Birds of War - A Novel

From the critically acclaimed author of Grace and The Perishing 

A young woman is forced to confront the cost of freedom and her own self-actualization in the midst of war—inspired by the true story of the only Black American regiment that landed on the beaches of Normandy

Birds of War opens with Abilee Tillson, a college dropout from central California, pinned down on the sand, dodging enemy fire in the chaos of one of the most brutal battles in history.  But how did a Black woman end up on the front lines at World War II’s deadliest hour? 

As she fights to survive, her past echoes around her: the love for a father struggling with shell-shock from The Great War; an ailing mother left by the state in the sole care of her too-young daughter; an attempt at higher education thwarted by family’s needs; her enlistment in the war effort. Then a forbidden love affair with a foreign soldier, and the fateful events that placed her on the USS Corry, the first American destroyer sunk on D-Day.

From early California is the 1930s to the run up to war and all that follows, Birds of War is a powerful statement of individual freedom that redefines this moment in history. For Abilee, liberty is not guaranteed by family, a nation, or even military service as a Black woman in wartime America. Can she make peace with the family she left behind, and quiet the wars of her past? Can she learn which battles are worth fighting? And, most urgent of all, can Abilee reconcile everything behind her and still find her way off the beach? 

Based on years of research, Birds of War brings to light the hidden and forgotten stories of World War II, told through the eyes of those whose courage was demanded but whose humanity was often denied, in a singular narrative of sacrifice, survival, and enduring love.