theshaggyshepherd's review against another edition
The Unexpected Spy by Tracy Walder was a highly anticipated read for me after Jet Girl and Inside the Hot Zone. This memoir follows an all-American sorority girl from California as she narrates her experiences as a spy in the CIA, a domestic agent for the FBI, and her current position as a history teacher at an all girls school. After all the sexism you hear about in the military and government agencies, it was interesting to see how supportive the CIA was of her and how successful she was in her job. After the thrill of those adventures though, the opposing disaster of the FBI was doubly disappointing.
Walder does a great job describing the highs and the lows of her travels and assignments, and it is easy to get swept up in the emotions she describes, whether that is excitement or disappointment, anticipation or anger. While not her entire career played out as she had envisioned, it's still nice to see how she took it upon herself to do her best to change the future for the rising generation of women.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Walder does a great job describing the highs and the lows of her travels and assignments, and it is easy to get swept up in the emotions she describes, whether that is excitement or disappointment, anticipation or anger. While not her entire career played out as she had envisioned, it's still nice to see how she took it upon herself to do her best to change the future for the rising generation of women.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.
kellydgray's review
5.0
This was a fascinating book, I couldnt put it down. It is also not surprising the issues she faced as a female in a male dominated field and I am sure that probably still goes on in some areas.
andrearbooks's review against another edition
4.0
The Unexpected Spy: From the CIA to the FBI, My Secret Life Taking Down Some of the World's Most Notorious Terrorists by Tracy Walder drew me in when the description explained this was a memoir of a woman who had gone from being in a sorority at the University of Southern California to doing counterterrorism work on behalf of the country. While at USC, Tracy is drawn to international affairs, and she interviews and is obviously then hired by the CIA. She joins just before 9/11, so what this career path looks like very quickly changes. Much of the story focuses on the work that she did for the CIA. Given the secretive nature of her work, there are parts that are heavily redacted (as the agency had to review what she wrote), and she has changed some details to not give up secrets from the work. I'll be honest I really didn't know all the ins and outs of what CIA worked entailed, so it was fascinating to read about this. What I also really liked is what she shared about her background. Growing up, she struggled with self-confidence. Part of her joining her sorority was wanting to find a place where she fit. She also was drawn to the CIA because of her interest and passion for international affairs. I loved how this messaging was woven in. To me, that was the heart of her work, and I appreciated that authenticity. The story ends with her detailing her shift to the FBI. WIth this, she names systemic issues with that experience. I appreciated her honesty here. I loved that this ended with the work she now does as an educator to help girls see their potential to enter into careers in intelligence, politics, public policy and/or whatever they want. This was an interesting and empowering memoir where I unexpectedly learned a lot and had such respect for the woman who experienced it all. Thanks to NetGalley for the look at this new release!
mad_about_books's review against another edition
5.0
I was never a news nerd, I was never a history nerd until November until the time of the 2016 U. S. election. However, I was not unaware of what was going on in the world, I just wasn't as well informed as I wish I had been. Prior to that election cycle, the only protest in which I had participated was a march up the Grand Concourse, in the Bronx, put on by Veterans Against the War (that would be the Vietnam War, and yes, I am a veteran).
A couple of things occurred to me more than once while reading this book. The first is there are allied intelligence services who don't work on Sunday, and second this narrative could have been the basis for the TV show "Covert Affairs." These observations are trivial when viewed in light of the entire narrative. The blurb calls this book "A highly entertaining account…" which it is. It is also a pretty frightening look at how we got to the post 9/11 country we are today.
When I read a book, be it fiction or non-fiction, I read everything including things like the "Author's Note" at the beginning of THE UNEXPECTED SPY. I find these introductory tidbits highly useful in understanding what I am about to read. As I read the author's note, I considered all that is in the news right now concerning John Bolton's book and how it had to go through a vetting process before he could submit it for publication. "THE UNEXPECTED SPY was submitted to the CIA's Publication Review Board. The board approved the release of this book as long as certain passages or sentences that they deemed threats to national security were redacted. I have left those redactions in place (appearing as black lines on the page) and have tried to maintain the continuity of the narrative around them." This is no Mueller Report full of offensive black marker looking passages; the redactions are simply dashed lines (several quite long), and, overall, the book flows around them quite nicely.
This is the kind of book that looks interesting and proved to be fascinating and informative. There are passages that will make you cringe, maybe even cry, that are balanced with, if not laughter, a bit of Zen realization on the part of a woman who went from an introverted and bullied schoolgirl to a powerful participant in one of the worst times in American history. To say that I have respect for Tracy Walder is an understatement.
I was particularly captivated by Chapter 9, "Truth and Consquences." In it I feel that I learned more about the lead up to the Iraq War than I have ever read or heard before. I could easily quote my reasons for singling out this chapter by quoting paragraph after paragraph. I won't. You need to read them for yourself. We, the American people, were lied to then and are still being lied to today. Why do I believe this woman? Because she holds nothing back about her life or her working experience. And, because I can see no reason for her to lie. This book is as much about Tracy Walder as it is about the failings of government and its agencies.
The majority of this narrative deals with Ms. Walder's experience as a CIA agent. She did some amazing work in the worst of places. And, she retained her humanity and strength of purpose. Her experience with the FBI is a statement on misogyny in law enforcement in this country.
Over the past few years, I have read several books by powerful women. I'm talking about women who have taken their destiny into their own hands and have made a difference. I am adding Tracy Walder to that list of women.
A couple of things occurred to me more than once while reading this book. The first is there are allied intelligence services who don't work on Sunday, and second this narrative could have been the basis for the TV show "Covert Affairs." These observations are trivial when viewed in light of the entire narrative. The blurb calls this book "A highly entertaining account…" which it is. It is also a pretty frightening look at how we got to the post 9/11 country we are today.
When I read a book, be it fiction or non-fiction, I read everything including things like the "Author's Note" at the beginning of THE UNEXPECTED SPY. I find these introductory tidbits highly useful in understanding what I am about to read. As I read the author's note, I considered all that is in the news right now concerning John Bolton's book and how it had to go through a vetting process before he could submit it for publication. "THE UNEXPECTED SPY was submitted to the CIA's Publication Review Board. The board approved the release of this book as long as certain passages or sentences that they deemed threats to national security were redacted. I have left those redactions in place (appearing as black lines on the page) and have tried to maintain the continuity of the narrative around them." This is no Mueller Report full of offensive black marker looking passages; the redactions are simply dashed lines (several quite long), and, overall, the book flows around them quite nicely.
This is the kind of book that looks interesting and proved to be fascinating and informative. There are passages that will make you cringe, maybe even cry, that are balanced with, if not laughter, a bit of Zen realization on the part of a woman who went from an introverted and bullied schoolgirl to a powerful participant in one of the worst times in American history. To say that I have respect for Tracy Walder is an understatement.
I was particularly captivated by Chapter 9, "Truth and Consquences." In it I feel that I learned more about the lead up to the Iraq War than I have ever read or heard before. I could easily quote my reasons for singling out this chapter by quoting paragraph after paragraph. I won't. You need to read them for yourself. We, the American people, were lied to then and are still being lied to today. Why do I believe this woman? Because she holds nothing back about her life or her working experience. And, because I can see no reason for her to lie. This book is as much about Tracy Walder as it is about the failings of government and its agencies.
The majority of this narrative deals with Ms. Walder's experience as a CIA agent. She did some amazing work in the worst of places. And, she retained her humanity and strength of purpose. Her experience with the FBI is a statement on misogyny in law enforcement in this country.
Over the past few years, I have read several books by powerful women. I'm talking about women who have taken their destiny into their own hands and have made a difference. I am adding Tracy Walder to that list of women.
jsburt's review against another edition
4.0
Good book giving insights into what it would be like in the CIA an FBI. As a father of 3 daughters, I loved the message that women can succeed in some of the most difficult and trying arenas!
hannahstalewski69's review against another edition
5.0
So good!! Easy and crazy fascinating. Was like reading a season of Homeland.
fionareadsalot's review against another edition
2.0
It was okay. There were some parts that I found interesting but most of it wasnt that engaging. I think I went into this with more expectations. It wasnt hard to read and the redactions made it more real?!
The chapter with her in the FBI and how they spray pepper spray in your face (during training) was nuts.
The chapter with her in the FBI and how they spray pepper spray in your face (during training) was nuts.
ashleysbooks03's review against another edition
3.0
The Unexpected Spy was a difficult book for me to read. By that, I mean it took me so much longer than any other book has. It seamed monotone and dry. I was expecting so much more from this book. The writing was autobiographical, so there was no storyline. It was merely a fact after fact and drug on for a while that way. Some exciting things happened to Tracy at the "farm" and during her time in the CIA. The last 100 or so pages of this book were about how unfair the women's treatment is in agencies. Overall, I learned some exciting things about the beginning of the Iraqi war and the CIA intelligence gathering concepts. The Unexpected Spy would be a good book for a history buff. I was expecting some exciting climax episodes in the book, and it was a letdown.