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The Sisterhood
The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA | Liza Mundy
4 posts | 2 read | 5 to read
The acclaimed author of Code Girls returns with a revelatory history of three generations at the CIAthe women who fought to become operatives, transformed spy craft, and tracked down Osama Bin Laden. This masterful book cements Liza Mundy as one of our foremost historians.Kate Moore, bestselling author of The Radium Girls Created in the aftermath of World War Two, the Central Intelligence Agency relied on women even as it attempted to channel their talents and keep them down. Women sent cables, made dead drops, and maintained the agencys secrets. Despite discriminationeven because of itwomen who started as clerks, secretaries, or unpaid spouses rose to become some of the CIAs shrewdest operatives. They were unlikely spiesand thats exactly what made them perfect for the role. Because women were seen as unimportant, pioneering female intelligence officers moved unnoticed around Bonn, Geneva, and Moscow, stealing secrets from under the noses of their KGB adversaries. Back at headquarters, women built the CIAs critical archivesfirst by hand, then by computer. And they noticed things that the men at the top didnt see. As the CIA faced an identity crisis after the Cold War, it was a close-knit network of female analysts who spotted the rising threat of Al Qaedathough their warnings were repeatedly brushed aside. After the 9/11 attacks, more women joined the Agency as a new job, targeter, came to prominence. They showed that data analysis would be crucial to the post-9/11 national security landscapean effort that culminated spectacularly in the CIAs successful efforts to track down Bin Laden in his Pakistani compound. Propelled by the same meticulous reporting and vivid storytelling that infused Code Girls, The Sisterhood offers a riveting new perspective on history, revealing how women at the CIA ushered in the modern intelligence age, and how their silencing made the world more dangerous.
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jlhammar
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Really good. Infuriating and revelatory.

69 likes3 stack adds
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LMJenkins
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My Christmas Book Haul! Lucky me! 💛🎄📚💯

Ruthiella Nice! 👍 11mo
22 likes1 comment
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Amie
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This was interesting, although I finished listening to it on the way to and from my parents' for Christmas - which meant I listened to the parts about 9/11 and the years following - which was not the right mood for Christmas.

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jlhammar
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Browsing the new BookPage this morning. I‘ll definitely be reading the new Whitehead. I think I might wait for audio though (I‘m in my library queue). Tagged nonfiction, out in October, caught my eye. Also excited for the new Ayana Mathis, The Unsettled, and Viet Thanh Nguyen‘s memoir, A Man of Two Faces. And, of course, the new titles from Lauren Groff and Zadie Smith. Lots to look forward to!

squirrelbrain The tagged book does sound good. I have both the Groff and Smith as #netgalley ARCs. Will get to both soon; just reading the new Ann Patchett first. 1y
JamieArc A group of us read Harlem Shuffle for LMPBC and I liked it much more than I thought I would. I feel like I have too many other books I want to read right now, but will definitely read this follow up. 1y
jlhammar @squirrelbrain Very excited for Tom Lake - can't wait to hear what you think! 1y
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jlhammar @JamieArc I didn't love Harlem Shuffle, but I liked it enough to continue with this trilogy. I'm a big Whitehead fan so I'll read whatever he writes. 1y
BookwormM I am just starting Crook Manifesto 1y
JamieArc Right after I wrote that I went to the grocery store and discovered he was on Fresh Air with Terry Gross, giving an interesting interview. After that, SA Cosby was interviewed, which I liked even more. 1y
jlhammar @JamieArc Definitely going to give that a listen - thank you! 1y
66 likes7 comments