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The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA
A thrilling and monumental new history of the CIA that reveals how women have always played crucial, often unacknowledged roles in American spycraft, a hidden “sisterhood” of spies, analysts, operatives, and manhunters who, over a half-century, kept the free world safe and, more than once, saved it—from the New York Times bestselling author of Code Girls
Upon its creation in 1947, the Central Intelligence Agency instantly became one of the most important spy services in the world. Like every male-dominated workplace in Eisenhower America, the growing intelligence agency needed women to type memos, send messages, manipulate expense accounts, and keep secrets. Despite discrimination—even because of it—these clerks and secretaries rose to become some of the shrewdest, toughest operatives the agency employed. Because women were seen as unimportant, they moved unnoticed on the streets of Bonn, Geneva, and Moscow, stealing secrets under the noses of the KGB. Back at headquarters, they built the CIA’s critical archives—first by hand, then by computer.
These women also battled institutional stereotyping and beat it. Men argued they alone could run spy rings. But the women proved they could be spymasters, too. During the Cold War, women made critical contributions to U.S. intelligence, sometimes as officers, sometimes as unpaid spouses, working together as their numbers grew. The women also made unique sacrifices, giving up marriage, children, even their own lives.
They noticed things that the men at the top didn’t see. In the final years of the twentieth century, it was a close-knit network of female CIA analysts who warned about the rising threat of Al Qaeda. After the 9/11 attacks, women rushed to join the fight as a new job, “targeter,” came to prominence. They showed that painstaking data analysis would be crucial to the post-9/11 national security landscape—an effort that culminated spectacularly in the CIA’s successful efforts to track down and kill Osama Bin Laden and, later, Ayman al-Zawahiri.
With the same meticulous reporting and storytelling verve that she brought to her New York Times bestseller Code Girls, Liza Mundy has written an indispensable and sweeping history that reveals how women at the CIA ushered in the modern intelligence age.
Upon its creation in 1947, the Central Intelligence Agency instantly became one of the most important spy services in the world. Like every male-dominated workplace in Eisenhower America, the growing intelligence agency needed women to type memos, send messages, manipulate expense accounts, and keep secrets. Despite discrimination—even because of it—these clerks and secretaries rose to become some of the shrewdest, toughest operatives the agency employed. Because women were seen as unimportant, they moved unnoticed on the streets of Bonn, Geneva, and Moscow, stealing secrets under the noses of the KGB. Back at headquarters, they built the CIA’s critical archives—first by hand, then by computer.
These women also battled institutional stereotyping and beat it. Men argued they alone could run spy rings. But the women proved they could be spymasters, too. During the Cold War, women made critical contributions to U.S. intelligence, sometimes as officers, sometimes as unpaid spouses, working together as their numbers grew. The women also made unique sacrifices, giving up marriage, children, even their own lives.
They noticed things that the men at the top didn’t see. In the final years of the twentieth century, it was a close-knit network of female CIA analysts who warned about the rising threat of Al Qaeda. After the 9/11 attacks, women rushed to join the fight as a new job, “targeter,” came to prominence. They showed that painstaking data analysis would be crucial to the post-9/11 national security landscape—an effort that culminated spectacularly in the CIA’s successful efforts to track down and kill Osama Bin Laden and, later, Ayman al-Zawahiri.
With the same meticulous reporting and storytelling verve that she brought to her New York Times bestseller Code Girls, Liza Mundy has written an indispensable and sweeping history that reveals how women at the CIA ushered in the modern intelligence age.
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 17, 2023
About the author
Liza Mundy
6 books342 followersLiza Mundy is an award-winning journalist and the New York Times bestselling author of five books, including CODE GIRLS, and her latest, THE SISTERHOOD.
Published in 2017, CODE GIRLS tells the story of more than 10,000 female code breakers recruited during World War II to perform work that saved countless lives, shortened a global war, and pioneered the modern computer and cybersecurity industries.
Available October 2023, THE SISTERHOOD is a gripping history of women in the CIA across three generations--beginning with unlikely female spies who served in the war and its aftermath, through to the women who tracked down Osama Bin Laden.
Her other titles include MICHELLE: A BIOGRAPHY; THE RICHER SEX; and EVERYTHING CONCEIVABLE.
In addition to her work as a narrative non-fiction author, Liza, a former staff writer for The Washington Post, writes about history, culture, and politics for publications such as The Atlantic and Politico.
At various points in her life as a working parent she has worked full-time, part-time, all-night, at home, in the office, remotely, in person, on trains, in the car, alone, in crowds, under duress, and while simultaneously making dinner.
Published in 2017, CODE GIRLS tells the story of more than 10,000 female code breakers recruited during World War II to perform work that saved countless lives, shortened a global war, and pioneered the modern computer and cybersecurity industries.
Available October 2023, THE SISTERHOOD is a gripping history of women in the CIA across three generations--beginning with unlikely female spies who served in the war and its aftermath, through to the women who tracked down Osama Bin Laden.
Her other titles include MICHELLE: A BIOGRAPHY; THE RICHER SEX; and EVERYTHING CONCEIVABLE.
In addition to her work as a narrative non-fiction author, Liza, a former staff writer for The Washington Post, writes about history, culture, and politics for publications such as The Atlantic and Politico.
At various points in her life as a working parent she has worked full-time, part-time, all-night, at home, in the office, remotely, in person, on trains, in the car, alone, in crowds, under duress, and while simultaneously making dinner.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 414 reviews
February 19, 2024
Liza Mundy has done it again! Through impeccable research, countless interviews, and a dogged determination to discover the unvarnished truth, Ms Mundy has pulled back the curtain on the inner-workings of the CIA and its indelible stamp it left on those women who sacrificed their feeling of self-worth, their marriages, families and sometimes even their lives in service of their country via the CIA.
All of these women were the best in their fields – top of their class – top of their game. They either applied or were randomly recruited because they were loyal Americans and sharp as whips. These women may have wanted to be operational agents or contribute in other meaningful ways, but when the CIA was in its infancy the women were not judged on equal footing with their male counterparts (everyone had to take a test: a pink-covered test for the women, a blue-covered test for the men. Why would the differentiation of exams be necessary if everyone was taking the same test?), it was off to the secretarial pool or clerk filing duties for these gals. It was “common” knowledge that this was what appealed to “girls” – it was what they were suited for – weren’t they the “weaker sex”? The utter audacity!
For the most part, they were shunted aside, dismissed, and/or degraded. The culture of the “good old boys’ network” was alive and kicking from the inception of the Agency until just after 9/11.
Mundy shared a lot of meaningful anecdotes and conversations related by a group of women that are the book’s focus. Some of the information is quite eye-opening. And some information is downright incredulous.
There will be a come-uppance. But I’ll encourage you to read THE SISTERHOOD for yourself so that you can fully savor the moment(s). THE SISTERHOOD is an eye-opening read that everyone will enjoy not only for the information shared but for the ease of reading and pacing. If you have a teen daughter, you might want to read this together.
Someone wanted to know why I was reading this book if it made me angry? It’s not the book that set my teeth on edge and had me seething. The book is definitely fantastic. It was the stories of familiarity, of shared disrespect and dismissal that reminded me of past work experiences that set my hair on fire.
All of these women were the best in their fields – top of their class – top of their game. They either applied or were randomly recruited because they were loyal Americans and sharp as whips. These women may have wanted to be operational agents or contribute in other meaningful ways, but when the CIA was in its infancy the women were not judged on equal footing with their male counterparts (everyone had to take a test: a pink-covered test for the women, a blue-covered test for the men. Why would the differentiation of exams be necessary if everyone was taking the same test?), it was off to the secretarial pool or clerk filing duties for these gals. It was “common” knowledge that this was what appealed to “girls” – it was what they were suited for – weren’t they the “weaker sex”? The utter audacity!
For the most part, they were shunted aside, dismissed, and/or degraded. The culture of the “good old boys’ network” was alive and kicking from the inception of the Agency until just after 9/11.
Mundy shared a lot of meaningful anecdotes and conversations related by a group of women that are the book’s focus. Some of the information is quite eye-opening. And some information is downright incredulous.
There will be a come-uppance. But I’ll encourage you to read THE SISTERHOOD for yourself so that you can fully savor the moment(s). THE SISTERHOOD is an eye-opening read that everyone will enjoy not only for the information shared but for the ease of reading and pacing. If you have a teen daughter, you might want to read this together.
Someone wanted to know why I was reading this book if it made me angry? It’s not the book that set my teeth on edge and had me seething. The book is definitely fantastic. It was the stories of familiarity, of shared disrespect and dismissal that reminded me of past work experiences that set my hair on fire.
November 27, 2023
Mundy does an excellent job covering the overall history of the CIA organization and in detail laying out the history via the various roles women CIA employees executed from the Cold War era to the Trump administration. The intelligence gathering by the women in the agency during the 1990s about Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda was covered in great detail--carried through until the end of bin Laden's life and burial.
Being a woman and working in the intelligence community would be no easy feat. Mundy shows the reader just how difficult it was to perform the job duties while withstanding gender bias and stereotyping. In a time where women were seen as being unable to successfully continue a career if they started a family, some women opted for the career over career/family; some chose to manage both a career and raising a family. I appreciated "meeting" some of these extraordinary and talented women via Mundy's words.
Being a woman and working in the intelligence community would be no easy feat. Mundy shows the reader just how difficult it was to perform the job duties while withstanding gender bias and stereotyping. In a time where women were seen as being unable to successfully continue a career if they started a family, some women opted for the career over career/family; some chose to manage both a career and raising a family. I appreciated "meeting" some of these extraordinary and talented women via Mundy's words.
January 19, 2024
If you've ever wondered just what lady spies and CIA agents do, this informative, clear-eyed nonfiction is a solid place to start. I learned a lot. The author uses a lot of quotes from the female subjects who paint the picture. Of course, the good-old-boy office politics play an unfortunate role in limiting their careers. After 9/11, the situation changed, and women analysts led the way into the counterintelligence probes conducted nowadays against terrorists and other bad actors. All of us benefit from it, too.
October 18, 2023
Not only is The Sisterhood a detailed accounting of the history of how women have historically been instrumental in the formation and continued success of the CIA, it is also a helpful history on the CIA itself. As a reader with only a cursory knowledge of the CIA, I gained a solid understanding of why the CIA was formed (to address security concerns during WWII), and how the agency's priorities shifted from WWII to the Cold War to, in recent years, the War on Terror.
This book tackles a lot in its 480 pages, as it traverses the lives of its essential characters, multiple time periods, and the different departments of the CIA. All this leads to a highly comprehensive read that is, at times, hard to comprehend just because it's so much. Besides certain examples of the misogyny within the agency, I feel like I learned more about the CIA as an institution than the experiences of the women in it. I wish there had been more details about the actual sisterhood component of the title, with a stronger focus on the interactions between women within the organization. Perhaps the book would have also benefited from a different organizational structure. There are a few key characters that appeared throughout the book but I often found myself forgetting who did what and was in what role. Maybe if each chapter alternated to follow a specific woman and the book was divided into large timeline chunks, it would be easier to keep track of all the timelines and characters.
Overall though, the book was still incredibly informative. I appreciated the neutral stance it took on the CIA as an institution, which I was worried about because it is indeed a very ethically complex agency. I especially appreciated its critiques of the Islamophobia that followed 9/11, and the last chapters which opened up the question of what the CIA's focus might and should turn to in these coming years, critiquing specifically the right wing extremism that is now a big source of the country's instability.
This book tackles a lot in its 480 pages, as it traverses the lives of its essential characters, multiple time periods, and the different departments of the CIA. All this leads to a highly comprehensive read that is, at times, hard to comprehend just because it's so much. Besides certain examples of the misogyny within the agency, I feel like I learned more about the CIA as an institution than the experiences of the women in it. I wish there had been more details about the actual sisterhood component of the title, with a stronger focus on the interactions between women within the organization. Perhaps the book would have also benefited from a different organizational structure. There are a few key characters that appeared throughout the book but I often found myself forgetting who did what and was in what role. Maybe if each chapter alternated to follow a specific woman and the book was divided into large timeline chunks, it would be easier to keep track of all the timelines and characters.
Overall though, the book was still incredibly informative. I appreciated the neutral stance it took on the CIA as an institution, which I was worried about because it is indeed a very ethically complex agency. I especially appreciated its critiques of the Islamophobia that followed 9/11, and the last chapters which opened up the question of what the CIA's focus might and should turn to in these coming years, critiquing specifically the right wing extremism that is now a big source of the country's instability.
October 29, 2023
I loved Code Girls, so I was excited when this book came out. I’m glad someone is gathering interviews and primary sources from these remarkable women, but I think it is just too soon to look back on this history with the type of definitive lens that was applied. The book felt didactic and forced. I think to truly understand the role the women played, the men cannot all be written off or left unstudied. I am a huge fan of women’s studies, but it only works when men and women’s gifts are seen as complimentary rather than divisive.
All that said, I found the content on the War on Terror deeply depressing. That is not Mundy’s fault- war is just full of unthinkable pain. It was a hard book to get through for me.
All that said, I found the content on the War on Terror deeply depressing. That is not Mundy’s fault- war is just full of unthinkable pain. It was a hard book to get through for me.
November 12, 2023
Sooooo good. So much to think about, so much I didn’t know. So cool. And yes my writer brain has kicked in…
Bottom line—it’s not that women are better than men, but we bring something to the table that’s missing if we aren’t there. And these women were badasses. I’m enthralled.
Bottom line—it’s not that women are better than men, but we bring something to the table that’s missing if we aren’t there. And these women were badasses. I’m enthralled.
January 7, 2024
Powerful and meticulously researched history of both the CIA and the roles women have played within it from its establishment to the search post-9/11 years and the search for bin Ladin. From the "sneaker ladies" to Alec Station to targeters and clandestine officers, the roles have changed and expanded as in society in general, albeit at a much slower pace. Fascinating in its depth of detail, while bringing to life many of the characters, both female and male, the book opened my eyes about many things. Yet the book is a fair recounting of events, both positive and otherwise and allows the reader to come to their own conclusions.
May 24, 2024
A bit confusing to keep track of all the different people, but a really cool overall story of women’s influence and challenges in the CIA! More focus on recent history than I expected, but makes sense given that she interviewed a lot of people to hear their stories.
November 30, 2023
3 Stars for The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA (audiobook) by Liza Mundy read by the author.
October 6, 2023
It's hard being a spy. It's especially hard when you are a woman spy who is not allowed to get married, have children, or basically do anything someone finds offensive to their tastes. If you don't believe me, just take a gander at Liza Mundy's meticulously researched The Sisterhood and she can tell you all about it!
The book is broken up into three sections but really it has two sections in my opinion. The first section is about the creation of what would become the CIA during World War II and then covering the Cold War and the run up to September 11th. Mundy focuses on many different women and their day to day issues trying to navigate a very sexist CIA. I feel Mundy had a very clear vision of how to impart on the reader just how many challenges women faced just to get and hold a job, let alone actually get promoted.
The second part, which is basically September 11th to today, felt much more uneven. It seems to me that the WWII/Cold War section focused on the women of the CIA with world events in the background. The section on the War on Terror felt like the women took a backseat to the issues of the day. For example, the Iraq War gets laser focus in the narrative and members of the Sisterhood are mentioned almost as an afterthought in discussions about failed national policy and torture. Mundy did such a great job in the first part of the book that I couldn't help but feel the messiness of the past 20 years bogged down the pace and took attention away from the Sisterhood.
That said, I still enjoyed this immensely and would recommend it to anyone interested in the subject or if you loved Mundy's acclaimed previous book, Code Girls.
(This book was provided as an advance read copy by Netgalley and Crown Publishing.)
The book is broken up into three sections but really it has two sections in my opinion. The first section is about the creation of what would become the CIA during World War II and then covering the Cold War and the run up to September 11th. Mundy focuses on many different women and their day to day issues trying to navigate a very sexist CIA. I feel Mundy had a very clear vision of how to impart on the reader just how many challenges women faced just to get and hold a job, let alone actually get promoted.
The second part, which is basically September 11th to today, felt much more uneven. It seems to me that the WWII/Cold War section focused on the women of the CIA with world events in the background. The section on the War on Terror felt like the women took a backseat to the issues of the day. For example, the Iraq War gets laser focus in the narrative and members of the Sisterhood are mentioned almost as an afterthought in discussions about failed national policy and torture. Mundy did such a great job in the first part of the book that I couldn't help but feel the messiness of the past 20 years bogged down the pace and took attention away from the Sisterhood.
That said, I still enjoyed this immensely and would recommend it to anyone interested in the subject or if you loved Mundy's acclaimed previous book, Code Girls.
(This book was provided as an advance read copy by Netgalley and Crown Publishing.)
October 21, 2023
I read the advanced reader copy and it definitely needs one more editing before final print. Interesting. I know this wasn't the book's focus, but it was nice to see that it doesn't *fully* gloss over the horrible things the CIA has done. The women were interesting.
March 16, 2024
The Central Intelligence Agency, the United States government agency responsible for covert operations, including spying and gathering intel, was created after World War Two. Even now, we imagine CIA operatives to be white men in suits, holding clandestine meetings and dead drops. But, as Liza Mundy dictates in her novel, “The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA”, females played an important role in the CIA since its inception, although often, their roles were more behind-the-scenes and strategic.
Mundy pulls no punches. The CIA was, and still is, an “old boys club” where the females were segregated, given the jobs the men didn’t want, and denied promotions and raises due to their gender. During placement interviews, women were asked about their marital status, and assumptions were made that they would leave the agency to have children sooner rather than later, making them more of a risk than an asset. People of colour and those of the LGBTQ community, of course, were also stereotyped and denied important roles but, as Mundy so eloquently puts it- “The only thing worse than being a womanish man was being an actual woman”.
The book has three sections; first, Mundy explores some pretty kick-ass females that rose in the CIA despite the stereotypes and boundaries the men in charge had in place to keep them down. I loved learning about these dynamic, powerful women and their immense success. The second and third sections primarily focused on the CIA’s quest, post 9/11, to find and kill Osama Bin Laden. Mundy talks about the intelligence roles that women played in the discovery, and how the politics and petty arguments between government agencies created a lot of roadblocks.
“Sisterhood” focuses a lot on the inner workings on the CIA, some of the work that we know they do and some that is kept secret (for many reasons). It is not shocking to hear about the treatment of women, as a lot of it still continues in many workplaces today, but Mundy made sure to include (and praise) some of the men from the agency who supported women and wanted them in the valuable CIA roles. Above all, Mundy cements the point home that women working together, and forming a “sisterhood”, are unstoppable.
“Sisterhood” is compelling and thought-provoking, and I thoroughly enjoyed the behind-the-scenes look into the CIA, and the Osama Bin Laden manhunt. Mundy is the author of, “Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers Who Helped Win World War II” which has been on my TBR list for awhile although I will definitely be getting to it sooner rather than later now. Fans of historical non-fiction with a feminist twist will devour “Sisterhood”, and I highly recommend it!
Mundy pulls no punches. The CIA was, and still is, an “old boys club” where the females were segregated, given the jobs the men didn’t want, and denied promotions and raises due to their gender. During placement interviews, women were asked about their marital status, and assumptions were made that they would leave the agency to have children sooner rather than later, making them more of a risk than an asset. People of colour and those of the LGBTQ community, of course, were also stereotyped and denied important roles but, as Mundy so eloquently puts it- “The only thing worse than being a womanish man was being an actual woman”.
The book has three sections; first, Mundy explores some pretty kick-ass females that rose in the CIA despite the stereotypes and boundaries the men in charge had in place to keep them down. I loved learning about these dynamic, powerful women and their immense success. The second and third sections primarily focused on the CIA’s quest, post 9/11, to find and kill Osama Bin Laden. Mundy talks about the intelligence roles that women played in the discovery, and how the politics and petty arguments between government agencies created a lot of roadblocks.
“Sisterhood” focuses a lot on the inner workings on the CIA, some of the work that we know they do and some that is kept secret (for many reasons). It is not shocking to hear about the treatment of women, as a lot of it still continues in many workplaces today, but Mundy made sure to include (and praise) some of the men from the agency who supported women and wanted them in the valuable CIA roles. Above all, Mundy cements the point home that women working together, and forming a “sisterhood”, are unstoppable.
“Sisterhood” is compelling and thought-provoking, and I thoroughly enjoyed the behind-the-scenes look into the CIA, and the Osama Bin Laden manhunt. Mundy is the author of, “Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers Who Helped Win World War II” which has been on my TBR list for awhile although I will definitely be getting to it sooner rather than later now. Fans of historical non-fiction with a feminist twist will devour “Sisterhood”, and I highly recommend it!
March 25, 2024
So detailed a picture of the CIA from inception. The stories of the women who were responsible for many of its successes including capturing Osama bin Laden. I only wish she had included a little more about Virginia Hall who built the French Resistance during WWII and then was side lined to a desk at CIA. She was more effective than any if the men.
March 22, 2024
Thought much more could have been done with this book. The author who voiced the audiobook was monotoned and it felt like I was just listening to resumes of various amazing women not being recognized by men.
January 20, 2024
I’m torn on how to rate this book. The audio is read by the author and I really wish she had had someone else read it (I listened on 1.75x and the pauses before she said some names were so long I can only imagine what it sounded like in real time - I guess props for trying to get pronunciation correct??)
Content wise, I found it really interesting. But I think I’m just interested in the CIA and their cases and these massive events that I may or may not know about (like the 1984 hijacking of Egyptair). I would love to just read a history of the CIA or of these different instances but maybe from a woman who was actually there.
I had to let a lot of the names of women wash over me because there were simply far too many. Also it was just wild to me, as someone who was born in the early 90s, how incredibly sexist and misogynistic the federal government was well into the 2000s.
I wish the book had been shorter with a little more emphasis on pre 9/11 women. Also the CIA’s incredibly sketchy history and actions are mentioned but I felt like they were glossed over.
Content wise, I found it really interesting. But I think I’m just interested in the CIA and their cases and these massive events that I may or may not know about (like the 1984 hijacking of Egyptair). I would love to just read a history of the CIA or of these different instances but maybe from a woman who was actually there.
I had to let a lot of the names of women wash over me because there were simply far too many. Also it was just wild to me, as someone who was born in the early 90s, how incredibly sexist and misogynistic the federal government was well into the 2000s.
I wish the book had been shorter with a little more emphasis on pre 9/11 women. Also the CIA’s incredibly sketchy history and actions are mentioned but I felt like they were glossed over.
January 26, 2024
Wham. Bam. Thank you, ma'am.
Women rock, as do the men that support them. This was an incredible read.
Women rock, as do the men that support them. This was an incredible read.
August 28, 2024
Fascinating so far, but a little denser than what my brain has the space for right now. Will come back to it later 👍🏻
February 1, 2024
Absolutely fascinating!!! I couldn’t stop listening to this audiobook but also didn’t want it to end. If you like politics/current events I highly recommend! The author reads the audio book and it’s done very well.
January 29, 2024
What a challenging read but such a fascinating read! She traces the projectory of numerous women's careers and tells of their many interactions with men. The men of the CIA during the years of the Cold War were very condescending to the women. The women were often skipped over for promotions and well deserved assignments. Over the years the men slowly began to see all that the women were able to bring to an investigation. It covers from the Cold War to post September 11. I learned alot and know that I could never be an agent for the CIA.
November 30, 2023
I’m never surprised to learn how systematically excluded women have been from. . .pretty much everything. Here is yet another well-researched exploration of the extent of that inclusion and of the consequences.
It was at times a bit difficult to track the primary characters across timelines and assignments and yes, a heavier editorial hand could have condensed this book some, but the second section on women analysts’ roles in putting together the intelligence on the formation of the network that is Al-Qaeda is worth the read alone.
It was at times a bit difficult to track the primary characters across timelines and assignments and yes, a heavier editorial hand could have condensed this book some, but the second section on women analysts’ roles in putting together the intelligence on the formation of the network that is Al-Qaeda is worth the read alone.
February 20, 2024
Apart from the fact that women were sidelined for so long at the CIA, this book was unsettling in another way… the grit required to survive life as an analyst or operative was inspiring. It’s interesting that some of these women, so involved with the intense bin Laden years, are more concerned about what will happen if Trump gets another term.
I lived through the early days (70’s) when women didn’t have basic rights, like having a credit card in my own name, but what these women endured, even in fairly recent years, is unconscionable. It’s time that we thank them for their service.
I lived through the early days (70’s) when women didn’t have basic rights, like having a credit card in my own name, but what these women endured, even in fairly recent years, is unconscionable. It’s time that we thank them for their service.
January 7, 2024
An entertaining, readable history of the story of women in the CIA. Despite all the prejudice, career manipulation, old boys networking, inequality of pay, hostility, and refusal of operative training, women have entered, thrived and triumphed in an organization that teemed with back-room dealing and macho posturing. The book also examines what traits women bring to this world that makes them unique and valuable. A must-read for either sex. - BH.
March 5, 2024
Wasn’t as interesting a reading as I had anticipated. Hard to read much at a time.
April 22, 2024
Talk about an old boys' network! This book is a stunning and awe-inspiring salute to the very few women who have worked at the CIA, a cadre of male domination if there ever was one, and changed forever how one of the nation's most secret agencies operates.
Written by Liza Mundy, this prodigiously researched book reads in part like a seven-decade history of the Central Intelligence Agency and in part like a fiction thriller. From executing dead drops on busy Moscow streets to creating elaborate covers to protect their true identities in hostile African countries to cultivating foreign assets in the Middle East to convince them to spill their country's top secrets, much of the text is an unputdownable action page-turner—and it's all true!
But it's also extraordinarily frustrating. So much intelligence was uncovered by the women—the Sisterhood—about 9/11 in the years before these terrorist attacks on U.S. soil but getting the men above them to pay attention was difficult at best and impossible at worst. One wonders what would have happened if these smart, creative, and forward-thinking women were taken more seriously.
Mundy tells their story not only in facts and figures, but also by showcasing in depth the personal stories of these women, from their aspirations to their accomplishments. It is this element that gives the book its humanity and makes it so readable and fascinating.
Find out:
• How some of the CIA's greatest failures, including the 1957 Sputnik launch by the Soviets and the 9/11 attacks, were not intelligence failures, but rather the failure of a male-dominated bureaucracy to listen to what "a bunch of chicks" were trying to tell them.
• How female CIA agents in the field successfully used their perceived insignificance as women—and not their sexuality—in their covert work. It never occurred to some targeted assets that a woman (a lowly woman!) would be trying to exhort secrets from them.
• Why the wives of male agents were expected to do undercover work with no pay. Failure to do so and do it well could cost their husband's career.
• How the CIA is organized, including the brick wall of intense competition that lays between the operations people who are in the field and the analysts who are in the office and provide them with critical information. It's the doers vs. the thinkers. This decades-old interagency rivalry created real problems and blockades and was one reason why 9/11 warnings were not heeded.
• Why after 9/11 many female CIA employees who had been marginalized to that point now found themselves in lead positions.
• How it was that the few women working for CIA were the ones over the decades who had driven some of the most successful hunts for terrorists, traitors, and drug lords, including Enemy No. 1: Osama bin Laden.
What impresses me the most about this book is that Liza Mundy is always in control of what could have been unwieldy amount of information. We readers are taken on a guided tour and we never get lost, thanks to Mundy's careful direction.
Oh, and the last paragraph is perfect. Just perfect.
This is an extraordinary, eye-opening history book that is also a captivating read. Highly recommended.
Written by Liza Mundy, this prodigiously researched book reads in part like a seven-decade history of the Central Intelligence Agency and in part like a fiction thriller. From executing dead drops on busy Moscow streets to creating elaborate covers to protect their true identities in hostile African countries to cultivating foreign assets in the Middle East to convince them to spill their country's top secrets, much of the text is an unputdownable action page-turner—and it's all true!
But it's also extraordinarily frustrating. So much intelligence was uncovered by the women—the Sisterhood—about 9/11 in the years before these terrorist attacks on U.S. soil but getting the men above them to pay attention was difficult at best and impossible at worst. One wonders what would have happened if these smart, creative, and forward-thinking women were taken more seriously.
Mundy tells their story not only in facts and figures, but also by showcasing in depth the personal stories of these women, from their aspirations to their accomplishments. It is this element that gives the book its humanity and makes it so readable and fascinating.
Find out:
• How some of the CIA's greatest failures, including the 1957 Sputnik launch by the Soviets and the 9/11 attacks, were not intelligence failures, but rather the failure of a male-dominated bureaucracy to listen to what "a bunch of chicks" were trying to tell them.
• How female CIA agents in the field successfully used their perceived insignificance as women—and not their sexuality—in their covert work. It never occurred to some targeted assets that a woman (a lowly woman!) would be trying to exhort secrets from them.
• Why the wives of male agents were expected to do undercover work with no pay. Failure to do so and do it well could cost their husband's career.
• How the CIA is organized, including the brick wall of intense competition that lays between the operations people who are in the field and the analysts who are in the office and provide them with critical information. It's the doers vs. the thinkers. This decades-old interagency rivalry created real problems and blockades and was one reason why 9/11 warnings were not heeded.
• Why after 9/11 many female CIA employees who had been marginalized to that point now found themselves in lead positions.
• How it was that the few women working for CIA were the ones over the decades who had driven some of the most successful hunts for terrorists, traitors, and drug lords, including Enemy No. 1: Osama bin Laden.
What impresses me the most about this book is that Liza Mundy is always in control of what could have been unwieldy amount of information. We readers are taken on a guided tour and we never get lost, thanks to Mundy's careful direction.
Oh, and the last paragraph is perfect. Just perfect.
This is an extraordinary, eye-opening history book that is also a captivating read. Highly recommended.
April 30, 2024
4.5 ⭐️If I was more of a history buff this would probably be five stars for me, because it was an incredibly well written and researched book that illuminated the untold story of the many women who against the odds made immeasurable impact on the development of US international intelligence.
The first half of this book is the story behind the genesis of the CIA and the role women played in it, while the bulk of the back half is focused on women’s role (and lack of support) in illuminating the global threat al-Qaeda posed to Americans.
There are profiles of countless women, both named and anonymous, throughout that together reveal a portrait of persistence despite widely unchecked gender discrimination that is, unfortunately, not uncommon for many careers in the past and present. As someone who always found allure in the idea of being a spy, it was both interesting and inspiring to finally learn about rhe real women who shaped history through their undercover intelligence work. There were emotional moments and at times the misogyny was hard to read about, but overall, I’m happy to have spent the time with this book. Have said it once, will say it again - women are amazing and magical.
The first half of this book is the story behind the genesis of the CIA and the role women played in it, while the bulk of the back half is focused on women’s role (and lack of support) in illuminating the global threat al-Qaeda posed to Americans.
There are profiles of countless women, both named and anonymous, throughout that together reveal a portrait of persistence despite widely unchecked gender discrimination that is, unfortunately, not uncommon for many careers in the past and present. As someone who always found allure in the idea of being a spy, it was both interesting and inspiring to finally learn about rhe real women who shaped history through their undercover intelligence work. There were emotional moments and at times the misogyny was hard to read about, but overall, I’m happy to have spent the time with this book. Have said it once, will say it again - women are amazing and magical.
April 30, 2024
Whoa! This is a lot! A crazy book to read at bedtime. My emotions were all over the place.
It's worth the read. So much information! I love that the author did the narration, as you could tell her heart was in the read.
It's so late at night that I can't think of what to say that will help others to want to check out this book. It is so worth the read. I'm just warning you. If anger, excitement, sadness, hopelessness, regret, hope, and other huge emotions keep you awake, you might want to read this earlier in the day. I had too many 3 AM bedtimes that didn't turn into actual sleep. Emotions about women, historical events, and all the wins and losses we've all lived through, but receiving only partial information played through my head, wondering what I would have done. What could I have done? How about the personal situations I've been through like some of these women; what needed to be done?
So read it for yourself and learn what you can. I was lucky to get to read (listen to) it on Libby.
It's worth the read. So much information! I love that the author did the narration, as you could tell her heart was in the read.
It's so late at night that I can't think of what to say that will help others to want to check out this book. It is so worth the read. I'm just warning you. If anger, excitement, sadness, hopelessness, regret, hope, and other huge emotions keep you awake, you might want to read this earlier in the day. I had too many 3 AM bedtimes that didn't turn into actual sleep. Emotions about women, historical events, and all the wins and losses we've all lived through, but receiving only partial information played through my head, wondering what I would have done. What could I have done? How about the personal situations I've been through like some of these women; what needed to be done?
So read it for yourself and learn what you can. I was lucky to get to read (listen to) it on Libby.
July 9, 2024
I listened to the audiobook. I found this to be a very interesting and informative book about the trailblazing and heroic women of the CIA. It was always a man’s world but this book spoke of how women slowly but surely inserted themselves with their expertise and changed the rules. They formed a sisterhood and what they did for the agency was priceless. I liked hearing how women overcame what men thought of them.
This is a good read. 4 stars
This is a good read. 4 stars
April 27, 2024
Absolutely brilliant! Highly recommend!
April 3, 2024
It is practically axiomatic that throughout most of history women's accomplishments, discoveries, and contributions have been ignored, suppressed, and/or appropriated. Why should their intelligence activities be any different? Mundy's review of the accomplishments of women intelligence analysts and operatives clearly demonstrates that there was indeed no difference in this field than others when it comes to acknowledging women. However, in my opinion, she puts too much weight on some of their accomplishments and activities., while shorting men. In addition, I did not care for her writing style. I found it clumsy and in some cases, grammatically wrong. Also, I seriously don't like the trend of authors putting footnotes at the back without numbering the text. It is frustrating to have to jump back and forth in a book. This also breaks the flow of the text and makes for a less-than-enjoyable reading experience.
February 26, 2024
4.5. This was pretty wild and inspiring.
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