Description:
A compelling love story--inspired by the author's own family history--set in the segregated South during and after World War II, perfect for fans of Kristin Hannah's The Women and Brit Bennett's The Vanishing Half.
When three young Black men enlist in the US Army hoping to serve their country with honor, their lives are forever changed.
When Pearl Harbor is attacked in 1941, Cora's brother, Benny, rushes to enlist against the wishes of Cora and their mother. Able to pass as white due to his pale skin and light eyes, Benny reports for duty only to realize he's been mistakenly enlisted as a white man in a racially segregated military.
Lee has been friends with Benny ever since he was a troubled teenager, and he's been sweet on Cora for nearly as long. When Lee enlists without telling Cora, she is heartbroken and feels betrayed by the man she expected to spend the rest of her life with.
Meanwhile, family friend Roscoe, encouraged by Benny, offers to marry Cora in order to ensure that she and her mother--who both remain home--will be provided for should Benny not make it back.
Benny does return, but his new white identity leaves him struggling to find his place in between, in a country that only sees race. As America promises postwar prosperity to white veterans through the GI Bill, Black soldiers are excluded.
While the war may be over, the fight has only just begun for Cora, Lee, Benny, and Roscoe.
Brief description:
William DeMerrit is a voice talent and AudioFile Earphones Award-winning narrator.
Review Quotes:
"Set in 1940s segregated Florida, Inharmonious is a tour de force--a heart-stopping story brimming with history, injustice, and love. Epic in scope, it transports the reader from the bombing of Pearl Harbor to the postwar challenges for Black veterans. I fell head over heels for Cora, Benny, and Lee--raging, crying, and cheering for them to the final pages. Astonishingly good--if you read one book in 2026, make it this one."
-- "Heather Critchlow, author of The Tomorrow Project"