Decades after the end of World War II, the name Ravensbrück still evokes horror for those with knowledge of this infamous all-women’s concentration camp, better known since it became the setting of Martha Hall Kelly’s bestselling novel, Lilac Girls. Particularly shocking were the medical experiments performed on some of the inmates. Ravensbrück was atypical in other ways as well, not just as the only all-female German concentration camp, but because 80 percent of its inmates were political prisoners, among them a tight-knit group of women who had been active in the French Resistance.
Already well-practiced in sabotaging the Nazis in occupied France, these women joined forces to defy their German captors and keep one another alive. The sisterhood’s members, amid unimaginable terror and brutality, subverted Germany’s war effort by refusing to do assigned work. They risked death for any infraction, but that did not stop them from defying their SS tormentors at every turn—even staging a satirical musical revue about the horrors of the camp.
After the war, when many in France wanted to focus only on the future, the women from Ravensbrück refused to allow their achievements, needs, and sacrifices to be erased. They banded together once more, first to support one another in healing their bodies and minds and then to continue their crusade for freedom and justice—an effort that would have repercussions for their country and the world into the twenty-first century.
THE SISTERHOOD OF RAVENSBRUCK by Lynn Olson is an amazing testament to the lives of the featured French women who survived the infamous women’s concentration camp of Ravensbruck which was in Germany during WWII. I knew nothing about this camp which ended up in the Soviet controlled portion of Germany which is why I feel this book is so important. The infamous camps that are remembered, like Auschwitz and Buchenwald, are important, but there were many others, and they all deserved to be remembered.
This well researched non-fiction book tells the story of many women, but the focus is on a small group of French women who leaned on each other to survive at Ravensbruck after being arrested for their resistance work during WWII. The story tells of their lives before the war, how they became involved in the resistance and were arrested, and then their time in a French jail in Paris before being shipped like cattle to Ravensbruck. Arriving at different times, they were still able to form a bond to help each other survive and even help other women of many nationalities and religions. The liberation of the camp did not occur all at once and the story goes on to tell of the friends varying recuperations and reunions.
The women’s lives after the war are followed as they build families and work to help all survivors of the camp. The work they did to get healthcare and reparations from the French and German governments was inspiring. I also was in awe of the Polish lapins “rabbits” that were experimented on in the camp and the ladies’ determination to help them get reparations.
All non-fiction history books that tell the stories of the WWII concentration camps are heartbreaking and leave you questioning humanity and this one was no different, but it also gave you the ladies’ lives after and demonstrated the resilience and strength they had after the horror. The research is evident. The author immerses you in these women’s journey, avoiding a dry historical account. I will definitly be picking up other history books written by this author.
I highly recommend this incredible non-fiction story of the women of Ravensbruck!
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About the Author
Lynne Olson is a New York Times bestselling author of ten books of history. Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has called her “our era’s foremost chronicler of World War II politics and diplomacy.”
Lynne’s latest book, The Sisterhood of Ravensbrück: How an Intrepid Band of Frenchwomen Resisted the Nazis in Hitler’s All-Female Concentration Camp, will be published by Random House on June 3, 2025. Her earlier books include three New York Times bestsellers: Madame Fourcade’s Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France’s Largest Spy Network Against the Nazis; Those Angry Days: Roosevelt, Lindbergh, and America’s Fight Over World War II, 1939-1941, and Citizens of London: The Americans Who Stood with Britain in Its Darkest, Finest Hour.
Born in Hawaii, Lynne graduated magna cum laude from the University of Arizona. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a journalist for ten years, first with the Associated Press as a national feature writer in New York, a foreign correspondent in AP’s Moscow bureau, and a political reporter in Washington. She left the AP to join the Washington bureau of the Baltimore Sun, where she covered national politics and eventually the White House.
Lynne lives in Washington, DC with her husband, Stanley Cloud, with whom she co-authored two books.
It’s 10 p.m. on a Thursday in the spring of her freshman year of college, and April is standing at the back of a crowded Manhattan bar waiting for her friend, Rudy, to arrive. Their eyes lock the moment he enters the room, and in an instant, lives and legacies are altered forever.
Within hours, Rudy is arrested. Within days, April is expelled. Within weeks, he’s incarcerated. And within months, she meets Peter, a prodigious young attorney who makes her world recognizable again.
Nearly fifteen years later, April is happily living in Chicago married to Peter, a mother of three with a fulfilling career and standing yoga date with her girlfriends. On the eve of Peter’s election for local office, Rudy is up for parole. Headlines explode about April’s past, jeopardizing Peter’s campaign and everything they hold dear. Suddenly, April is faced with an impossible choice: protecting the life she created, or the person who sacrificed everything to make that life a possibility. Such Good People is a captivating portrait of blurred lines, divided loyalties, and what it means to love purely, steadfastly, and interminably.
SUCH GOOD PEOPLE by Amy Blumenfeld is a character driven fiction novel featuring two friends who have their lives changed in an instant and the emotional ripple effects it has on their lives and their families’ lives. This is not the usual type of book I read, but I found the description so intriguing that I gave it a try and I am glad that I did. I will be thinking of these characters well past the closing of this book.
April and Rudy have been friends for their entire childhood and when you see one, you see the other. Their families are close and celebrate many milestones as one unit.
They are separated for the first time when April goes off to college and Rudy is left at home working with his father and at the local bagel store. It is a huge adjustment, but April asks Rudy to visit to include him in her new life. When Rudy meets her after an event in a Manhattan bar, both their lives are changed forever in an instant.
For thirteen years, one life moves forward while the other is on hold. There is so much heartache and guilt not just personally, but also in the connected families. How can April cling to her new life without sacrificing her lifelong friend?
This book looks at family and friendship in a way that pulls you into the main characters’ lives so completely and immerses the reader in their story. Life in this story is messy, but it is believable in its portrayal of friendship, love, family, and forgiveness that are all intertwined. The characters and their behaviors and reactions are the focus of this story, but I also found the legal system portrayed in this story realistic and disheartening.
I recommend this moving friendship fiction novel and if you are like me, you will be thinking of these characters and their choices well into the future.
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About the Author
Amy Blumenfeld grew up in Queens, New York. She is a graduate of Barnard College and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism where she received the James A. Wechsler Award for national reporting. Her essays and articles have appeared on the cover of People, in The New York Times, The Huffington Post, O, The Oprah Magazine, as well in George where she worked as a staff editor and writer. Amy’s debut novel, The Cast, was selected as a New York Post Best Book of the Week and named Winner of the Independent Publisher Book Award in Popular Fiction. She has also been a contributing author to a best-selling anthology and two non-fiction books. Amy lives in New York with her husband and daughter.
America has never seen an athlete quite like Caitlin Clark. Attracting record-shattering attendance and TV ratings, she has riveted the nation with her famous logo threes and thrilling passes and changed how fans across the country view women’s sports. Drawing on dozens of extensive interviews and exclusive, behind-the-scenes reporting, veteran journalist Christine Brennan narrates Clark’s rise—including the formative experiences that led to her scoring more points than any woman or man in major college basketball history—and delivers fascinating new details about Clark’s Olympic snub by USA Basketball, the safety concerns around her that led to charter flights for all players, the WNBA’s lack of preparation for heightened national scrutiny, and troubling outbreaks of jealousy and resentment as a white player became the top story in a predominantly Black league.
The 2024 season was a watershed. Always taking the high road in the face of criticism, Clark proceeded to write herself into WNBA record books as one of the league’s most talented rookies ever. And her winning persona—on full display whether surrounded by children begging for autographs or reporters hanging on her every word—made Clark such a fan favorite that increasingly larger arenas needed to be found to accommodate the hordes who traveled hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of miles to watch her play.
Clark arrived as a sports and cultural icon a little more than fifty years after the passage of Title IX, the 1972 law that opened the floodgates for girls and women to play sports in America. On Her Game is a sports story, certainly, but it’s also the story of a nation falling in love with what it has created because of that law—millions of new athletes, led by the magical Caitlin Clark.
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Elise’s Thoughts
On Her Game by Christine Brennan is a portrait of sports phenomenon Caitlin Clark. Brennan has been at the forefront of women’s sports and has been selected multiple times as one of the country’s top sports columnists. Readers will understand why she is a renowned journalist and commentator because she asks tough questions and uses facts for her answers.
The book mainly chronicles Clark’s 2024 WNBA rookie season with the Indiana Fever. It follows Clark as she helped to break attendance and TV ratings records, her extra-long-distance three-pointers, and incredible passes. Brennan does not shy away from the controversies regarding herself, Clark, and the league that also show the hypocrisy of those involved with the WNBA.
As Michael Jordan said, “Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen,” which is exactly what Brennan has done in writing this book. She has hit nothing but net.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: Why write this book?
Christine Brennan: I was watching Caitlin Clark during her junior and senior years at college. I have covered a lot of Final Fours and WNBA games since the 1990s but was just watching on TV and when I saw her buzzer-beater against Indiana, a crazy, sideways shot, and couldn’t stop watching the replays, I started thinking if a veteran journalist like me was intrigued by her, how about other Americans? I saw how the crowds were standing in line, many times in the cold, to watch a woman play basketball. It was like the lines at a Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift, or Beyonce concert. On July 11, 2024, without a book proposal, Scribner offered me a contract to write this book. It came out July 8, 2025. On July 16, 2025, it debuted at No. 2 on the New York Times bestseller list. It all was so magical and whimsical.
EC: Do you think that women’s basketball is more like old-time basketball?
CB: Yes, it is team game, played below the rim, not so much freelancing as in the men’s game. It is much more a game of fundamentals: passing, teamwork, defense. Also, many top male players leave college after a year. In the women’s game, they stay for four years so fans get to know them.
EC: In your first chapter you refer to Title IX and I was wondering if you want to comment on biological men in women’s sports?
CB: People look at the election of Donald Trump as the catalyst on this. There is a certain validity to that because within a few days, the NCAA ruled, based on a Trump Executive Order, that if someone has gone through male puberty they cannot compete in women’s sports. The LPGA did the same thing. In the last few weeks, the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee also said basically the same thing, pendingthe decisions of the national governing bodies of every sport. But even during the Biden Administration, the international swimming and track and field federations ruled that if someone has gone through male puberty, they cannot compete in the women’s category at the world championships or at the Olympic Games.I believe this is a good policy, but it’s happening no matter what we believe. Especially in kids’ sports, though, leaders need to move forward with compassion and understanding, combined with science. The name-calling and hatred on this issue need to stop.
EC: What about refereeing in college and professional women’s basketball?
CB: Interest in the women’s game has never been greater, because of Caitlin Clark, the ultimate attention magnet, yet what do these millions of new fans see? The referees are terrible, and the league seems to be doing nothing about it. I deal with this in the book in a chapter titled ‘Hip Check.’ Last year, Chicago’s Chennedy Carter hit Caitlin Clark with an ugly cheap shot, but the referees did not even review the play on the video monitor. The next day it was upgraded to a flagrant foul, but Carter didn’t miss any games. Fast forward to this year when Connecticut’s Marina Mabrey plowed into Clark with a terrible dead ball foul. She was lucky Clark wasn’t injured because as Clark goes, so goes the WNBA. TV ratings plummet when she’s out. Clark is the economic rocket ship for all the players but again, Mabrey was allowed to keep playing.
EC: How would you describe Caitlin Clark’s persona?
CB: She is 23 years old going on 40 or 50. She gets tough questions about race and politics but never flinches and answers each one directly. She is a remarkable person: mature, kind, old school — and hilarious. She’s very smart and very funny. She signs autographs for girls and boys before and after every game, which is so rare. Children will be inspired by her for years to come. She is the perfect role model for millions of kids around the world who love sports.
EC: How would you describe Caitlin Clark’s basketball skills?
CB: Great shooter, especially the logo threes, a magical passer, competitive, confident, determined, incredible court vision, a perfectionist. A generational player, and perhaps even a once in a lifetime player. She is unique in sports history: a women’s team sport athlete who isn’t just one of the most popular athletes in the nation, she’s one of the most popular people in the nation.
EC: What about the quotes from Nancy Lieberman and Billie Jean King about Caitlin Clark; too bad Cathy Engelbert could not have said it?
CB: Part of Nancy Lieberman’s quote from the book is: “I just want to say thank you to you, Caitlin Clark, for just lifting our game up…we shouldn’t hate on her, we should celebrate her, not tolerate her.” Part of Billie Jean King’s quote from the book: “This year is a turning point, and it’s because of Caitlin…with all these sellouts and all this interest…whether you like it or not, Caitlin is the reason…She’s a superstar. When she does well, everyone does better…This generation has a chance to set this league on fire. Don’t blow it with animosity. Do not blow it. Just play ball. Play hard, but no cheap shots.” I used these quotes because how anyone could look at what was going on last year with the record TV viewership and attendance and minimize Caitlin Clark is just ridiculous. Throughout the book I wanted to use quotes and anecdotes to show just how wrong the naysayers are.
EC: Do you agree Caitlin Clark brought higher attendance and ratings to the league?
CB: It’s undeniable. Facts are facts. In my ‘Overtime’ chapter at the end of the book, I show how the Indiana Fever’s attendance during Caitlin Clark’s rookie year was higher than the average home attendance of five NBA teams last year. That is an unbelievable statistic, and there are many more like it.
EC: Then there was Sheila Johnson, the co-owner of the WNBA team, the Washington Mystics, that was so hypocritical. You talk about that in your book?
CB: She told CNN that the whole league should have been put on the Time athlete of the year cover instead of just one player, the player who won the award, Caitlin Clark. That is so bizarre, especially considering Johnson moved the Mystics’ two home Indiana Fever games from her 4,200-seat arena to the huge Capital One Arena, seating over 20,000, so Johnson could make more money off Clark’s appearance.
EC: Does race play a role in the reaction to her?
CB: Race definitely is a factor because the WNBA is a 74% Black league that was ignored by the male-dominated sports media for years. Now here comes a white woman who gets all the attention — which she deserves, and she is bringing a spotlight that shines on all the players — but there definitely was and is animosity toward her. Legendary civil rights leader Dr. Harry Edwards says in the book, “The league failed the players…. The league needed to do a better job in preparing…to take advantage of the tsunami of popularity that is raising all of the boats.”
EC: What would you like to say about the controversy that surrounded your question for DiJonai Carrington, after her fingers hit Clark’s eye? The players’ union called you “indecent and downright insincere.”
CB: I am a journalist who covers the WNBA just like I cover the Olympics and the NFL. They all deserve my respect as big-time sports, yet the WNBA was utterly unprepared for this moment of national scrutiny. After Carrington’s fingers went into Clark’s eye in the playoffs, millions of people on social media accused Carrington of purposely hitting Clark, so you must ask her if she did — which I did in two basic questions. Then the player’s union tried to banish me for asking the questions. I’ve asked male athletes hundreds of tougher questions. Is the union saying that women cannot handle those types of questions? Is that the message they’re sending, that women deserve easier questions? Most athletes want those kinds of questions so they can clear the air and hit it out of the park. By the way, I was not banned. The player’s union embarrassed themselves, their league, and their players.
EC: Will the lightbulb ever go on in this league where those in the WNBA will wake up and embrace Clark?
CB: There needs to be a leader who leads. If Cathy Engelbert can’t do it, get another commissioner. The players’ agents also are not being honest with their players about the impact of Caitlin Clark. Nor are some of the beat writers who cover the WNBA. I take a journalistic look at everything in this book. I tell stories and anecdotes that show that the league had no idea how big Caitlin Clark was. Unbelievable, but true.
THANK YOU!!
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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.
Years after her successful and impactful career at the CIA, Christina Hillsberg became enthralled with the stories of the trailblazing women who forged new paths within the Agency long before she began her career there in the aughts. These were women who sacrificed their personal lives, risked their safety, defied expectations, and boldly navigated the male-dominated spy organization.
Through exclusive interviews with current and former female CIA officers, many of whom have never spoken publicly, Agents of Change tells an enthralling and, at times, disturbing story set against the backdrop of the evolving women’s movement. It was the 1960s, a “secretarial” era, when women first gained a foothold and pushed against the one-dimensional, pop-culture trope of the sexy Cold War Bond Girl. Underestimated but undaunted, they fought their way, decade-by-decade, through adversity to the top of the spy game.
Seamlessly weaving together the individual stories of these exceptional women, Hillsberg deftly tackles not just the fight for gender equality at the CIA, but the current dilemma the Agency faces when dealing with the culmination of a decades-long culture of sexual harassment and assault.
Each chapter sheds a light on women’s issues during that decade before bringing to life the stories of female CIA operations officers whose experiences were emblematic of that given era. In this fascinating and empowering chronicle, Hillsberg takes readers inside the Agency in a way that’s never been done before, paying long overdue tribute to the survivors and thrivers, the indispensable groundbreakers, and defiant rabble-rousers who made the choice to change their lives and in turn, changed history.
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Elise’s Thoughts
Agents of Change by Christina Hillsberg reads like an espionage thriller. Hillsberg, a former CIA intelligence officer, uses her insider knowledge to write a nonfiction book about US patriots working for the CIA who happened to be women trailblazers. These women sacrificed their personal lives, risked their safety, defied expectations, and boldly navigated the male-dominated spy organization. The book profiles dozens of agents from the 1960s to the present.
The book takes readers behind the scenes as it explores by decade how women’s roles in the CIA evolved. The compelling exclusive interviews with those CIA officers show their resilience and determination.
They had to overcome the thinking of the times about women’s roles in the workplace. Although the book does discuss the fight for gender equality at the CIA, and the culture of sexual harassment/assault, this is not the essence of the book, but the riveting stories of how these women risked their lives while performing their duties that included doing espionage, recruiting spies, and stealing secrets.
One compelling story is of Marti Peterson. Marti served as an intelligence officer in Russia where she conducted dead drops. Because the KGB did not think that a woman would be used to conduct clandestine operations, she was able to collect foreign intelligence right under the Russians’ noses without them knowing. The description of her cover and how she went about her duties is riveting, especially after being captured by the KGB, betrayed by double agents.
Then there was Janine Brookner. She had her antennas up about Aldrich Ames who worked in counterintelligence alongside Janine’s ex-husband and long-time companion, Colin. She felt he was a security risk and brought her concerns up to the Chief of Station who ignored her. It turns out her concerns were justified considering eight years later, Ames would plead guilty to espionage on behalf of the Soviet Union. Unfortunately, she never received the credit for being one of the first people to identify him as a traitor.
A bonus is how Hillsberg makes the comparison between how the CIA treats female agents through the decades to what the James Bond films are doing with women in each decade.
Anyone who wants an espionage read should get this book. These women were groundbreakers, rabble rousers, but more important are the shields that helped to keep Americans safe.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: Do you agree that those in intelligence should be thought of on July 4th, America’s birthday?
Christina Hillsberg: July 4th is a great time to take a moment and thank those that work in the shadows as well as all the servicemen and women in the military and law enforcement. There are so many incredible people behind the scenes to keep Americans safe, including the remarkable women I highlight in the book. The emphasis of those working at the CIA is to keep Americans safe here at home, abroad, and American interests. As Americans celebrate July 4th, I hope they remember why we have all these freedoms.
EC: How has your experience at the CIA helped you to write this book?
CH: We’re surrounded by so many misconceptions of the female spy, thanks in large part to Hollywood. I knew I was uniquely positioned to write a book about the real women in intelligence. Having spent time in both analysis and operations during my time at the CIA, I leveraged that experience to build trust with those I interviewed, many of whom had never spoken publicly about their CIA experiences.
EC: Why write the book?
CH: I wanted to write about the women who came before me and how the female spy has changed over the years, to amplify their stories and voices. It was meant to show the progress the Agency has made over the years regarding the role of women. There is also some conversation about the less favorable part of the history including the struggles of sexual harassment/abuse. That said, it’s meant to be a celebration of the incredible accomplishments of female officers at the CIA as well as the notable progress the spy organization has made throughout the decades.
EC: Why the book title?
CH: They were all trailblazers but considered troublemakers for making change happen. Even though the term should be intelligence officers I used the word ‘agents’ because of a play on words, they were the change agents. Originally the word ‘sisters’ was in the title but as I did the interviews and research, I realized there was no ‘sisterhood’ at the Agency although they opened the doors for other women. The sisterhood seems to come after we’ve left. I value the friendships I’ve made with these older women because they are filled with stories, wisdom, and experiences.
EC: It boggles my mind that Americans cannot thank personally those in the CIA for their service as we can with the military and law enforcement. Do you agree?
CH: Those at the CIA are bred not to speak of the accomplishments and to share. We always used to say in the CIA, there is only such a thing as “policy success and an intelligence failure.”
Many times, people do not hear about all the intelligence successes that happen all the time. If there is a success, the policy makers will take credit for it. Hopefully, with this book, Americans appreciate the role those at the CIA play in keeping them safe and become more aware of what they do. For example, Marti, a CIA officer, never told her children until they were much older that she was CIA. Many women of the CIA were quiet about their activities. Often these women did not share their stories even though they played vital roles in national security. I wanted to choose women who resonated with readers and to humanize them. To show how these women had families and had to make life choices.
EC: Why the James Bond comparison?
CH: When there is talk about the female spy the “Bond girl” comes to mind. Look at the trajectory of the Bond girl from the very first movie until now. It goes from a one-dimensional sidekick to a multidimensional very capable “Bond girl.” I thought it would be a great story telling structure to trace that along with the changing role of women through the decades at the Agency. It was my hope to write a book that is both entertaining and approachable for readers beyond history buffs and spy afficionados.
EC: Marti Peterson, a CIA woman who worked there in the seventies had an interesting career, do you agree?
CH: Absolutely. Marti began her career as a “CIA wife,” providing secretarial and administration support while accompanying her husband on his tour in Laos. She felt she was losing her own identity, an “appendage to his career.” After her husband was killed, she wanted to be an operations officer and refused the Agency’s offer to give her a secretarial role. Instead, she demanded more commensurate with her experience and abilities. At that time women were told they could not run operations, did not have the skill set, and were inferior. There was the fear they would get pregnant or marry and leave. But Marti was persistent, resilient, and determined to show what she was made of. She even learned Russian for a tour in Moscow where she was the first woman to operate clandestinely. She was an extremely accomplished woman whose experience helped shape the trajectory of women at the CIA for years to come. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to sit down with her and hear about her career.
EC: What traits make women an advantageous spy?
CH: At the beginning of the book, I include an epigraph by an operations officer, “Don’t let somebody tell you, for whatever reason, you can’t do it because you’re a woman.” I think this is a powerful message to younger women, that nothing can hold them back. Because women were often underestimated, they leveraged that to their benefit, and by extension, the CIA’s as well. They blended into the background in male-dominated cultures across the globe, stealing secrets all while going undetected. Moreover, many women officers felt they were better listeners than their male colleagues, detailed oriented, more empathetic, could build rapport in different ways than the males, yet set boundaries.
EC: Were there any men supportive of these women?
CH: Oh, yes. Some women were fortunate to have supportive male colleagues and superiors, and in many cases, that meant the difference between a woman’s ability to attend operational training at the Farm or remain in a non-operational role at headquarters. Janine Brookner, for example, secured her first overseas assignment as a result of a male ally who advocated for a woman operations officer in his station. But once she arrived, it was up to her to prove her worth, and she did that in spades.
EC: Why did you highlight Janine Brookner?
CH: Even to this day people have strong feelings about Janine because she was so controversial. Having already passed away prior to my beginning my research for this book, I had to rely on interviews with family, friends, and colleagues to create Janine’s narrative. After hearing conflicting impressions, I realized that those who had something negative to say about her never worked with her directly, and yet, they criticized everything from her style of dress to her attitude. As with everything in life, everyone brings their own bias to the table, and it was my responsibility to wade through the noise and create the most accurate portrayal of Janine. And after dozens of interviews, I believe she was a smart and tenacious intelligence officer whose bravery created one of the most important watershed moments in the history of women at the CIA. After Janine was wrongfully accused of sexual harassment, she fought back and won. Although the CIA settled with her, the Agency did not admit any wrongdoing. The settlement said she had to resign. Because she knew this was just wrong, she became a lawyer to represent Federal government employees in their cases involving sexual discrimination.
EC: How would you describe Janine?
CH: I wish I could have met her, but unfortunately, she died. I would describe her as loyal, ambitious almost to a fault, resourceful, career oriented, empathetic, caring, excellent operational tradecraft, intuitive, and drive. She remained a close companion to Colin, her ex-husband and retired CIA case officer, who I’ve been fortunate enough to get to know throughout the reporting of this book.
EC: What do you want readers to get out of the book?
CH: I want readers to realize how important women are to national security. They are competent and talented officers who bring unique perspectives to all aspects of Agency work, a vital part of the mission. I want to encourage women to work in intelligence with their eyes wide open. I want to make sure that people celebrate the accomplishments of these women.
This not a book about an ‘axe to grind’ regarding sexual harassment and assault but rather, a book about the accomplishment of some remarkable women.
THANK YOU!!
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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.
Below is an interview with two authors who served in the military. They discussed their books, one a novel, The Guilty Sleep by Baker, and the other a non-fiction, Nothing But Courage by Donovan, as well as what Memorial Day means to them and how they incorporated their experiences into their books.
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Book Description
Afghanistan vet Dexter Grant is broke, reeling from PTSD, and on the verge of divorce when he’s approached by his old Army buddies to help rescue their former interpreter, the man who once saved Dex’s life. It means ripping off a vicious queenpin’s drug proceeds—but not to worry, they have it all worked out. And if anyone can pull it off, it’s Dex’s former team lead, Staff Sergeant Saenz.
Tempted by an easy score that could make his own problems disappear and imbued with new purpose, Dex agrees to play his part in the scheme. But just as in combat, the best-laid plans don’t survive first contact with the enemy. When the heist goes off the rails, his wife and daughter become targets for bloody revenge. Dex must face down his spiraling inner darkness and call on all his strength and training to save his girls. In his quest, he’ll learn there was much more to this heist than he ever imagined.
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Elise’s Thoughts
The Guilty Sleep by Jeremy D. Baker is a riveting novel. Although this book reflects on Baker’s past experiences, both professional, militarily, and personally, the story itself is a suspenseful mystery. The plot has the hero, Dexter, asked by his old army buddies to commit a crime to save the life of their former interpreter. Also, as part of the story, Dexter’s daughter has the same eye disease Strabismus, as the author’s daughter (essentially Lazy Eye), which costs tens of thousands of dollars to fix. He has no health insurance because he was kicked out of the military. He decides to go along with the heist to get the money for his daughter’s surgery. Dex is not a Rambo-type but is trying to do the right thing to make himself better to overcome PTSD. The book is about Dex coming back from war with his life falling apart and he decides to do something to make his life relevant again. After the heist goes off the rails, his wife and daughter become targets for bloody revenge, in which Dexter is determined to save.
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Book Description
In June 1944, German and American forces converged on an insignificant bridge a few miles inland from the invasion beaches. If taken by the Nazis, the bridge might have gone down in history as the reason the Allies failed on D-Day.
The narrow road over it was each side’s conduit to victory. Continued Nazi control over the bridge near an old manoir known as La Fière—one of only two bridges in the region capable of supporting tanks and other heavy armor—would allow the Germans to reinforce their defenses at Utah Beach, one of the five landing areas chosen for Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Nazi-held Europe. But because control of the bridge was also essential to moving U.S. troops inland and off the beach, it could not simply be destroyed: it had to be taken—and held—by the Allies.
This was part of the formidable mission of the 82nd Airborne, whose lightly armed but superbly trained troopers had dropped behind—and into—German lines five hours before the seaborne assault on Utah. While blocking enemy reinforcements, they had to seize and secure avenues of approach from the beaches to the interior of Normandy, including two bridges over the modest Merderet River and the key crossroads village of Sainte Mère Église. Failure would give Hitler enough time, and the opportunity, to build up the resources necessary to defeat the invasion and turn the tide for the Nazis. The village was taken early on D-Day, and the 82nd endured repeated attacks by much larger German forces. But the bridge at La Fière became a bloody three-day standoff against tanks and artillery that culminated in a near-suicidal charge across it and the narrow 500-yard causeway beyond—straight into the teeth of a fierce German defense ordered to hold it to the last man.
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Elise’s Thoughts
Nothing But Courage by James Donovan tells the dramatic story of the courageous paratroopers and glidermen of the 82nd Airborne. They risked their lives to seize and secure a small, centuries-old bridge in France that played a pivotal role in the success of D-Day.
The battle for La Fiere was crucial in the Normandy invasion and afterward was led by Matthew Ridgway and James Gavin, two of the most outstanding commanders in American military history. In June 1944, German and American forces converged on an insignificant bridge a few miles inland from the invasion beaches. If taken by the Nazis, the bridge might have gone down in history as the reason the Allies failed on D-Day. Continued Nazi control over the bridge would allow the Germans to reinforce their defenses at Utah Beach, with supporting tanks and other heavy armor. But the 82nd Airborne’s success helped the allies in defeating the Germans on the Normandy beach.
This is a riveting, brilliantly researched account of one of the most overlooked yet heroic actions of WWII.
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Jeremy D. Baker ————————— James Donovan
Author Interviews
Elise Cooper: Since Memorial Day is coming up what does it mean to you?
Jeremy Baker: Memorial Day, to me, means Remember. Remember the lives given in service of our nation. Remember those who sacrificed their all, who gave their last full measure of devotion, to something greater than themselves. Remember not only those who died in conflict, but those who died during times of peace, and those who died because of injuries–physical, psychological, emotional–that were received in times of war months or years before they died. Memorial Day, to me, means taking the time to honor all those we remember in these ways. It does not necessarily mean the day must be one of total, quiet, somber reflection. I’ve seen some people out there scolding their neighbors for having fun on the day, but in my mind, what could be a better remembrance and reflection of our values than using this sacred, special day for periods of enjoyment, family, community, and yes, even parties to kick off the summer season. Anyone who’s ever served will tell you that there are few things we service members enjoyed more than a good time with friends, a cold drink, and good food. I take absolutely no issue with anyone celebrating Memorial Day in the way they see fit, but I do hope everyone on the day will take at least a quick moment to think about those who gave their all for the rest of us. Every Memorial Day, I take a moment of reflection to think about those I served with who died, whether in combat, peacetime, or after leaving the military. I think about Carrie Ann, Josh, Dave, Brian, and Lee. The list grows over time, and even one name makes the list too long. I guarantee every veteran keeps a list like this in their mind. I’m honored to have served with these people, and their sacrifice, their battles, will not be forgotten.
James Donovan: Memorial Day is a time to reflect on those Americans who gave their lives to keep our country free. In writing this book I interviewed twelve men from the 82nd and thought what a great honor. By the time they made it back to England, after D-Day, they had 50% casualties: injured, missing, and dead. One company that originally had about 175 men returned with only 16 men. Memorial Day is not about the most recent war but about the past wars as well.
EC:Why the 82nd Airborne in the non-fiction book Nothing But Courage?
JD: It was a dream of mine to write a WWII book. The Airborne troops were considered elite Special Forces. Back then they did not really have Special Forces but had two elite parts of the Army, the Rangers and the Airborne. They were trained to a tee. They were given an assignment that lasted a week at the most and were sent back to regroup.
EC: What can you say about this mission?
JD: They were kept in the field for about 32 days. It was to seize and secure strategically important towns and bridges to keep German reinforcements out. Americans dropped two divisions of paratroopers behind the lines on Utah Beach on the French Coast. They were asked to take strategic towns, one of which was Ste-Mere-Eglise, that was controlled by the Germans. They also had to take two bridges to seal the Germans off from getting more men.
EC: Why were the gliders called in?
JD: They were sent in to take the La Fiere bridgehead on June 6th, 1944. They had to deal with the Germans who had machine guns, mortars, and anti-tank guns, basically well dug in. The paratrooper regiments were dropped all over because they lost their bearings. The
idea with glider troops of 20 to 30 men per glider was that they could jump out as a unit. For the most part it worked. After WWII they were not used because they used helicopters.
EC: Describe the leaders Ridgway and Gavin?
JD: General Matthew Ridgway was raised army, went to West Point. He was very inspiring and looked like a Roman Emperor. His deputy commander, Lt. General James Gavin, never went to high school, joined the army when he was 17, and went to West Point with an 8th grade education. He knew a lot about paratroopers. He led by example, very soft spoken. Ridgway was respected but Gavin was loved. These commanders were the first to jump out of the planes to lead their men, instead of how most generals acted, miles from the front. There was an extraordinary collection of men.
EC: Was it a success?
JD: Germans had flooded all these fields. They had to jump in the Swamp Land where dozens of men drowned. Yet, they got the job done because of the leadership, extraordinary training, and courage. After this, Airborne men proved that they could do an astonishing job.
EC: Does this story, The Guilty Sleep, have any reflection on your past service?
JB: I have been writing off and on for about twenty years. There is an awful lot of me and my military experience in this story. What I really wanted to do with this story is talk about the cost of fighting wars. I thought about this story in August of 2021 when the US was pulling out of Afghanistan. It was immediately overrun by the Taliban. As a military veteran who had served there, I had a lot of thoughts and feelings about it. I had a lot of conversations with other veterans about it. It made all the sense in the world to take all my thoughts and feelings about what happened there and put it all together in a novel that also dealt with family, camaraderie, and the cost of fighting wars on those who have fought.
EC: How did your military experience help you to write this?
JB: I was a counterintelligence agent in the army from 2000-2005, serving in Afghanistan. My team was assigned to support the Special Forces team, so we spent a lot of time chasing down the Taliban and Al Qaeda. In many ways there are elements in this story based on my personal experiences. The main character, Dex, is also a counterintelligence agent who was deployed there. He had the same training I did with many of the same experiences. He was impacted with combat induced PTSD that he developed during his deployment.
EC: Why the book quote, “The draw down in Afghanistan and the Taliban coming back is like nothing that happened even mattered. Like they died for nothing.” Please explain.
JB: I started writing this book in October 2021 and we pulled out of Afghanistan in August of 2021. I was watching it as a civilian and saw how our Afghan allies fled, and the Taliban took over our equipment. We were there for almost twenty years and so much of the blood and treasures died. I was struggling with what was it all for. There was a scene in the book where there was a veteran support group from Vietnam to Afghanistan. They talked about the Afghan pullout.
EC: How would you describe Dex, the hero?
JB: He is unraveling, a lost soul, sarcastic, a stand-up person, and a loving husband/father.
EC: Why give him PTSD?
JB: Some people who had one deployment like me struggle with PTSD and some people have many multiple deployments and do not seem to struggle with PTSD. Fighting wars and being in combat does have an impact on the human psyche. I found writing was my therapy.
EC: What was the character Dex struggling with?
JB: He had PTSD and struggled with depression, alcoholism, loss, and possibly losing his family. He screams, curses, has fury, some uncontrollable behavior, and sleep deprivation. I drew a lot of his PTSD experience from my own, especially the unexplainable flashes of rage along with the tossing and turning and unable to sleep. But like Dex I was a devoted husband and father. I put in this quote, “anger, booze, nightmares, symptoms, must be cut out like a tumor. And do it by helping people who need help.”
EC: Next book?
JB: I am working on sequel to the book. There will be some characters back. The working title is The Guilty Burn. There is no release date. Dex helps someone who gets into trouble and will do problem solving together.
THANK YOU!!
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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.
Baezy is born in 2069, the centennial of the legendary Woodstock Music and Art Fair. Everything peace, love, and flower power is celebrated that year in a wave of nostalgia that takes over fashion, music, and the public’s imagination. She grows up listening to and loving the artists of that time, dreaming of witnessing everyone from Joan Baez to Santana in person. When presented with the opportunity to time-travel, Baezy immediately chooses Woodstock as her destination. She plans to enjoy a glorious weekend of vibrant sights and sounds; her bell bottoms and a peasant blouse are packed for the adventure and she’s excited to surprise her great-great-great-grandmother, Kelly Adams.
While Baezy’s certainly not a typical Woodstock attendee, Kelly isn’t either. She is at the very beginning of a stellar career researching artificial intelligence in the 1960s, and will later develop much of what will lead to the utopian society Baezy lives in. Kelly’s future family is immensely proud of her historic accomplishments.
The contrast between Baezy’s 2101 and 1969 is stunning from her first moment. Woodstock exceeds her wildest expectations, but holds far more than an introduction to her distant grandmother. Baezy quickly finds herself in life-altering situations she could never have anticipated.
ANYWHEN by Beth Duke is a mash-up of genres; time travel, historical fiction, romance, and sci-fi all centered around time traveler, Baezy, who assumes the name and identity of Sarah while in the past.
Baezy was born in 2069, which is the centennial of the legendary Woodstock Music Festival and is named after the singer Joan Baez. Baezy is excited that for her birthday in 2101, her mother has arranged a three day TIP (Time Insertion Protocol) for her to travel back to Woodstock in the year 1969 not only for the live performances she has studied and loves, but to also meet her three times over grandmother on her maternal side, Kelly Adams, who was a brilliant mathematician at MIT and an originator of AI.
While Baezy’s time insertion does not go exactly as planned, she is able to find the group of six that have gone to Woodstock together including Kelly. Baezy is very excited to meet Kelly, but their interactions lead to problems. Her naivety, beauty, and lack of complete understanding of 1969 slang and sayings leads her into conflict with Kelly’s group except for Jack, who is a teacher and sympathetic to Baezy’s differences. Baezy hopes to avoid the others and just enjoy the rest of the Woodstock performances with Jack, but every decision she makes could lead to future changes she could never anticipate.
I enjoyed the mixed genre plot throughout this story very much. The time travel, the futuristic Unity and the historic Woodstock, also with discussions of the Vietnam war were all well written. Unity may have no war or hunger, but it is still not a future I would hope for. The scenes of Woodstock are entertaining and nostalgic. I loved Baezy and her emotional awakening and evolution throughout the story, it was Kelly and the females in the travel group that I found immature for their ages and off-putting, so much so that I almost put the book down for good. I am glad I carried on though for the remainder of Baizy’s storyline.
This is a story that will capture many differing types of genre readers and satisfy them all.
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About the Author
Beth Duke is an Amazon #1 Best Selling Author and the recipient of numerous honors for her fiction on two continents.
She is eyeing the other five.
Her book TAPESTRY was the Bronze Medal Winner in Southern Fiction in Publishers’ Weekly’s 2020 Readers’ Choice Awards, an Award-Winning Finalist in the 2020 International Book Awards, and a Five Star Readers’ Favorite Award Winner.
Beth lives in the mountains of her native Alabama with her husband, Jay, and an assortment of dogs—including a recently-rescued coonhound named Daisy who has stolen her heart. Beth is the adoring and proud mother of Jason and Savannah. She is a constant reader, travel aficionado, and likes to pretend she’s in baking competitions.
She also finds great joy in joining book clubs for discussion (usually via Zoom). If your group would like to schedule a date, please email beth@bethduke.com.
Her books DELANEY’S PEOPLE, DON’T SHOOT YOUR MULE, IT ALL COMES BACK TO YOU, TAPESTRY, and DARK ENOUGH TO SEE THE STARS are all love letters to her home state.
