A Woman of no Importance : : the Untold Story of the American spy who Helped win World War II

Locations
Call Number: 921 Goillot, Virginia, Adult Book / Nonfiction / History / World War II / Purnell, Sonia, Adult Book / Nonfiction / History / World War II / Purnell, Sonia
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Pittsfield Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	921 Goillot, Virginia	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	921 Goillot, Virginia	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	921 Goillot, Virginia	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Nonfiction / History / World War II / Purnell, Sonia	4-week checkout	On Hold Shelf
Pittsfield Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Nonfiction / History / World War II / Purnell, Sonia	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Nonfiction / History / World War II / Purnell, Sonia	4-week checkout	Due 05-08-2024

The dream -- Cometh the hour -- My tart friends -- Good-bye to Dindy -- Minutes, twelve men -- Honeycomb of spies -- Cruel mountain -- Agent most wanted -- Scores to settle -- Madonna of the mountains -- From the skies above -- The CIA years.
"The never-before-told story of one woman's heroism that changed the course of the Second World War In 1942, the Gestapo sent out an urgent transmission: "She is the most dangerous of all Allied spies. We must find and destroy her." This spy was Virginia Hall, a young American woman--rejected from the foreign service because of her gender and her prosthetic leg--who talked her way into the spy organization dubbed Churchill's "ministry of ungentlemanly warfare," and, before the United States had even entered the war, became the first woman to deploy to occupied France. Virginia Hall was one of the greatest spies in American history, yet her story remains untold. Just as she did in Clementine, Sonia Purnell uncovers the captivating story of a powerful, influential, yet shockingly overlooked heroine of the Second World War. At a time when sending female secret agents into enemy territory was still strictly forbidden, Virginia Hall came to be known as the "Madonna of the Resistance," coordinating a network of spies to blow up bridges, report on German troop movements, arrange equipment drops for Resistance agents, and recruit and train guerilla fighters. Even as her face covered WANTED posters throughout Europe, Virginia refused order after order to evacuate. She finally escaped with her life in a grueling hike over the Pyrenees into Spain, her cover blown, and her associates all imprisoned or executed. But, adamant that she had "more lives to save," she dove back in as soon as she could, organizing forces to sabotage enemy lines and back up Allied forces landing on Normandy beaches. Told with Purnell's signature insight and novelistic panache, A Woman of No Importance is the breathtaking story of how one woman's fierce persistence helped win the war"-- Provided by publisher.

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Impactful submitted by hart on June 13, 2020, 4:50pm Part of history I never knew! I learned a lot and have a greater appreciation for what people went through for the sake of freedom.

Powerful submitted by JennJenn on August 4, 2020, 10:50pm Interesting to learn more about the spies especially the women involved.

Excellent - fascinating submitted by smgop on August 5, 2020, 8:34pm This story of Virginia Hall is excellent! It is amazing to learn what she was able to accomplish as a spy, given that she was a woman and an amputee in that time period. Inspirational!

A real life hero submitted by heapah on August 29, 2021, 9:38pm A fascinating story about a brilliant and heroic woman stirring resistance in occupied WW2 Vichy France. And a woman you don't hear anything about, which makes the title poignant and ironic.

The world needs to know about Virginia Hall! submitted by bookher on June 26, 2022, 2:25pm This woman is THE true hero of WWII. What an amazing woman and what she did to fight the nazis is remarkable.

amazing exploits! submitted by camelsamba on August 11, 2022, 11:45pm This book is not really scintillating prose, but the exploits that this woman did were amazing - especially considering her prosthetic leg. I also learned more about her life on the "Spy Sisters" podcast; if you want an introduction to her life, track that down.