In December 1941, following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States entered World War II. This event elicited diverse responses from individuals across the globe. In Chicago, Amos Johnson and subsequently his younger brother Samuel enlisted in the military. As members of a segregated Army, the Johnson brothers, along with other Black soldiers, encountered significant challenges: they contended with systemic racism within America that questioned their capabilities and subjected them to harassment and violence both on and off military bases. Simultaneously, they faced the formidable German army on the battlefield. 

Meanwhile, in Poland, David Cohen—a young Jewish boy—found renewed hope for survival from Hitler’s murderous regime upon hearing of the American entry into the war. For four years, while in a series of brutal concentration camps, he maintained the belief that American forces would ultimately come to his aid. Unbeknownst to him, those who would eventually rescue him were Black soldiers, who themselves had only recently been permitted to fight against Nazi oppression due to prevailing racial discrimination in the United States. 

The forthcoming novel “Black Messiahs,” scheduled for release on May 19, narrates the interconnected journeys of these individuals. It offers a comprehensive account of courage, resilience, adaptability, and perseverance amidst violence, racism, genocide, and personal hardship. The narrative also prompts reflection on critical historical questions, such as how many more Jews might have been saved during the Holocaust if the United States had fully utilized all its human resources from the outset, rather than restricting for years African American participation in the fight against the Nazis. Furthermore, the novel highlights the shared struggles of Black and Jewish communities—a connection often overlooked in contemporary discussions about race. 

In addition to its main narratives, “Black Messiahs” also contains a host of intriguing minor characters and themes, including family dynamics, sibling rivalry, romance, Jewish resistance, several strong female characters, a gay Black soldier struggling with the homophobia of the 1940s and several real historical people and events. 

This novel was inspired by the remarks of Anthony Blinken when he was named by President-elect Joe Biden in November 2020 to be Secretary of State. At the press conference announcing his nomination, Blinken told the story of his stepfather, Samuel Piser who, as a young Polish Jew survived internment in a string of concentration camps and was rescued at the end of the war by a Black tank battalion.  

Watching this on television, the thought hit me, “That’s my novel!”