#FridayReads: The Sisterhood by Liza Mundy

By Rachel Tran | November 10 2023 | News FridayReads

Click to Read an Excerpt on First Look.

The acclaimed author of Code Girls returns with a “rip-roaring” (Steve Coll), “staggeringly well-researched” (The New York Times) history of three generations at the CIA, “electric with revelations” (Booklist) about the women who fought to become operatives, transformed spycraft, and tracked down Osama bin Laden.

Created in the aftermath of World War II, 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 agency’s secrets. Despite discrimination—even because of it—women who started as clerks, secretaries, or unpaid spouses rose to become some of the CIA’s shrewdest operatives.

They were unlikely spies—and that’s 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 CIA’s critical archives—first by hand, then by computer. And they noticed things that the men at the top didn’t 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-Qaeda—though 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 landscape—an effort that culminated spectacularly in the CIA’s successful effort 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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The Sisterhood

The Secret History of Women at the CIA

Liza Mundy

The acclaimed author of Code Girls returns with a revelatory history of three generations at the CIA—the women who fought to become operatives, transformed spy craft, and tracked down Osama Bin Laden.

Nonfiction > History > U.S. History > 20th Century U.S. History

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Dear Librarians: A Letter from Simone Soltani, Author of <em>Cross the Line</em>

Dear Librarians: A Letter from Simone Soltani, Author of Cross the Line

April 30 2024 | News From the Author

I’m a little teary-eyed as I write this, because libraries have played a huge role in my life. I wouldn’t be the person—or the writer—I am today without them. My debut novel, CROSS THE LINE, wouldn’t exist if I hadn’t been exposed to books of all genres, had a safe space to explore my creativity in, and experienced the kindness of librarians.

Dear Librarians: A Letter from Simone Soltani, Author of Cross the Line

News From the Author

April 30 2024

What Will You Read for July 2024?

April 30 2024 | News Staff Picks

Request eGalleys of some of our favorite July titles, and if you love the books, please consider nominating them for LibraryReads! Remember, voting for the July list ends on 6/1.

What Will You Read for July 2024?

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April 30 2024

#FridayReads: The Sisterhood by Liza Mundy

By Rachel Tran | November 10 2023 | News FridayReads

ABOUT LIBRARY MARKETING

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#FridayReads: The Sisterhood by Liza Mundy

By Rachel Tran | November 10 2023 | NewsFridayReads

Dear Librarians: A Letter from Simone Soltani, Author of Cross the Line

What Will You Read for July 2024?

ABOUT LIBRARY MARKETING

PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE PARTNERS

PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE

CUSTOMER SERVICE

By Rachel Tran | November 10 2023 | News FridayReads