frederick Albert a German prisoner of war. When they met the World War II was an on-going calamity, destroying human lives, whole families, cities and countries. In Germany Adolf Hitler spread hate and racist propaganda. In America Jim Crow was the law and lynching of black men was commonplace. At that difficult time it was a complete anomaly that a mixed-race couple found love and comfort in each other.
This book is important for many reasons and I think that anyone interested in the history of racial discrimination in America and Jim Crow laws should read it. The data that the author revealed was truly shocking. The treatment of the prisoners of war by Americans was in many instances much better that the treatment of African Americans, who joined the American army. For example, Elinor Powell who was an African American and an army nurse wouldn’t be served in a restaurant “for white people only”, but the Nazi POW would be served in the same restaurant without complaints or objections.
In this reality the decision of Elinor and Frederick to be together was more than courageous and bordered on pure madness. The book shows the tremendous odds that they had to overcome and everyday heartaches and moments of humiliation they had to live through. The author was objective and didn’t try to paint their relationship as perfect or to shape it as a modern fairy-tale. Far from it. Elinor and Frederick were not perfect spouses or perfect parents, but their love and devotion to each other as showed in the book were unquestionable. There are beautiful family pictures in the book, which helped me to imagine how family life of Ellie and Frederick might look like.
I found this book very interesting and really heart-wrenching at times. I recommend it to everyone!
I received "Enemies in Love" from the publisher via NetGalley. I would like to thank the author and the publisher for providing me with the advance reader copy of the book.
This book is important for many reasons and I think that anyone interested in the history of racial discrimination in America and Jim Crow laws should read it. The data that the author revealed was truly shocking. The treatment of the prisoners of war by Americans was in many instances much better that the treatment of African Americans, who joined the American army. For example, Elinor Powell who was an African American and an army nurse wouldn’t be served in a restaurant “for white people only”, but the Nazi POW would be served in the same restaurant without complaints or objections.
In this reality the decision of Elinor and Frederick to be together was more than courageous and bordered on pure madness. The book shows the tremendous odds that they had to overcome and everyday heartaches and moments of humiliation they had to live through. The author was objective and didn’t try to paint their relationship as perfect or to shape it as a modern fairy-tale. Far from it. Elinor and Frederick were not perfect spouses or perfect parents, but their love and devotion to each other as showed in the book were unquestionable. There are beautiful family pictures in the book, which helped me to imagine how family life of Ellie and Frederick might look like.
I found this book very interesting and really heart-wrenching at times. I recommend it to everyone!
I received "Enemies in Love" from the publisher via NetGalley. I would like to thank the author and the publisher for providing me with the advance reader copy of the book.
November 12, 2019
3.5 stars.
To say this book is about a couple's struggle to be together despite their extremely different backgrounds is a bit misleading. It's more of a study of the trials of Jim Crow and the hidden history of American POW camps. It makes sense; Elinor and Frederick Albert's story was shaped by the racist politics and restrictions of their country. Elinor would have never met Frederick had racist segregationist practices not prevented her from serving in Allied hospitals or abroad. Frederick, who had the soul of an artist, only served in the German army because the Nazi party required it of all men.
There was so much I learned about the U.S. military effort during World War II. I had no idea about the American POW camps. The U.S. created a number of these camps at the request of Great Britain, which was struggling to house Axis POWs in an active European war front. Black women were often sent to work at these camps due to the bigoted opinion that there would be no threat of fraternization between the European POWs and Black nurses. Another interesting tidbit I learned was that the U.S. military seriously considered implementing a nurses' draft rather than enlist volunteering Black nurses. (Keep on America-ing, America. 🙃)
I appreciated what I learned, both of the history and of their story, but I would have liked to learn more about the actual relationship. Their courtship and marriage is skimmed over a bit in favor of the history (to be honest, I understand. I don't think there was much material for the author to work with). I really would have loved to learn more about their struggle to find a home, as they were frequently pushed out of apartments and homes due to racism and miscegenation laws. I also was interested in hearing more about their relationships with their family members, especially their children.
It's a quick and well-written read. You should definitely check it out if you have the opportunity.
To say this book is about a couple's struggle to be together despite their extremely different backgrounds is a bit misleading. It's more of a study of the trials of Jim Crow and the hidden history of American POW camps. It makes sense; Elinor and Frederick Albert's story was shaped by the racist politics and restrictions of their country. Elinor would have never met Frederick had racist segregationist practices not prevented her from serving in Allied hospitals or abroad. Frederick, who had the soul of an artist, only served in the German army because the Nazi party required it of all men.
There was so much I learned about the U.S. military effort during World War II. I had no idea about the American POW camps. The U.S. created a number of these camps at the request of Great Britain, which was struggling to house Axis POWs in an active European war front. Black women were often sent to work at these camps due to the bigoted opinion that there would be no threat of fraternization between the European POWs and Black nurses. Another interesting tidbit I learned was that the U.S. military seriously considered implementing a nurses' draft rather than enlist volunteering Black nurses. (Keep on America-ing, America. 🙃)
I appreciated what I learned, both of the history and of their story, but I would have liked to learn more about the actual relationship. Their courtship and marriage is skimmed over a bit in favor of the history (to be honest, I understand. I don't think there was much material for the author to work with). I really would have loved to learn more about their struggle to find a home, as they were frequently pushed out of apartments and homes due to racism and miscegenation laws. I also was interested in hearing more about their relationships with their family members, especially their children.
It's a quick and well-written read. You should definitely check it out if you have the opportunity.
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