What do you think?
Rate this book
Sisterhood of Spies: The Women of the OSS
Traces the life of a member of the OSS and the women who served undercover during World War II, detailing Nazi interrogations and expeditions behind enemy lines
282 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1998
33 people are currently reading
2523 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth P. McIntosh
3 books10 followersElizabeth P. McIntosh also used the name Elizabeth P. MacDonald
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
July 11, 2014
There's some very interesting information in here about the formation of the OSS and particularly the women who were in it, including field agents and even a couple of celebrities like Julia Childs and Marlene Dietrich but the presentation is vapid and ponderous at best. It got to the point where I found myself skipping chapters and skimming others until I realized it was more interesting to dig this information up on Wiki. The patriotic tone may turn off a few people. And, before an Amazon troll steps in and tells me I can't rate something if I haven't read it the whole way through, well, you're just flat out wrong. It isn't my job to read through something if it's boring. That's the job of the author to get me to want to turn the next page.
OVERALL GRADE: D plus to C minus; WHEN READ: March to April 2012.
OVERALL GRADE: D plus to C minus; WHEN READ: March to April 2012.
February 5, 2014
Probably about 3.5 stars.
What I liked: There were some gripping true stories that I hadn’t heard before. The author served in OSS during WWII, so she knew her subject. The book was arranged by area rather than strictly by chronology, and that organization worked well for this project. I also liked that she didn’t wait until the epilogue to say what happened to the women she wrote about. Instead, she explained what happened to them right after she highlighted their careers, while their stories were still fresh in the reader’s mind.
What I didn’t like: Some parts were a little dull. It felt like the author was trying to string together brief statements on all the women she interviewed, even when their work was fairly routine (routine as in important, but not necessarily interesting). I also felt the author spent too much effort highlighting all the OSS officers whose families were broken over the course of the war. Perhaps she was trying to make her situation (she and her pre-war husband both survived the war, but their marriage did not) appear normal.
What I liked: There were some gripping true stories that I hadn’t heard before. The author served in OSS during WWII, so she knew her subject. The book was arranged by area rather than strictly by chronology, and that organization worked well for this project. I also liked that she didn’t wait until the epilogue to say what happened to the women she wrote about. Instead, she explained what happened to them right after she highlighted their careers, while their stories were still fresh in the reader’s mind.
What I didn’t like: Some parts were a little dull. It felt like the author was trying to string together brief statements on all the women she interviewed, even when their work was fairly routine (routine as in important, but not necessarily interesting). I also felt the author spent too much effort highlighting all the OSS officers whose families were broken over the course of the war. Perhaps she was trying to make her situation (she and her pre-war husband both survived the war, but their marriage did not) appear normal.
January 24, 2012
This is the ultimate version for this book. I kind of like the unpretentious, dry but detailed writing. It fits the extraordinary but hard nosed exploits of these women perfectly. No unnecessarily excessive enthusiastic chorus of praise by McIntosh wich would diminish these women's heroic deeds, by making them sound fabulous, but slightly to good to be true to believe!
December 18, 2017
This book had such potential. I thought it was going to be about actual, boots-on-the-ground female agents, but instead, it read like a laundry list of secretaries & file clerks, and whom they married after the war. There were about 2 chapters that were interesting, but the author's inane need for including unneeded, space-filling details (like what color curtains hung in the office, or how bumpy the roads were) overshadowed these chapters too. To me, this book devolved into how many women can we list in a chapter, and who she was related to. Sadly, the author made it sound like the only reason these women joined the OSS was to find a husband. Ugh.
PS: If you were interested in learning about Marlene Dietrich's or Julia Child's exploits in this book, don't bother. Dietrich was reduced to less than 2 paragraphs & according to the book, Julia Childs was nothing more than a highly organized file clerk.
PS: If you were interested in learning about Marlene Dietrich's or Julia Child's exploits in this book, don't bother. Dietrich was reduced to less than 2 paragraphs & according to the book, Julia Childs was nothing more than a highly organized file clerk.
December 1, 2018
A fascinating overview of women in the OSS during WWII written by a woman who was one of them. There’s enough material here for a dozen books since many of the women are mentioned in a couple of paragraphs or a chapter, and I’d like to know more. McIntosh looks how women were recruited into the OSS, often because of education and language skills, and how a number of them moved from secretarial work to working with the resistance in Western Europe, creating black propaganda in Burma, and dealing with the shifting political situation in China. Highly recommended.
March 29, 2016
Fascinating material could have made a compelling book. Instead, McIntosh's style is so dull and prim that even the most exciting stories seem flat, merely a recitation of the facts. What a pity.
March 30, 2022
From spying during WWII, including the resistance fighters in France, to the CIA of today, a very excellent book on the women who have worked as spies against the enemies of the United States.
July 18, 2020
I picked up this book for a quarter at my library's book sale. I read the introduction and it struck me that the author has exactly the same stilted writing style as Aline Countess of Romanones who wrote The Spy Wore Red and several other books about her adventures in the OSS. Then Elizabeth McIntosh actually mentions Aline in the Introduction. I almost fell off my chair when I got to page 218 where the author reveals that Aline's nickname was "Butch!" She then goes on to confirm that the commander of the OSS purposely recruited women who were, or at least looked like, fashion models. It was expected that part of their job would be to seduce men who were in a position to give them information.
When they didn't do it themselves, they hired professionals. One of the women who worked for the OSS bribed German prisoners to give her information by paying for them to spend the afternoon with the local putanazzas.
That same OSS agent wrote propaganda pamphlets to demoralize Czech solders by telling them that, while they were fighting at the front, their sisters, wives, and mothers were whoring at home. I thought it was pretty funny that this same OSS agent couldn't figure out why U.S. servicemen kept propositioning her. Apparently it never occurred to her that the Germans were equally good at writing propaganda. Theirs said that women in the U.S. military were being recruited to "service" American service men.
I was brought up short on page 190 when an OSS agent was complaining that she had not been allowed to go on a certain mission in France because women were not allowed in combat zones. Later she heard that Operation Anvil had been "a piece of cake" and that she should have been allowed to go. Wrong on two counts. First, female radio operators, nurses, and a few others with critical skills were being sent into combat zones. Maybe "sexy spy" was not considered a critical skill. Second, Operation Anvil, while a victory for the allies, was not "a piece of cake." There is a whole cemetery in France devoted to American soldiers who did not survive Operation Anvil.
When they didn't do it themselves, they hired professionals. One of the women who worked for the OSS bribed German prisoners to give her information by paying for them to spend the afternoon with the local putanazzas.
That same OSS agent wrote propaganda pamphlets to demoralize Czech solders by telling them that, while they were fighting at the front, their sisters, wives, and mothers were whoring at home. I thought it was pretty funny that this same OSS agent couldn't figure out why U.S. servicemen kept propositioning her. Apparently it never occurred to her that the Germans were equally good at writing propaganda. Theirs said that women in the U.S. military were being recruited to "service" American service men.
I was brought up short on page 190 when an OSS agent was complaining that she had not been allowed to go on a certain mission in France because women were not allowed in combat zones. Later she heard that Operation Anvil had been "a piece of cake" and that she should have been allowed to go. Wrong on two counts. First, female radio operators, nurses, and a few others with critical skills were being sent into combat zones. Maybe "sexy spy" was not considered a critical skill. Second, Operation Anvil, while a victory for the allies, was not "a piece of cake." There is a whole cemetery in France devoted to American soldiers who did not survive Operation Anvil.
January 27, 2015
What promised to be a fascinating story of intrigue ended up being a laundry list of girls who got rides home in the General William Donovan's limo, typists, and file clerks, whom we are assured were doing very important work, interspersed with some stories of agents in the field. I don't doubt that everyone involved was doing an crucial job, just the efficaciousness of mentioning every single woman who worked for the OSS. This book that I expected to revere the work of women begins with a biography of General Donovan, the first head of the OSS and lays other important social context, such as how women were referred to as "girls," which was in no way meant to be demeaning, and why the majority of OSS recruits were rich and white (when Donovan was building the organization, he chose among his upper class, Ivy League-educated friends because, hey, who can you trust but your friends?). Almost as disturbingly, each woman who was highlighted had a follow-up story recounting her success, usually measured in 1940s terms of marriage, money, and children. Finally, oh finally, in the middle, like an oasis appearing in the desert, there was one chapter that evoked the dire conditions and stress of finding safety and food in a war-torn country, as well as danger narrowly escaped. In general, I was underwhelmed by this dry account and feel that there are some compelling stories here that have yet to be told.
August 22, 2017
Leaning toward 3.5 stars. Written in a breezy magazine-article style that I felt suited the snapshot glimpses of the many women/jobs covered over the course of the book. This isn't a comprehensive look at any one person or operation; look elsewhere for that. Appreciated this one for the interviews from the women who were featured (this was published in 1998 and I'll guess that many of those women aren't here to share their stories anymore, so am glad the author - herself employed by the OSS - took the time to gather these first-person accounts), and for covering even the "routine" jobs that the majority of the female employees held. I dig mundane historical details, so I wasn't bored by them. The stories about filing information and driving generals around also, to me, served as a sobering reminder that even something so horrifying as war is eventually broken down into tasks like filing index cards.
April 8, 2009
Rather entertaining story of the formation of the OSS, and in particular, the women who got involved from the start. It's lots of fun to read about people one knows, like Marlene Dietrich and Julia Child (who was in an office in the Far East; not doing Mata Hari work, but defintely carrying out duties of importance to the war effort). It's just as interesting to read of the many other, less known women who helped bring about a successful ending, through many types of work - both dangerous field assignments, and crucial administrative achievements.
This book is also somewhat less portentous than others on this subject. It takes seriously the work done by all these women, but seems to have less of a chip on its shoulder about the world of espionage.
This book is also somewhat less portentous than others on this subject. It takes seriously the work done by all these women, but seems to have less of a chip on its shoulder about the world of espionage.
January 19, 2014
I read this book for my community book club.
This was an interesting, compelling read. I knew about the British women who played vital roles in Bletchley Park and other places during the war, but I never had any idea that American women were just as active as their British counterparts.
The writing was a bit dry in places, but when I'd find myself getting bogged down, I'd remind myself that these were stories of real women, and not all they did was glamorous all of the time.
I'm glad I read the book, and I may look for more books on this same topic.
This was an interesting, compelling read. I knew about the British women who played vital roles in Bletchley Park and other places during the war, but I never had any idea that American women were just as active as their British counterparts.
The writing was a bit dry in places, but when I'd find myself getting bogged down, I'd remind myself that these were stories of real women, and not all they did was glamorous all of the time.
I'm glad I read the book, and I may look for more books on this same topic.
March 23, 2015
I have seen some of the negative reviews. They are entitled to their opinion. I first want to say that the date of writing of this title is 1998. That said, I believe the author recently celebrated her 100th birthday at the CIA. I look at the book as a jig-saw puzzle piece to the larger history of both military and intelligence operations of WWII (and beyond). It is non-fiction so is not intended for entertainment. I just appreciate that the author got around to saving information from the period in her 80s.
January 16, 2016
Interesting read. But the author seems to have spent more time talking about who got married, how many times, and to who, than she does telling the stories of the extraordinary jobs these women did.
September 11, 2017
What should have been a fascinating read, was so poorly written that I couldn't finish it.
gave-up
December 26, 2019Started but found the writing style and format a bit dull.
February 12, 2020
It could have been fascinating, but it was boring, really dry. I didn't finish it.
July 8, 2020
Young and brave, the women of the OSS organised resistance groups, committed sabotage, forged documents and encoded and decoded messages, as well as being involved in many other espionage activities. This book is based on over 100 interviews with men and women who served in the OSS and the CIA and with writers, scholars and historians. Elizabeth P. McIntosh does justice to the women who fought for freedom in this fascinating book.
She tells exciting tales about these 'sisters', including the stories of Maria Gulovich, who led soldiers to freedom across mountainous terrain through snow and bitter weather, Countess Ramanones who reported on the gossip of the Spanish aristocracy, Cornelia Dodson, who met the future fashion designer Emilio Pucci to ask him to search for Mussolini's missing diaries, and Virginia Hall, who only had on leg but didn't that affect her clandestine activities. McIntosh also writes about exciting operations, such as Operation Sunrise which led to the unconditional surrender of German troops in Italy. There are many famous people mentioned in the book as well, including Clark Gable and Marlene Dietrich. She also adds her own story as a young woman working in China and India in the very heart of the dangerous Pacific war. I also liked reading about the leader of the OSS Maj. General William J. Donovan with his twinkling Irish blue eyes.and his theory about the Temple of Apollo in Delphi in Greece.
I greatly enjoyed this book and it made me interested in reading more about the women in the OSS.
I received this free book from the Naval Institute Press in return for an honest review.
She tells exciting tales about these 'sisters', including the stories of Maria Gulovich, who led soldiers to freedom across mountainous terrain through snow and bitter weather, Countess Ramanones who reported on the gossip of the Spanish aristocracy, Cornelia Dodson, who met the future fashion designer Emilio Pucci to ask him to search for Mussolini's missing diaries, and Virginia Hall, who only had on leg but didn't that affect her clandestine activities. McIntosh also writes about exciting operations, such as Operation Sunrise which led to the unconditional surrender of German troops in Italy. There are many famous people mentioned in the book as well, including Clark Gable and Marlene Dietrich. She also adds her own story as a young woman working in China and India in the very heart of the dangerous Pacific war. I also liked reading about the leader of the OSS Maj. General William J. Donovan with his twinkling Irish blue eyes.and his theory about the Temple of Apollo in Delphi in Greece.
I greatly enjoyed this book and it made me interested in reading more about the women in the OSS.
I received this free book from the Naval Institute Press in return for an honest review.
September 16, 2022
I went to a little village in the Andes over the summer and, knowing how difficult one generally finds it to get reception 7,000 meters above sea level, decided that I would use this to my advantage by finally getting around to reading this book. That's what it took. That sounds pretty demeaning, right? I mean, it wasn't all bad. I have good memories of reading it at twilight by headlamp, entertaining visions of myself as one of these women: living in a foreign country, picking up another language, testing my independence, etc. That said, I did finish the book faster than usual. Despite its awkwardly fast pacing and my inability to Google any of the hundreds of names mentioned, reading this book was empowering.
Some of the other reviews mentioned a dislike of how the book introduced its women: in an attempt to find out how many it could mention in passing in a single chapter. I agree, that did get annoying, and McIntosh would probably have had more room to expand on their stories had fewer pages been taken up with accounts of the husbands, beaus, male higher-ups, etc. It kinda throws information at you, but there are a few larger overarching plots you can grab onto.
I only found out afterward that the author herself worked in the OSS. The book may have had its faults, but it's not right to fault a one-time author (especially when you buy the book in the discount section) who writes only to tell an important story- that is- of this near-forgotten organization and the badass women behind it.
Some of the other reviews mentioned a dislike of how the book introduced its women: in an attempt to find out how many it could mention in passing in a single chapter. I agree, that did get annoying, and McIntosh would probably have had more room to expand on their stories had fewer pages been taken up with accounts of the husbands, beaus, male higher-ups, etc. It kinda throws information at you, but there are a few larger overarching plots you can grab onto.
I only found out afterward that the author herself worked in the OSS. The book may have had its faults, but it's not right to fault a one-time author (especially when you buy the book in the discount section) who writes only to tell an important story- that is- of this near-forgotten organization and the badass women behind it.
January 31, 2020
Subject: Excellent Read about Women in the OSS
This is the second book by the author who worked in the OSS both in India/Ceylon and China. Her first book, "Undercover Girl", was published in 1946 right after the OSS was dissolved. As such, there were no security restrictions placed on her book, which provides some of the best details of life in the OSS in Washington D.C. and India/Ceylon and China. Bill Donovan proofread and provided the Forward for "Undercover Girl".
After the death of her husband in 1958, who worked for Donovan both in the OSS and Donovan's law firm, the author returned to the spy world in 1959 by joining the CIA. Thus, after a long career in the intelligence community, the author published the "Sisterhood of Spies" in 1999. This book focuses on the lives of the many women who worked in the OSS and the operations they were involved in and covers all WW2 theaters. The last chapter describes how women have advanced into key positions in the CIA.
I really enjoyed both of the author's books and recommend them to anyone who has an interest in WW2 and/or the OSS.
This is the second book by the author who worked in the OSS both in India/Ceylon and China. Her first book, "Undercover Girl", was published in 1946 right after the OSS was dissolved. As such, there were no security restrictions placed on her book, which provides some of the best details of life in the OSS in Washington D.C. and India/Ceylon and China. Bill Donovan proofread and provided the Forward for "Undercover Girl".
After the death of her husband in 1958, who worked for Donovan both in the OSS and Donovan's law firm, the author returned to the spy world in 1959 by joining the CIA. Thus, after a long career in the intelligence community, the author published the "Sisterhood of Spies" in 1999. This book focuses on the lives of the many women who worked in the OSS and the operations they were involved in and covers all WW2 theaters. The last chapter describes how women have advanced into key positions in the CIA.
I really enjoyed both of the author's books and recommend them to anyone who has an interest in WW2 and/or the OSS.
May 16, 2020
I could not get through this book for the life of me.
First of all I want to say that any woman or person, for that matter, who worked during this tremendously hard time of World War II deserves recognition But, the author seems to think that they were no ordinary people here. Or their stories just didn’t matter to this author. She seems to record story of every woman who worked at the agency that had some kind of exclusive social standing. This reads like a social register of the OSS. After the first two or three I couldn’t care debutante’s privileged lives.
The author readily admits that this was an organization of “it’s who you know”.
if the author had selected a small percentage of the women and concentrated on their stories, it could’ve been worth it.
And maybe, if she included just two or three women who were not upper-crust society ladies, and told their story...
She didn’t and therefore this book ends up on my too-awful-to-waste-my/time shelf.
First of all I want to say that any woman or person, for that matter, who worked during this tremendously hard time of World War II deserves recognition But, the author seems to think that they were no ordinary people here. Or their stories just didn’t matter to this author. She seems to record story of every woman who worked at the agency that had some kind of exclusive social standing. This reads like a social register of the OSS. After the first two or three I couldn’t care debutante’s privileged lives.
The author readily admits that this was an organization of “it’s who you know”.
if the author had selected a small percentage of the women and concentrated on their stories, it could’ve been worth it.
And maybe, if she included just two or three women who were not upper-crust society ladies, and told their story...
She didn’t and therefore this book ends up on my too-awful-to-waste-my/time shelf.
August 26, 2020
Not a book to sit down and read through, I would read a chapter or two and then sit and think about those people and maybe look up some additional info before I proceeded. Basically, 1 or 2 women are featured in each chapter, and most of them deserve an entire book, not just a chapter. For example, I read a terrific book last year about Virginia Hall, A Woman of No Importance, but she gets only one chapter in this book. The author led a fascinating life; I would like to read her autobiography. Julia Child appears in more than one chapter, because the chapters are arranged geographically, and she really got around. Sometimes there are just a couple of sentences about something that must be a great story, like Capt. Chuck Yeager, the famous pilot, and Peter de Paulo, the Indy car driver, doing a super secret mission together in Europe during WW II. This book is a bit like sitting through 2 hours of movie previews, tantalizing but frustrating.
July 5, 2017
Reading like a historical documentary McIntosh recreates the endeavors of the women of the OSS. I had not realized how widely used, nor how immensely talented and educated some of the women were. A number of them were recruited from embassies, military, east coast universities and friends of friends. Most all were multi-lingual and were tasked with some of the world's most intimate secrets at the time.
A number were famous names I recognized, even today!
Thanks to the author, Elizabeth McIntosh, for taking the time to compile the women and their stories and current status. Fifty years in the making, I take my hat off to you and all the other women who served. What a fitting finish for the 4th of July weekend!
A number were famous names I recognized, even today!
Thanks to the author, Elizabeth McIntosh, for taking the time to compile the women and their stories and current status. Fifty years in the making, I take my hat off to you and all the other women who served. What a fitting finish for the 4th of July weekend!
October 17, 2020
An amazing book of 'vignettes' of women who were part of the OSS, forerunner of the CIA, during
WW II. Most of the women were college graduates, and many were multi-lingual. Several had lived in foreign countries and most were better qualified than their male bosses. Only a few became operatives but much of spy work is research and analysis. Many decoded and encoded messages and translated intercepted cables. Some women 'interrogated" refugees and POWs to gather information to help develop covers for operatives and to design propaganda that would shorten the war. The last chapter covers the post war period. It is a fascinating read.
WW II. Most of the women were college graduates, and many were multi-lingual. Several had lived in foreign countries and most were better qualified than their male bosses. Only a few became operatives but much of spy work is research and analysis. Many decoded and encoded messages and translated intercepted cables. Some women 'interrogated" refugees and POWs to gather information to help develop covers for operatives and to design propaganda that would shorten the war. The last chapter covers the post war period. It is a fascinating read.
October 20, 2022
Honestly, I liked the concept. I'd never heard of the OSS and after some background research, the facts here seem true. It's just very boring and drawn-out at times. Pointless details, ten new names a chapter, it's hard to remember all this... It was interesting at the beginning with chapters about "Cynthia" and Virginia Hall, but as it went on it began to bore me. I only finished it because I was reading for a school project and was too far in to change books. I'm giving it two stars because some chapters really did intrigue me. The latter chapters did quite the opposite. I'd say you can check it out if you want but researching on your own is going to be your best bet.
November 8, 2017
An interesting series of subjects, though it didn't always sustain interest. The author focused on some of the more salacious details at the outset, but followed up with occasional curiosities that didn't often lead to anything. While the contributions of general administrative staff are commendable, devoting paragraphs to several of them with very similar details made it feel as though the narrative had lost focus at times. However, the more noteworthy missions and research projects were fascinating.
December 5, 2019
Based on over 100 interviews with OSS staff, letters, diaries, biographies, etc., McIntosh's excellent book chronicles numerous female OSS agents and their day-to-day work in various geographical areas around the globe during WWII. Some women were spies, others were researchers, clerks, drivers, cartographers, and analysts. Espionage was only a small part of OSS, and this is not a spy thriller story, but instead focuses on the illuminating practical details of daily work in the OSS.
March 25, 2020
I'll be honest. This book is not exceptionally interesting on it's own. If you're not already interested in the role women played in the OSS or in WWII it may be difficult to stay engaged. What I like the most is the author does not oversell or sensationalize the roles many of these women fulfilled. The stories she tells are as honest as the sources from which they came and she does a good job explaining how even the most menial jobs were important to the war effort. I can appreciate that.
January 10, 2022
Insightful look into stories of US intelligence operations that were initiated prior to World War II. The author, a former OSS and CIA specialist, tells first hand and other stories focused on the 4,000+ women who served their country, often in outposts and less than desirable settings. The book closes with a brief history of women in the CIA, where the author returned after a break in her intelligence career.
August 7, 2017
Kus som sa podučila. A kus aj sa zmiatla. Veľa informácii, ale za utriedenie to stojí a ako inšpirácia rozhodne vie poslúžiť.
Niekto síce obviňuje z prílišného "patriotizmu", "idealizmu" a pánboh vie čoho ešte, ale na každom čitateľovi záleží, čo si vyberie, čo hľadá a ako použije to, čo nájde.
Ja som dostala, čo som hľadala... a možno aj viac.
Niekto síce obviňuje z prílišného "patriotizmu", "idealizmu" a pánboh vie čoho ešte, ale na každom čitateľovi záleží, čo si vyberie, čo hľadá a ako použije to, čo nájde.
Ja som dostala, čo som hľadala... a možno aj viac.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews