Enemies in Love: A German POW, a Black Nurse, and an Unlikely Romance Book Review

It has been said that the heart wants what the heart wants. Even if that goes against the political and cultural norms of the day.

In Enemies in Love: A German POW, a Black Nurse, and an Unlikely Romance, by Alexis Clark, Elinor Powell and Frederick Albert met in a way that only comes from war.

Elinor Powell was an African-American nurse who was raised in the Northeast and had her first bitter taste of Jim Crow when she was stationed in Arizona during World War II. Frederick Albert was a German POW who was captured by the Allies in Italy and sent to the POW camp in Arizona where Elinor was stationed. While Frederick outwardly acted as any youth of that time period would act, he internally did not subscribe to the beliefs of Nazi Germany.

It was love at first night for Frederick. Elinor took a little longer, but she too was soon in love. In another time and place, no one would have thought twice about their relationship. But the fact was that she was African-American and he was a German soldier who was a wartime captive. It wasn’t the ideal start to a relationship, but somehow, their relationship and their marriage lasted.

I loved this book. It was not just the story of love against all odds, but it was the story of a real marriage with all of the ups and downs that marriage brings.

I absolutely recommend it.

 

 

Incredibles 2 Movie Review

It has been said that good things come to those who wait.

Incredibles 2 is a perfect example of this concept.

The movie starts just after it’s predecessor, Incredibles ended. They have saved the world, but the fact that is superheroes are still illegal. The Parr family nearly resigns themselves into a normal life, but then the brother sister duo of Winston and Evelyn Deavor (Bob Odenkirk & Catherine Keener) come calling. The wealthy siblings are more than eager to rehabilitate the reputation of superheroes. They plan to use Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) as an icon to change the status of superheros, both legally and culturally. This means that Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) is home with the kids all day.

While Elastigirl is doing her superhero thing,  a new villain emerges. Their name is Screenslaver. Will the Parr family ever be allowed to be their superhero selves and more importantly, can they find out who this Screenslaver is and defeat them?

The last fourteen years were worth the wait. This movie, for lack of a better word, is incredible. It has a nice balance of action and emotional moments, especially when it comes to Mr. Incredible realizing that parenting is not as easy as he presumed it to be. The kids in the audience will appreciate the humor. The adults in the audience will appreciate the relationship between the family and more specifically, Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl.

I absolutely recommend it.