My Goodreads review: Wise Gals

[ankh_hpl]

Wise Gals: The Spies Who Built the CIA and Changed the Future of Espionage by Nathalia Holt

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is an important, if occasionally confusing, take on the founding of the CIA -- from the viewpoint of the women, rather than only the men, who made it happen. It reads (or rather, listens -- see below) more like multi-viewpoint fiction than standard history, as the reader moves between the lives of a number of women all working in American intelligence during and soon after WW II. As such, it occasionally became somewhat difficult to figure out who was where when doing what. I suspect part of my confusion was due to my listening to this book rather than reading it.

Despite this small difficulty, the book is a treasure trove of stories & insights, taken from the recollections of female CIA founders no longer with us. I was only a little surprised at the degree of sexism they encountered, though the author is careful also to note those men who were not biased against female talent. Highly recommended for those interested in American women's history, CIA history from a fresh perspective, or both.

Note: I actually found this one on Audible, but Goodreads hasn't given me the option of listing that edition.



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