Propaganda Girls by Lisa Rogak Book Review

About the Book:

The incredible untold story of four women who spun the web of deception that helped win World War II.

Betty MacDonald was a 28-year-old reporter from Hawaii. Zuzka Lauwers grew up in a tiny Czechoslovakian village and knew five languages by the time she was 21. Jane Smith-Hutton was the wife of a naval attaché living in Tokyo. Marlene Dietrich, the German-American actress and singer, was of course one of the biggest stars of the 20th century. These four women, each fascinating in her own right, together contributed to one of the most covert and successful military campaigns in WWII.

As members of the OSS, their task was to create a secret brand of propaganda produced with the sole aim to break the morale of Axis soldiers. Working in the European theater, across enemy lines in occupied China, and in Washington, D.C., Betty, Zuzka, Jane, and Marlene forged letters and “official” military orders, wrote and produced entire newspapers, scripted radio broadcasts and songs, and even developed rumors for undercover spies and double agents to spread to the enemy. And outside of a small group of spies, no one knew they existed. Until now.

In Propaganda Girls, bestselling author Lisa Rogak brings to vivid life the incredible true story of four unsung heroes, whose spellbinding achievements would change the course of history.

My Review:

I am generally one who does not read books about WW II. I can take only so many sinking ships and amazingly heroic army divisions. But this book is so different, I really liked it. Plus, it was about women playing a vital but generally unknown part in that war.

I found each of the four stories engaging with so many personal anecdotes. A Czech who became an American citizen and joined the Women's Army Corps. How Marlene got that name, renounced her German citizenship and played a musical saw. Jane being held in the US embassy in Tokyo for six and a half months. Betty's missteps being trained as a secret operative were sometimes humorous.

Rogak did a great deal of research to provide the personal stories included in this book. I think it would be of interest to readers who would like to know more about unusual WW II efforts like writing fake military commands, spreading rumors through the enemy military, writing pamphlets and much more. I recommend this very interesting book.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

LISA ROGAK is the author of numerous books, including And Nothing But the Truthiness: The Rise (and Further Rise) of Stephen Colbert. She is the editor of the New York Times bestseller Barack Obama in His Own Words and author of the New York Times bestseller Angry Optimist: The Life and Times of Jon Stewart. Rogak lives in New Hampshire. Photo credit: Sharona Jacobs

St Martin's Press: 240 pages

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)