: Sisterhood of Spies: The Women of the OSS

Rating:
Summary: Less Would Be More
Review: ...and it is well done, by one of the "Sisterhood." Very engrossing, and goes to show how valuable their contributions were during wartime. They didn't just type and file papers--they were in the thick of it as well as the men. It's about time that their role was given the recognition it deserves!

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Summary: Girl Spies: More than typing and making coffee
Review: Elizabeth McIntosh's book is riveting and incredibly spellbinding. The role women played in the OSS and other spy organizations often times goes unknown and unhearlded. McIntosh, who served in the OSS, carefully and completely chronicles the role of women in this dangerous and life-threatening profession. As I set out to write a fictional screenplay about women spies in WWII, this book serves as a good source of giving me the spirit and flavour of what it was like in the 1940's. My days in Military Intelligence, albeit in the U.S. Army Reserves in the 1970's, was interesting and at times exciting, but nothing like the real cloak and dagger portrait so eloquently painted by Mrs. McIntosh. I have been attempting to contact her to set up an interview, but have been unable to find out where she resides in the Leesburg, VA area. I strongly recommend this wonderful book. It will keep you engaged from the first page to its last. 5 STARS do not give this book the recognition it deserves. Buy it. Read it!

Rating:
Summary: These sisters break the glass ceiling in WWII intrigue
Review: For readers who enjoy history (particularly WWII), McIntosh's "Sisterhood of Spies" is a worthwhile experience. The book looks at women in all areas of OSS during WWII in all parts of the globe. McIntosh's writing style is a bit bothersome at times (too much "gung-ho" spirit for me; that's why I only give it three stars) but she knows her stuff and the profiles of these women and their work during the war more than make up for it. I liked the stories of daring (particularly "the lady with the limp" or the episode to steal the naval codes or the woman captured by the Germans). I learned a great deal about hte different aspects of OSS - the R&A, black propaganda (forging postcards to demoralize the families of Japanese soldiers fighting in Burma). McIntosh does a good job of creating a sense of the lifestyle - the pressures, the challenges. She also gives a good bit of detailed "back story" on the women - showing their life before the war, how they got involved with OSS, how their experiences with OSS transformed their lives, and finally, a glimpse of their lives post-war. These women definitely challenged perceived notions of how women could contribute to the war effort. Most all of them encountered "narrow thinking," particularly from the military branches they were working with, and managed to overcome that. I found the stories both fascinating and inspiring.

Rating:
Summary: These sisters break the glass ceiling in WWII intrigue
Review: For readers who enjoy history (particularly WWII), McIntosh's "Sisterhood of Spies" is a worthwhile experience. The book looks at women in all areas of OSS during WWII in all parts of the globe. McIntosh's writing style is a bit bothersome at times (too much "gung-ho" spirit for me; that's why I only give it three stars) but she knows her stuff and the profiles of these women and their work during the war more than make up for it. I liked the stories of daring (particularly "the lady with the limp" or the episode to steal the naval codes or the woman captured by the Germans). I learned a great deal about hte different aspects of OSS - the R&A, black propaganda (forging postcards to demoralize the families of Japanese soldiers fighting in Burma). McIntosh does a good job of creating a sense of the lifestyle - the pressures, the challenges. She also gives a good bit of detailed "back story" on the women - showing their life before the war, how they got involved with OSS, how their experiences with OSS transformed their lives, and finally, a glimpse of their lives post-war. These women definitely challenged perceived notions of how women could contribute to the war effort. Most all of them encountered "narrow thinking," particularly from the military branches they were working with, and managed to overcome that. I found the stories both fascinating and inspiring.

Rating:
Summary: Chronicles Women's Contributions to Intelligence During WWII
Review: I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in the history of the Office of Strategic Services. The book does an excellent job presenting the contributions the women of the OSS made to the war effort with particular emphasis on morale operations and covert action. The book is not only an account of the author's experience in the OSS, but also devotes a majority of its pages to accounts of other OSS veterans serving in various posts throughout the world. Given the dearth of historical accounts of the contributions of women to the field of intelligence, this book is a must read. The author's vast experience in the field coupled with her excellent writing skills made this book one I simply could not put down.

Rating:
Summary: Chronicles Women's Contributions to Intelligence During WWII
Review: I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in the history of the Office of Strategic Services. The book does an excellent job presenting the contributions the women of the OSS made to the war effort with particular emphasis on morale operations and covert action. The book is not only an account of the author's experience in the OSS, but also devotes a majority of its pages to accounts of other OSS veterans serving in various posts throughout the world. Given the dearth of historical accounts of the contributions of women to the field of intelligence, this book is a must read. The author's vast experience in the field coupled with her excellent writing skills made this book one I simply could not put down.

Rating:
Summary: Less Would Be More
Review: McIntosh starts strong in "Sisterhood of Spies," providing the background of the organization and then composing small vignettes of representative women and thier exploits. As the books goes one, however, she seems to want to include thumbnails (names/backgrounds) of more and more women, and the exciting details of the few become rarer. These women were truly extraordinary, in ways that few people today can imagine, and they certainly deserve recognition. Perhaps McIntosh could have written more about her own interesting history with the OSS and left the other women to an author that felt less emotionally beholden to include everyone.

Rating:
Summary: one of the most insightful books on the oss i've ever read
Review: Some years ago while digging in the National Archives I met the author. At that time she was pursuing the research for this book. When she mentioned that she was the "Undercover Girl" I immediately thought, "AHA, Cynthia!" Well, she wasn't. You will have to read this book to find out who Cynthia was and a whole host of others whose exploits were not so "undercover" ; )! At the time we met Ms. McIntosh's original book "Undercover Girl" was scheduled to be reprinted in the TIME-LIFE WW II espionage operations series, but that was not to be. I finally got a copy of the original and found it to be a fascinating read. This one is obviously not so immediate as her original but still gives the flavor of the wartime experience. The fact that male chauvinism ruled in those days is evident in that they were not paid the same rates and were seldom promoted to their potential-- considering that most of the OSS women where well-educated bilingual (or more) cosmopolitan citizens of many nations of the world, as adept with European royalty as with the natives in the fetid jungles of Asia. Their story is well worth telling and is very interesting reading.