What Happens When Two Enemies Fall In Love?
A love story between a black Army nurse and a white German POW during World War II? You couldn't make that story up — and Alexis Clark didn't. The former editor at Town & Country is an adjunct professor at Columbia University's School of Journalism. I spoke with her about her new book, Enemies in Love, and what she learned about hidden Army history and the human heart.
Below is an edited version of our conversation.
What was the inspiration for this book, what got you rolling?
I was really interested in the military after I found out that I was a distant relative of Colonel Charles Young. He was the highest ranking African-American in the army until his death in 1922. So I just started delving into African-Americans who served in the military. And I discovered a book called , and it was about World War II nurses. There was a very brief chapter about black women who served in the Army Nurse Corps.
