By Sonia Purnell. Viking 2019. (Paperback by Penguin Books 2019)
Who knew that the French Resistance's success in WWII was primarily attributable to a woman? One of the complaints that I have about the ways in which histories are told is that the narrative focuses primarily on men, warriors (generals), politicians, and warfare. Of course, some of this is that most historical accounts are written by men about men (The Guardian, undated). Purnell's book helps address this deficit (as well as her previous book about Clementine Churchill--Winston Churchill's wife).
Purnell's biography of Virginia Hall is a well-documented account of this extraordinary woman's work as a "secret agent" during WWII and as an agent afterward in the American CIA. In addition to being a compelling story, Purnell has carefully documented the story with extensive research including the study of previously unpublished primary documents and interviews of surviving participants. The book is a delight to read! Not only is it well written but includes many reader supports such as a map, listing of characters (it gets a little confusing--secret agents tend to change their names a lot!), photographs extensive footnotes of sources and a very useful index.
My emeriti book club read and discussed this. All members were wildly enthusiastic! GoodReads gives it 4 of 5 stars with 3183 reviews. I can easily see it used as part of "choice reading list" selection in a high school history course (or a literature course including a book like The Diary of Anne Frank or The Book Thief.
From the book, I learned some very interesting and important things about WWII and women in governmental organizations. It's frightening how very near we came to disaster in WWII and how individuals of principle and courage saved us. (And how the "good old boys network almost lost the war for us.) It also helped me appreciate the mix of risk-taking, thrill-seeking, and determination required to serve as an undercover agent. It's not necessarily the buff, handsome and athletic male who ends up making a difference.
