Customer Reviews

Sisterhood of Spies

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Some years ago while digging in the National Archives I met the author. At that time she was pursuing the research for this book. When she mentioned that she was the "Undercover Girl" I immediately thought, "AHA, Cynthia!" Well, she wasn't. You will have to read this book to find out who Cynthia was and a whole host of others whose exploits were not so "undercover" ; )! At the time we met Ms. McIntosh's original book "Undercover Girl" was scheduled to be reprinted in the TIME-LIFE WW II espionage operations series, but that was not to be. I finally got a copy of the original and found it to be a fascinating read. This one is obviously not so immediate as her original but still gives the flavor of the wartime experience. The fact that male chauvinism ruled in those days is evident in that they were not paid the same rates and were seldom promoted to their potential-- considering that most of the OSS women where well-educated bilingual (or more) cosmopolitan citizens of many nations of the world, as adept with European royalty as with the natives in the fetid jungles of Asia. Their story is well worth telling and is very interesting reading.

I have been an avid reader of espionage books for some time. I believe that Elizabeth McIntosh has written an excellent book covering the role of the women involved in the OSS's clandestine operations during WWII. This is an insightful account of how many women (most, if not all the OSS women were well educated, well traveled, and in many cases multilingual) repeatedly endured physical and mental hardships, and risked their lives to help the greater war effort. Unfortunately, the work of Amy Thorpe, Virginia Hall, Maria Gulovich, and others have not been acknowledged until now. I am proud and grateful that these women decided to serve their nation, and only hope others will follow. This book should be an inspiration to any female who wants to serve her country.

For readers who enjoy history (particularly WWII), McIntosh's "Sisterhood of Spies" is a worthwhile experience. The book looks at women in all areas of OSS during WWII in all parts of the globe. McIntosh's writing style is a bit bothersome at times (too much "gung-ho" spirit for me; that's why I only give it three stars) but she knows her stuff and the profiles of these women and their work during the war more than make up for it. I liked the stories of daring (particularly "the lady with the limp" or the episode to steal the naval codes or the woman captured by the Germans). I learned a great deal about hte different aspects of OSS - the R&A, black propaganda (forging postcards to demoralize the families of Japanese soldiers fighting in Burma). McIntosh does a good job of creating a sense of the lifestyle - the pressures, the challenges. She also gives a good bit of detailed "back story" on the women - showing their life before the war, how they got involved with OSS, how their experiences with OSS transformed their lives, and finally, a glimpse of their lives post-war. These women definitely challenged perceived notions of how women could contribute to the war effort. Most all of them encountered "narrow thinking," particularly from the military branches they were working with, and managed to overcome that. I found the stories both fascinating and inspiring.

I don't normally go for "women's history" books, but I've been reading everything I can on the OSS and this seemed like an interesting side of it. With that attitude, I totally underestimated the stories contained within. As expected, there are chapters on individual women who accomplished extraordinary things during the days of the OSS. The greater value, though, is that by telling even a sentence or two about the many, many women who worked as clerks, analysts, drivers, etc., you get a much better view of the structure of the organization. Many intelligence books concentrate on the medal-winning heroic acts. Here you get those stories plus a clear picture of who was recruited and how; how the offices worked; how information was gathered, analyzed, and consumed; and basically what it was like to work in the organization at the levels below superhero. I have a much better understanding of the day-to-day operations from reading this book. (P.S. I am a woman so don't flip out over my opening statement.)

...and it is well done, by one of the "Sisterhood." Very engrossing, and goes to show how valuable their contributions were during wartime. They didn't just type and file papers--they were in the thick of it as well as the men. It's about time that their role was given the recognition it deserves!

On a recent flight to Los Angeles, my neighbor noticed my unopened copy of "Sisterhood of Spies" and quipped - "There were women in the OSS? They were all clerks, right?" Little did I know the full scope of what they had accomplished until I had finished the book. Thank you to Elizabeth McIntosh for keeping alive the history of these courageous women in this incredible book. Elizabeth McIntosh and her sisters in arms served both in the back offices and on the front lines - this book will open your eyes to many, but not all of the contributions of women in Intelligence Service.

Amy Elizabeth Thorpe, code-named Cynthia, was one of the first women to work behind German lines during World War II. Her most important job was to steal a communications code book prior to the upcoming invasion of North Africa. McIntosh brilliantly tells the nerve-wracking tale of how Cynthia and her lover infiltrate the embassy to steal the code book.

Not every woman served on the front lines. McIntosh recalls the contributions of women like Mary Painter, who the author states was "an American economist who was an innovator in the use of statistical techniques during the war." McIntosh uses Painter's letters to her sister to retell her contributions during the war. This is just one of the many examples of the primary sources that the author used in writing the book.

Morale Operations, a euphemism for propaganda, was another area in which women made large contributions during the war. McIntosh shares examples of these operations from both the Pacific and European theaters.

Behind every successful organization, there is an efficient bureaucracy to run it. The OSS was no different, even with the added challenge of working with our cousins across the Atlantic. In a non-descript office building in New York City, the OSS closely worked with the British Security Cooperation (BSC). For more on this fascinating organization, check out "The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington", by Jennet Conant.

Virginia Hall was arguably the most active female agent during World War II. Known as "The Limping Lady" because of her wooden leg, she nick-named "Cuthbert", she was constantly on the move due to the persistence of the Gestapo trying to stop her acts of espionage.

The book reads like a gossip column, giving it a very readable format. However, in describing "what" the women did, in many cases it glossed over the "why" they did it. Many of the vignettes could have benefitted from a more thorough description of the strategic context. This would have allowed the reader to appreciate the full impact of the operations.

As with any survey book, it is impossible to go into much depth. McIntosh did an outstanding job in highlighting the major contributions in topic areas. The author includes a lengthy bibliography, but the terse footnotes make it difficult to rapidly cross-reference the source documents for more information on any topic.

Overall, "Sisterhood of Spies" is a great read and a real tribute to the women who served in the fore-runner of today's CIA.

Elizabeth McIntosh's book is riveting and incredibly spellbinding. The role women played in the OSS and other spy organizations often times goes unknown and unhearlded. McIntosh, who served in the OSS, carefully and completely chronicles the role of women in this dangerous and life-threatening profession. As I set out to write a fictional screenplay about women spies in WWII, this book serves as a good source of giving me the spirit and flavour of what it was like in the 1940's. My days in Military Intelligence, albeit in the U.S. Army Reserves in the 1970's, was interesting and at times exciting, but nothing like the real cloak and dagger portrait so eloquently painted by Mrs. McIntosh. I have been attempting to contact her to set up an interview, but have been unable to find out where she resides in the Leesburg, VA area. I strongly recommend this wonderful book. It will keep you engaged from the first page to its last. 5 STARS do not give this book the recognition it deserves. Buy it. Read it!

I don't normally go for "women's history" books, but I've been reading everything I can on the OSS and this seemed like an interesting side of it. With that attitude, I totally underestimated the stories contained within. As expected, there are chapters on individual women who accomplished extraordinary things during the days of the OSS. The greater value, though, is that by telling even a sentence or two about the many, many women who worked as clerks, analysts, drivers, etc., you get a much better view of the structure of the organization. Many intelligence books concentrate on the medal-winning heroic acts. Here you get those stories plus a clear picture of who was recruited and how; how the offices worked; how information was gathered, analyzed, and consumed; and basically what it was like to work in the organization at the levels below superhero. I have a much better understanding of the day-to-day operations from reading this book. (P.S. I am a woman so don't flip out over my opening statement.)

We knew that my mother had served in the OSS in WWII, but she would never talk about what she actually did; stating only that the details were "still classified." Now, after her death, I found this book and finally understand both her job and the environment she worked in. While she is not mentioned in the book, both her office and her commanding officer are described. The author put together a fascinating tale of a nearly unknown but important part of the war effort: women working as an official part of the war machine, being able to contribute their work to defeating the Axis, as they pulled information together, and distributed many sorts of information. Not only did they gather and collate incoming information, but they helped the war effort by generating material to mislead the enemy on a variety of fronts.

I wish this book included much more than it does. More history, more depth in each anecdote, more tales from women in the field. It's a taste of the story, but doesn't go quite deep enough. Having known some of the women who served, my mother's friends, I know the tales yet untold are worth hearing.

Well written, with both serious and funny anecdotes about WWII. It's nice to see women's contributions so well documented. Brings home the fact that the war could not have been won without the help of the "invisible women" behind the scenes who filed the papers, answered the phones, typed up reports, etc. Not to mention the women who were spying behind enemy lines and thinking up propaganda strategies. It reminds us that women also willingly died for our country during WWII. For anyone who wants to learn more about the intelligent and courageous women of the O.S.S., I highly recommend this book.