Local writer’s World War II novel to be released in May

Local writer Steven A. Holmes announced the forthcoming release of “Black Messiahs,” a historical novel set during World War II.

With expertise in news reporting and editing, Holmes crafts a compelling narrative of three individuals whose very different paths converge as they navigate the profound adversities of war and the Holocaust.

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 later 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, a young Jewish boy named David Cohen found renewed hope for survival from Hitler’s murderous regime upon hearing of America’s entry into the war. During four years 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.

A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Holmes’ extensive background includes working within news organizations including Time Magazine, The New York Times and CNN. 

Now permanently residing in Lewes, Holmes is married, with two daughters and two granddaughters.

"Black Messiahs” is scheduled for a May 2026 release by Koehler Books. This is his first novel.