A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II [B1295]

2019 HCDJ. Chosen as a BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR by NPR, the New York Public Library, the Seattle Times. Winner of the Plutarch Award for Best Biography. "A compelling biography of a masterful spy, and a reminder of what can be done with a few brave people -- and a little resistance." - NPR. "A meticulous history that reads like a thriller."-Ben Macintyre.

A never-before-told story of Virginia Hall, the American spy who changed the course of World War II, from the author of Clementine. In 1942, the Gestapo sent out an urgent transmission: "She is the most dangerous of all Allied spies. We must find and destroy her." The target in their sights was Virginia Hall, a Baltimore socialite who talked her way into Special Operations Executive, the spy organization dubbed Winston Churchill's "Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare." She became the first Allied woman deployed behind enemy lines and--despite her prosthetic leg--helped to light the flame of the French Resistance, revolutionizing secret warfare as we know it. Even as her face covered wanted posters and a bounty was placed on her head, Virginia refused order after order to evacuate. She finally escaped through a death-defying hike over the Pyrenees into Spain, her cover blown. But she plunged back in, adamant that she had more lives to save, and led a victorious guerilla campaign, liberating swathes of France from the Nazis after D-Day. Based on new and extensive research, Sonia Purnell has for the first time uncovered the full secret life of Virginia Hall--an astounding and inspiring story of heroism, spycraft, resistance, and personal triumph over shocking adversity. A Woman of No Importance is the breathtaking story of how one woman's fierce persistence helped win the war.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "A remarkable story of a remarkable woman. I'm so glad these little known stories of those who fight against evil are available for us."; "This woman is amazing on two fronts: as a capable woman in a man's world and as a person who refused to succumb to a physical disability. An outstanding book about an outstanding woman! The story is fascinating."