Nathalia Holt is the New York Times bestselling author of The Queens of Animation and Rise of the Rocket Girls. Her work features The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic, Slate, Popular Science and Time. She lives in California.
A necessary corrective to the sexism and misogyny rife in spy
tales, Wise Gals also contains some eye-opening tales of espionage
from across the world.
*Guardian*
A thrilling book, as propulsive as classic le Carré ... Holt has
done a wonderful job of splicing declassified state documents with
more personal accounts to produce a textured account of life as a
female spy in the second half of the 20th century.
*The Times*
Rich with detail, this gripping book charts the extraordinary
bravery and professional barriers faced by women working in
intelligence
*Financial Times*
A sweeping epic of a book, Holt's Wise Gals rescues five remarkable
women from obscurity and finally gives them their rightful place in
world history. This is a fascinating story of pioneers and
patriots, of science and technology, of ambition and sacrifice...of
female spies. I particularly admired the Cold War sequences, with
their insider accounts of both the space and nuclear arms races,
but it's the breathtaking scale of this story that truly stuns:
spanning continents and decades with impressive skill and
impeccable research, yet simultaneously sharing the tender secrets
from each woman's life to make this political history personal. A
book you won't regret reading. Five women you won't forget.
*Kate Moore, author of The Radium Girls*
A sparkling tale of secrets and spies, Wise Gals uncovers a group
of exceptional CIA women who helped build the modern intelligence
community even as they fought for equal pay and standing with their
male colleagues. Holt has a gift for illuminating hidden worlds,
and she delivers a story for the ages.
*Jason Fagone, author of The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story
of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted America's
Enemies*
Spies are not supposed to be remembered, but we can all thank
Nathalia Holt for returning a handful of unsung, trail blazing
women to the center of CIA history-where they belong. Tracing the
end of WW2 through the Cold War to the crisis in Ukraine today,
Wise Gals is fast paced, encyclopedic in scope, and packed with
women on the rise, Nazi art dealers on the run, Soviet spy
satellites, Middle Eastern military coups, and the unending,
ceiling-cracking fight for equality.
*Sarah Rose, author of D-Day Girls*
From my experience as Director of the CIA, it was clear that both
men and women played critical roles in defending our nation.
Unfortunately, history and legend focuses largely on the men who
were part of the CIA - "male, pale and Yale" summarized the makeup
of early spies. But the reality is that both men and women made up
the "silent warriors" who put their lives on the line to gather
intelligence. There always were influential female spies who led
dangerous missions behind enemy lines. Because of the great
research by author Nathalia Holt, their story is finally being told
in Wise Gals. Their patriotism will be an inspiration to both men
and women who want to serve this country.
*Leon Panetta, former Director of the CIA (2009-11) and U. S.
Secretary of Defense (2011-13)*
Utterly thrilling and meticulously researched, Wise Gals is as much
le Carré as it is Hidden Figures - a riveting portrait of the
dazzling women who safeguard our world from the shadows.
*Amaryllis Fox, author of Life Undercover*
Wise Gals is not only the inspiring story of women who excelled at
espionage in the Cold War - they were also courageous and
determined pioneers in the struggle for equality in the secretive
world of the CIA. A hidden history revealed.
*David E. Hoffman, author of The Billion Dollar Spy*
Nathalia Holt weaves a spellbinding narrative as compulsively
readable as a good spy novel. She shines a spotlight on the women
who put their lives on the line during World War II and later
during the Cold War. They never sought any attention but I am
grateful that Nathalia has given it to them.
*Kate Andersen Brower, author of First Women and The Residence*
Nathalia Holt's Wise Gals is a much-needed addition to the history
of the OSS and CIA. It shines a bright spotlight on the
long-neglected role women played in the shadowy Cold War world of
spies and their handlers. Deftly employing multiple narratives and
shifting locales, Holt illuminates the trials and adventures of the
troupe of savvy female operatives who helped steer the course of
post-World War foreign policy for the U.S.
*Tim Brady, author of Three Ordinary Girls*
Explosive and enthralling insight into the little-known 'petticoat
panel.' The way that the biographies of these brave women is woven
within their harrowing work overseas makes this work read like a
spy thriller. Holt's access and research into the world of gender
inequality at the CIA should be required reading; she has given
these women their rightful place in history.
*Tracy Walder, former CIA operative and FBI special agent and
author of The Unexpected Spy*
With the lyrical ease of a natural storyteller, Nathalia Holt
weaves deep research into an impossible-to-put-down tale that reads
like historical fiction, though every word is true. Spanning
continents and decades, Wise Gals shines a necessary spotlight on
the extraordinary women who quietly shaped the CIA during its early
years, and on the obstacles they had to overcome simply to
selflessly serve their country. Both a vital addition to our
understanding of the role of women in the 20th century intelligence
community, and a fascinating, page-turning read about the perilous
years after WWII--and the women who risked it all in the name of
protecting their country.
*Kristin Harmel, author of The Forest of Vanishing Stars and The
Book of Lost Names*
In this page-turner of book, Nathalia Holt pulls back the curtain
on the world of espionage to show us the women responsible for our
safety. The intriguing and timely Wise Gals declassifies the secret
roles women played in the formation of the CIA, to whom we are
beholden even now for our security.
*Marie Benedict, author of The Only Woman in the Room*
Too often we argue about where we should go when we have little
idea how we got to where we are. Nathalia Holt's Wise Gals is the
engrossing story of a group of dedicated women who not only served
the nation as intelligence professionals, but also helped to forge
a path towards equality and opportunity. As entertaining as it is
instructive.
*General Stanley McChrystal, U.S. Army (Ret), author of My Share of
the Task and Team of Teams*
Americans owe a great deal to Adelaide Hawkins, Mary Hutchison,
Eloise Page and Elizabeth Sudmeier, the four 'wise gals' of Holt's
title who helped build the World War II-era Office of Strategic
Services into the Central Intelligence Agency. What they
accomplished, in a full moral accounting, might be up for debate,
but in the annals of espionage that is too often focused on men,
understanding how these women not only contributed to but also
contravened the nascent world order is vital.
*Los Angeles Times*
[An] impressive book, covering a lot of ground, including incisive
critiques of the missions and focus of the CIA, the change from
spying to 'covert operations.' Holt juggles a lot of material and
the reader goes back and forth between the different women,
tracking their careers during and after WWII in a complicated
zigzag. It's a testament to Holt's careful research that the
narrative all holds together, made vivid by the many details she
uncovered.
*New York Journal of Books*
Entertaining ... [A] revealing and vibrant look at the critical
contributions women have made to the CIA.
*Publishers Weekly*
Holt returns with another intriguing collective history of an
overlooked group of women...[Her] dedication to making her five
main characters stand out and come fully to life is to be lauded.
With a rich, always relevant subject, Holt's latest is a good
choice for book groups.
*Booklist*
Well-researched profiles in courage ... A vivid group biography of
five strong-willed women who held significant positions in the
early years of the CIA.
*Kirkus Reviews*
Holt vividly chronicles [the Wise Gals'] careers, including
multiple incidents from the field. . . Holt also details the work
of the Petticoat Panel, a massive effort (involving Sudmeier,
Hutchison, Hawkins and Page) to report on and improve the status of
women at the agency. At every turn, Holt showcases the women's
intelligence, knowledge and grit, while also highlighting the ways
they didn't get the recognition they deserved. Insightful and
gripping, Wise Gals is a fitting tribute to the brilliant women who
shaped the American intelligence landscape.
*Shelf Awareness*
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