"Agent Josephine" by Damien Lewis - Historical Fiction Book Club - Past Titles

About the Author: Damien Lewis

Background:
- Damien Lewis was born in 1964 in Cardiff, Wales.
Education:
- He attended the University of Wales, where he studied film and literature.
Military Service:
- Damien Lewis served as an officer in the British Army, and his military background has influenced his interest in writing about war-related subjects.
Writing Career:
- Damien Lewis is a prolific author, and his writing primarily focuses on real-life stories of bravery, heroism, and resilience in the face of conflict. He often explores the experiences of soldiers, spies, and individuals involved in espionage.
Books:
- Lewis has authored numerous books covering a wide range of military and historical topics. Some of his notable works include titles like "Zero Six Bravo," "Judy: A Dog in a Million," "SAS Ghost Patrol," and "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare."
Zero Six Bravo:
- "Zero Six Bravo" is one of Damien Lewis's well-known books. It recounts the true story of a Special Forces patrol during the Iraq War and the challenges they faced behind enemy lines.
Judy: A Dog in a Million:
- "Judy: A Dog in a Million" is another acclaimed work that tells the story of a World War II RAF search and rescue dog named Judy.
SAS Ghost Patrol:
- In "SAS Ghost Patrol," Damien Lewis explores the heroic actions of a Special Air Service (SAS) unit during World War II's North African campaign.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare:
- This book delves into the activities of a secret British organization known as the Special Operations Executive (SOE) during World War II.
Style and Approach:
- Damien Lewis is known for his engaging and narrative-driven style. His books often provide readers with a vivid and personal understanding of historical events and the individuals involved.
Recognition:
- Damien Lewis's books have received positive reviews for their compelling storytelling and meticulous research. His works often shed light on lesser-known stories from wartime history.

Synopsis

Singer. Actress. Beauty. Spy.

During WWII, Josephine Baker, the world's richest and most glamorous entertainer, was an Allied spy in Occupied France. Before World War II, Josephine Baker was a music-hall diva renowned for her singing, dancing, beauty, and sexuality; she was the highest-paid female performer in Europe. When the Nazis seized her adopted city, Paris, she was banned from the stage, along with all "negroes and Jews." Yet instead of returning to America, she vowed to stay and to fight the Nazi evil. Overnight, she went from performer to Resistance spy. In Agent Josephine, bestselling author Damien Lewis uncovers this little-known history of the famous singer's life. During the war years, as a member of the French Nurse paratroopers--a cover for her spying work--Baker participated in numerous clandestine activities and emerged as a formidable spy. In turn, she was a hero of the three countries in whose name she served--the US, France, and Britain. Drawing on a plethora of new historical material and rigorous research, including previously undisclosed letters and journals, Lewis upends the conventional story of Josephine Baker, explaining why she fully deserves her unique place in the French Panthéon.

Historical Timeline

Josephine Baker lived during a period of significant historical events and cultural shifts. Here's a timeline highlighting key moments during her life (1906–1975):

1906 (June 3): Josephine Baker is born in St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
1917-1919: World War I takes place. This period coincides with Baker's teenage years.
1921: At the age of 15, Josephine Baker begins her career in vaudeville and joins the St. Louis Chorus.
1925: Josephine Baker travels to Paris to perform in La Revue Nègre, marking the beginning of her international career.
1927: Baker gains widespread acclaim for her role in the Folies Bergère production "La Folie du Jour."
1929: The Great Depression begins, impacting economies worldwide.
1931: Josephine Baker returns to the United States for a brief period, but faces racial discrimination.
1932: Baker marries Jean Lion, a French industrialist, in a marriage that ends in divorce.
1936: The Spanish Civil War begins.
1937: Josephine Baker marries French orchestra leader Jo Bouillon.
1939-1945: World War II takes place. Baker becomes involved in the French Resistance and works as a spy.
1945: World War II ends. Baker is awarded the Croix de Guerre and the Rosette de la Résistance for her wartime contributions.
1947: Baker adopts her first child, a daughter named Marianne.
1951: Baker marries French composer and conductor Jo Bouillon in a civil ceremony in France.
1953: Baker adopts 11 children from various ethnic backgrounds, forming her "Rainbow Tribe."
1959: Baker becomes a naturalized French citizen.
1961: The Civil Rights Movement gains momentum in the United States.
1963: Baker participates in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.
1968: Baker's friend Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated.
1973: Josephine Baker performs at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
1975 (April 12): Josephine Baker passes away in Paris, France, at the age of 68.

Josephine Baker's life spanned a period of profound social, political, and cultural changes, from the Roaring Twenties to the Civil Rights Movement. Her career and activism reflected the challenges and triumphs of the 20th century.

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D-Day Girls by Sarah Rose
Call Number: 940.54 Rose
In 1942, the Allies were losing, Germany seemed unstoppable, and every able man in England was on the front lines. To "set Europe ablaze," in the words of Winston Churchill, the Special Operations Executive (SOE), whose spies were trained in everything from demolition to sharpshooting, was forced to do something unprecedented: recruit women. Thirty-nine answered the call, leaving their lives and families to become saboteurs in France. In D-Day Girls , Sarah Rose draws on recently declassified files, diaries, and oral histories to tell the thrilling story of three of these remarkable women. There's Andrée Borrel, a scrappy and streetwise Parisian who blew up power lines with the Gestapo hot on her heels; Odette Sansom, an unhappily married suburban mother who saw the SOE as her ticket out of domestic life and into a meaningful adventure; and Lise de Baissac, a fiercely independent member of French colonial high society and the SOE's unflappable "queen." Together, they destroyed train lines, ambushed Nazis, plotted prison breaks, and gathered crucial intelligence--laying the groundwork for the D-Day invasion that proved to be the turning point in the war. Rigorously researched and written with razor-sharp wit, D-Day Girls is an inspiring story for our own moment of resistance: a reminder of what courage--and the energy of politically animated women--can accomplish when the stakes seem incalculably high.
The Princess Spy by Larry Loftis
Call Number: 940.5486 Loftis
When Aline Griffith was born in a quiet suburban New York hamlet, no one had any idea that she would go on to live "a life of glamour and danger that Ingrid Bergman only played at in Notorious " ( Time ). As the United States enters the Second World War, the young college graduate is desperate to aid in the war effort, but no one is interested in a bright-eyed young woman whose only career experience is modeling clothes. Aline's life changes when, at a dinner party, she meets a man named Frank Ryan and reveals how desperately she wants to do her part for her country. Within a few weeks, he helps her join the Office of Strategic Services--forerunner of the CIA. With a code name and expert training under her belt, she is sent to Spain to be a coder, but is soon given the additional assignment of infiltrating the upper echelons of society, mingling with high-ranking officials, diplomats, and titled Europeans. Against this glamorous backdrop of galas and dinner parties, she recruits sub-agents and engages in deep-cover espionage. Even after marrying the Count of Romanones, one of the wealthiest men in Spain, Aline secretly continues her covert activities, being given special assignments when abroad that would benefit from her impeccable pedigree and social connections. "[A] meticulously researched, beautifully crafted work of nonfiction that reads like a James Bond thriller" ( Bookreporter ), The Princess Spy brings to vivid life the dazzling adventures of a spirited American woman who risked everything to serve her country.
Madame Fourcade's Secret War by Lynne Olson
Call Number: 940.5486 Olson
In 1941 a thirty-one-year-old Frenchwoman, a young mother born to privilege and known for her beauty and glamour, became the leader of a vast intelligence organization--the only woman to serve as a chef de résistance during the war. Strong-willed, independent, and a lifelong rebel against her country's conservative, patriarchal society, Marie-Madeleine Fourcade was temperamentally made for the job. Her group's name was Alliance, but the Gestapo dubbed it Noah's Ark because its agents used the names of animals as their aliases. The name Marie-Madeleine chose for herself was Hedgehog: a tough little animal, unthreatening in appearance, that, as a colleague of hers put it, 'even a lion would hesitate to bite.' No other French spy network lasted as long or supplied as much crucial intelligence--including providing American and British military commanders with a 55-foot-long map of the beaches and roads on which the Allies would land on D-Day--as Alliance. The Gestapo pursued them relentlessly, capturing, torturing, and executing hundreds of its three thousand agents, including Fourcade's own lover and many of her key spies. Although Fourcade, the mother of two young children, moved her headquarters every few weeks, constantly changing her hair color, clothing, and identity, she was captured twice by the Nazis. Both times she managed to escape--once by slipping naked through the bars of her jail cell--and continued to hold her network together even as it repeatedly threatened to crumble around her. Now, in this dramatic account of the war that split France in two and forced its people to live side by side with their hated German occupiers, Lynne Olson tells the fascinating story of a woman who stood up for her nation, her fellow citizens, and herself.
The Wolves at the Door by Judith L. Pearson
Call Number: 940.548673 Pearson
Virginia Hall left her comfortable Baltimore roots in 1931 with dreams of becoming a Foreign Service Officer, but her gender--and her wooden leg--kept her from pursuing politics. As Hitler advanced across Europe, she put her gift for languages to use with the British Special Operations Executive, a secret espionage organization. She was soon deployed to occupied France where she located drop zones, helped prisoners of war flee to England, and secured safe houses for agents. Soon, wanted posters appeared throughout France, offering a reward for Hall's capture. By 1942, Hall had to flee France via the only route possible: an arduous hike on foot through the frozen Pyrénées Mountains. Upon her return to England, the American espionage organization, the Office of Special Services, recruited her and sent her back to France disguised as an old peasant woman. While there, she was responsible for killing 150 German soldiers and capturing 500 others. Sabotaging communications and directing resistance activities, her brave work helped change the course of the war.
Josephine Baker by Jose-Luis Bocquet; Catel Muller (Illustrator)
Call Number: GRAPHIC BAKER
Josephine Baker (1906--1975) was nineteen years old when she found herself in Paris for the first time in 1925. Overnight, the young American dancer became the idol of the Roaring Twenties, captivating Picasso, Cocteau, Le Corbusier, and Simenon. In the liberating atmosphere of the 1930s, Baker rose to fame as the first black star on the world stage, from London to Vienna, Alexandria to Buenos Aires. After World War II, and her time in the French Resistance, Baker devoted herself to the struggle against racial segregation, publicly battling the humiliations she had for so long suffered personally. She led by example, and over the course of the 1950s adopted twelve orphans of different ethnic backgrounds: a veritable Rainbow Tribe. A victim of racism throughout her life, Josephine Baker would sing of love and liberty until the day she died.