The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA
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- Create Date：2023-10-23 00:21:00
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Liza Mundy
- ISBN：0593238176
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Summary
A thrilling and monumental new history of the CIA that reveals how women have always played crucial， often unacknowledged roles in American spycraft， a hidden “sisterhood” of spies， analysts， operatives， and manhunters who， over a half-century， kept the free world safe and， more than once， saved it—from the New York Times bestselling author of Code Girls
Upon its creation in 1947， the Central Intelligence Agency instantly became one of the most important spy services in the world。 Like every male-dominated workplace in Eisenhower America， the growing intelligence agency needed women to type memos， send messages， manipulate expense accounts， and keep secrets。 Despite discrimination—even because of it—these clerks and secretaries rose to become some of the shrewdest， toughest operatives the agency employed。 Because women were seen as unimportant， they moved unnoticed on the streets of Bonn， Geneva， and Moscow， stealing secrets under the noses of the KGB。 Back at headquarters， they built the CIA’s critical archives—first by hand， then by computer。
These women also battled institutional stereotyping and beat it。 Men argued they alone could run spy rings。 But the women proved they could be spymasters， too。 During the Cold War， women made critical contributions to U。S。 intelligence， sometimes as officers， sometimes as unpaid spouses， working together as their numbers grew。 The women also made unique sacrifices， giving up marriage， children， even their own lives。
They noticed things that the men at the top didn’t see。 In the final years of the twentieth century， it was a close-knit network of female CIA analysts who warned about the rising threat of Al Qaeda。 After the 9/11 attacks， women rushed to join the fight as a new job， “targeter，” came to prominence。 They showed that painstaking data analysis would be crucial to the post-9/11 national security landscape—an effort that culminated spectacularly in the CIA’s successful efforts to track down and kill Osama Bin Laden and， later， Ayman al-Zawahiri。
With the same meticulous reporting and storytelling verve that she brought to her New York Times bestseller Code Girls， Liza Mundy has written an indispensable and sweeping history that reveals how women at the CIA ushered in the modern intelligence age。
Upon its creation in 1947， the Central Intelligence Agency instantly became one of the most important spy services in the world。 Like every male-dominated workplace in Eisenhower America， the growing intelligence agency needed women to type memos， send messages， manipulate expense accounts， and keep secrets。 Despite discrimination—even because of it—these clerks and secretaries rose to become some of the shrewdest， toughest operatives the agency employed。 Because women were seen as unimportant， they moved unnoticed on the streets of Bonn， Geneva， and Moscow， stealing secrets under the noses of the KGB。 Back at headquarters， they built the CIA’s critical archives—first by hand， then by computer。
These women also battled institutional stereotyping and beat it。 Men argued they alone could run spy rings。 But the women proved they could be spymasters， too。 During the Cold War， women made critical contributions to U。S。 intelligence， sometimes as officers， sometimes as unpaid spouses， working together as their numbers grew。 The women also made unique sacrifices， giving up marriage， children， even their own lives。
They noticed things that the men at the top didn’t see。 In the final years of the twentieth century， it was a close-knit network of female CIA analysts who warned about the rising threat of Al Qaeda。 After the 9/11 attacks， women rushed to join the fight as a new job， “targeter，” came to prominence。 They showed that painstaking data analysis would be crucial to the post-9/11 national security landscape—an effort that culminated spectacularly in the CIA’s successful efforts to track down and kill Osama Bin Laden and， later， Ayman al-Zawahiri。
With the same meticulous reporting and storytelling verve that she brought to her New York Times bestseller Code Girls， Liza Mundy has written an indispensable and sweeping history that reveals how women at the CIA ushered in the modern intelligence age。
Reviews
Kara
，
Fascinating， but as a woman， frustrating， history to read。
Novel Visits
，
I liked this one。 I was both awed and angered。 I would recommend print over audio because of the many women to keep track of。 Full review to follow。
YJ Wang
，
Not only is The Sisterhood a detailed accounting of the history of how women have historically been instrumental in the formation and continued success of the CIA， it is also a helpful history on the CIA itself。 As a reader with only a cursory knowledge of the CIA， I gained a solid understanding of why the CIA was formed （to address security concerns during WWII）， and how the agency's priorities shifted from WWII to the Cold War to， in recent years， the War on Terror。This book tackles a lot in i Not only is The Sisterhood a detailed accounting of the history of how women have historically been instrumental in the formation and continued success of the CIA， it is also a helpful history on the CIA itself。 As a reader with only a cursory knowledge of the CIA， I gained a solid understanding of why the CIA was formed （to address security concerns during WWII）， and how the agency's priorities shifted from WWII to the Cold War to， in recent years， the War on Terror。This book tackles a lot in its 480 pages， as it traverses the lives of its essential characters， multiple time periods， and the different departments of the CIA。 All this leads to a highly comprehensive read that is， at times， hard to comprehend just because it's so much。 Besides certain examples of the misogyny within the agency， I feel like I learned more about the CIA as an institution than the experiences of the women in it。 I wish there had been more details about the actual sisterhood component of the title， with a stronger focus on the interactions between women within the organization。 Perhaps the book would have also benefited from a different organizational structure。 There are a few key characters that appeared throughout the book but I often found myself forgetting who did what and was in what role。 Maybe if each chapter alternated to follow a specific woman and the book was divided into large timeline chunks， it would be easier to keep track of all the timelines and characters。Overall though， the book was still incredibly informative。 I appreciated the neutral stance it took on the CIA as an institution， which I was worried about because it is indeed a very ethically complex agency。 I especially appreciated its critiques of the Islamophobia that followed 9/11， and the last chapters which opened up the question of what the CIA's focus might and should turn to in these coming years， critiquing specifically the right wing extremism that is now a big source of the country's instability。 。。。more
Dylan Simon
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The role of women in intelligence has always been vital and important。 Mundy has done a great job of chronicling the role of women in the CIA。 We see how women ‘s roles in intelligence has changed from the Cold War to today and it is a highly important read for intelligence history fans。
Cathy Doyle
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An interesting narrative about the role of women in the CIA。
Brendan Dowd （History Nerds United）
，
It's hard being a spy。 It's especially hard when you are a woman spy who is not allowed to get married， have children， or basically do anything someone finds offensive to their tastes。 If you don't believe me， just take a gander at Liza Mundy's meticulously researched The Sisterhood and she can tell you all about it！The book is broken up into three sections but really it has two sections in my opinion。 The first section is about the creation of what would become the CIA during World War II and t It's hard being a spy。 It's especially hard when you are a woman spy who is not allowed to get married， have children， or basically do anything someone finds offensive to their tastes。 If you don't believe me， just take a gander at Liza Mundy's meticulously researched The Sisterhood and she can tell you all about it！The book is broken up into three sections but really it has two sections in my opinion。 The first section is about the creation of what would become the CIA during World War II and then covering the Cold War and the run up to September 11th。 Mundy focuses on many different women and their day to day issues trying to navigate a very sexist CIA。 I feel Mundy had a very clear vision of how to impart on the reader just how many challenges women faced just to get and hold a job， let alone actually get promoted。The second part， which is basically September 11th to today， felt much more uneven。 It seems to me that the WWII/Cold War section focused on the women of the CIA with world events in the background。 The section on the War on Terror felt like the women took a backseat to the issues of the day。 For example， the Iraq War gets laser focus in the narrative and members of the Sisterhood are mentioned almost as an afterthought in discussions about failed national policy and torture。 Mundy did such a great job in the first part of the book that I couldn't help but feel the messiness of the past 20 years bogged down the pace and took attention away from the Sisterhood。That said， I still enjoyed this immensely and would recommend it to anyone interested in the subject or if you loved Mundy's acclaimed previous book， Code Girls。（This book was provided as an advance read copy by Netgalley and Crown Publishing。） 。。。more
Deb Kiley
，
I really enjoyed Code Girls， so when I saw Liza Mundy had another book out， I couldn't wait to read it。 The Sisterhood is a deep dive into the origins of women in the CIA and the women who trailblazed a path to formulation of the CIA。 The book begins in the 1940s with the women who worked during WW2 as support and as spies。 The stories of women through the 1950s to present day are amazing。 The book ends with how the women were significant contributors to finding Osama bin Laden。 To summarize thi I really enjoyed Code Girls， so when I saw Liza Mundy had another book out， I couldn't wait to read it。 The Sisterhood is a deep dive into the origins of women in the CIA and the women who trailblazed a path to formulation of the CIA。 The book begins in the 1940s with the women who worked during WW2 as support and as spies。 The stories of women through the 1950s to present day are amazing。 The book ends with how the women were significant contributors to finding Osama bin Laden。 To summarize this book would take pages and pages， but suffice it to say that women made significant contributions to the securing the safety of the country。 The epilogue shared stories of the retired women and some of their reflections of their time at the agency。The author found many， many women to talk about through the years， but there were several that she shared their stories over time: Heidi August， Barbara Sude， Lisa Manfull， Cindy Storer。 I found those compelling as the discrimination and harassments they endured did not deter them from achieving goals and advancements in the agency。 They put their heads down and did the job to the best of their abilities and many times， those accomplishments were significant and noteworthy。 Unfortunately， the men didn't always believe their analysis of situations and targets and led to embarrassment for the agency。 The stories before， during， and after 9/11 were fascinating as I had watched the event play out on TV。 There were numerous details about other events that I remember in my lifetime， from the Achille Lauro hijacking to Benghazi to Pan Am Flight 103 bombing， and I could connect to those stories。This was a very well researched and detailed book for those wanting to read about the women who worked in the shadows but emerged to make a difference。 I found it a fascinating read。Thank you Crown Publishing and Net Galley for a complimentary copy。 All opinions expressed are my own。 。。。more
Deb Kiley
，
I really enjoyed Code Girls， so when I saw Liza Mundy had another book out， I couldn't wait to read it。 The Sisterhood is a deep dive into the origins of women in the CIA and the women who trailblazed a path to formulation of the CIA。 The book begins in the 1940s with the women who worked during WW2 as support and as spies。 The stories of women through the 1950s to present day are amazing。 The book ends with how the women were significant contributors to finding Osama bin Laden。 To summarize thi I really enjoyed Code Girls， so when I saw Liza Mundy had another book out， I couldn't wait to read it。 The Sisterhood is a deep dive into the origins of women in the CIA and the women who trailblazed a path to formulation of the CIA。 The book begins in the 1940s with the women who worked during WW2 as support and as spies。 The stories of women through the 1950s to present day are amazing。 The book ends with how the women were significant contributors to finding Osama bin Laden。 To summarize this book would take pages and pages， but suffice it to say that women made significant contributions to the securing the safety of the country。 The epilogue shared stories of the retired women and some of their reflections of their time at the agency。 The author found many， many women to talk about through the years， but there were several that she shared their stories over time: Heidi August， Barbara Sude， Lisa Manfull， Cindy Storer。 I found those compelling as the discrimination and harassments they endured did not deter them from achieving goals and advancements in the agency。 They put their heads down and did the job to the best of their abilities and many times， those accomplishments were significant and noteworthy。 Unfortunately， the men didn't always believe their analysis of situations and targets and led to embarrassment for the agency。 The stories before， during， and after 9/11 were fascinating as I had watched the event play out on TV。 There were numerous details about other events that I remember in my lifetime， from the Achille Lauro hijacking to Benghazi to Pan Am Flight 103 bombing， and I could connect to those stories。 This was a very well researched and detailed book for those wanting to read about the women who worked in the shadows but emerged to make a difference。 I found it a fascinating read。 Thank you Crown Publishing and Net Galley for a complimentary copy。 All opinions expressed are my own。 。。。more
Cozy Reviews
，
This is a gripping fascinating account of the history of women working for the CIA。 The author has done exemplery research and provided the reader with key accounts from pivotal times in history。， Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity。 My review opinion is my own。 As a woman I felt disgust at how educated skilled women are dismissed in the CIA by the old white mens club that apparently runs this organization。 In their dismissal of their key employees they ignored the w This is a gripping fascinating account of the history of women working for the CIA。 The author has done exemplery research and provided the reader with key accounts from pivotal times in history。， Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity。 My review opinion is my own。 As a woman I felt disgust at how educated skilled women are dismissed in the CIA by the old white mens club that apparently runs this organization。 In their dismissal of their key employees they ignored the woman who warned of Osama years before the attack。 As a American reading this it is disgusting that simply because she was a woman her findings were dismissed。 This would have prevented 9/11。 This author has presented the fight these wonderful talented women had to just be heard on the job 。 The sisterhood helped their fellow women and gave each other the support they never had from their male coworkers and superiors。 This is a must read for all women and should be mandatory in all women's studies classes。 A excellent read 。 A fascinating account of American historical moments and the women behind the investigations， research and successful cases that were never given credit for their work。 。。。more
John Davis
，
The Sisterhood， by Liza Mundy; Crown Publishing: New York; $32。50 hardback We should no longer be astounded at what we learn of women’s roles in the development of our Central Intellignce Agency。 Liza Mundy， award-winning author and journalist with major publications， has brought us once again the intellectual rigor and detailed insights previously displayed in her bestselling Code Girls。 In this， The Secret History of Women at the CIA， we have a resounding contribution to an historical understa The Sisterhood， by Liza Mundy; Crown Publishing: New York; $32。50 hardback We should no longer be astounded at what we learn of women’s roles in the development of our Central Intellignce Agency。 Liza Mundy， award-winning author and journalist with major publications， has brought us once again the intellectual rigor and detailed insights previously displayed in her bestselling Code Girls。 In this， The Secret History of Women at the CIA， we have a resounding contribution to an historical understanding the how much of the current CIA came about。 Mundy delivers the stories of early women pioneers in the secret world of the nascent CIA。 We find they were clearly considered lowly auxiliaries of the early ‘cowboy’ OSS， an era well documented by the men who participated。 With the post- WW II end of that agency， the beginning of the new CIA would see them enlisted as secretaries， as background data researchers， as basically adjuncts to the larger roles of espionage and paramilitary missions reserved for men。 We discover that though they received much of the same training as men， their roles were truncated due to the ‘old boys’ network。’ Indeed， many of the new CIA men were holdovers from the previous ‘gangbusters’ OSS， from the same ivy league schools， even the same previous war’s missions。 And yet， the women were able to contribute so much。 How they successfully did so is the bulk of Mundy’s explorative work。 They were tested endlessly。 Some cngressmen challenged their right to decide on classified issues。 Other CIA men would propose some derring-do-missions which were not formally approved。 The women had to stand up for not only their rights to participate， but additionally to verify that those actions and missions were legal。 Other male colleagues would wonder whether they had a role beyond being added to the cover of a CIA agent abroad。 One fascinating chapter illustrates how they were able to function under ‘housewife cover’。 Were they part of the CIA， or only a difficult to categorize subset？ Throughout the development of this work， we see they not only beeame helpful， but essential。 Their background studies， assessments， and analyses were what made the CIA work flow。 They found themselves and their work constantly truncated by male chauvinism which was typical of the day。 One conflict with an ambassador over personal protection would be comical， were it not life and death serious。 Mundy benefits from having studied these early women CIA staff carefully。 She even had opportunities to interview some of them。 We feel the urgency， even today， of their intense desire to fit in， to be a part of defending our country。 They did well。 In fact their contributions remain with us to this day。 They were secret warriors in a difficult world of global enemies， compounded by the internal cultural defects of male chauvinism。 。。。more
Brigette
，
Liza Mundy’s new book， “The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA” is one that I could not put down。 I haven’t read Mundy’s other books but I surely will now！ We get started with a great introduction and I knew I would be in for a good read。 This is history told as a story which makes it more engaging and a breeze to read， but backed up with facts and citations。Being only slightly familiar with the work of the CIA， it was eye opening but sadly not that surprising how women have been Liza Mundy’s new book， “The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA” is one that I could not put down。 I haven’t read Mundy’s other books but I surely will now！ We get started with a great introduction and I knew I would be in for a good read。 This is history told as a story which makes it more engaging and a breeze to read， but backed up with facts and citations。Being only slightly familiar with the work of the CIA， it was eye opening but sadly not that surprising how women have been treated with this old boys club。 The fact that the early testing of the women was about frustrating them was very different than how the men were tested。The overall story is interwoven with many first hand accounts from women。 I was particularly interested in the story from Heidi August but really all the women were interesting to read about。 It was so engaging and I got choked up reading about some of these women’s stories and what they had to go through， and how they helped other people; in particular other women。 The story of tracking Al-Qaeda and the women who were blowing the whistle on Osama Bin Laden for a decade and no one listened， then to read the chapter on 9-11 was heartbreaking。 When I was not reading this book I am thinking about this book， and telling other people about it I think says it all。 Mundy ends the book with an overview of the women in terms of where they are now。 We are left with the realization that the true threat to America now will come from within - the country and the radicalized people following those like Trump will work to destroy this country。 It will not be more plane hijackers。 It is difficult to realize that this is where America has gone。 We need to read more stories about women like this who work together for the greater good。 Thank you NetGalley for the ARC！ 。。。more
Amy McClure
，
The Sisterhood: The Secret History of the Women of the CIA is an impeccably researched account of the roles women played in this pivotal national organization。 Their incredible dedication and sacrifices in the face of blatant sexism and elitism is a testament to competent women everywhere who fail to get the credit they deserve。Having lived through many of the events described in the book， I was truly amazed at the contributions women made that were rarely attributed to them。 Tediously examining The Sisterhood: The Secret History of the Women of the CIA is an impeccably researched account of the roles women played in this pivotal national organization。 Their incredible dedication and sacrifices in the face of blatant sexism and elitism is a testament to competent women everywhere who fail to get the credit they deserve。Having lived through many of the events described in the book， I was truly amazed at the contributions women made that were rarely attributed to them。 Tediously examining thousands of seemingly insignificant data bits like phone calls， intercepted meeting messages， gossip， informant reports， etc led them to identify new terrorists and their groups。 That these discoveries were frequently ignored or downplayed because they came from women， is a travesty。 I did frequently get lost in some of the stories as there were so many names。I appreciate the author's thoroughness in documenting seemingly every person。 However， it might have helped to have a list of the major players （ particularly those mentioned in multiple chapters ） and maybe a CIA organizational chart。Ultimately， I realized it was the work the women did that was the most memorable aspect of the book and thus remembering the individual names was not as critical （ although they were still important）。 So I stopped obsessing over remembering all the names。These women earned the right to have their voices heard and their contributions recognized。 This book ensures they are given their well deserved， significant place in history。 We are blessed to have people like them who are dedicated to protecting the world from terrorists。 。。。more
Dr G
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great information
Kim McGee
，
3 1/2 starsA history of the early days of the CIA focusing on the silent group who served alongside their male counterparts without receiving the accolades。 We are now hearing the stories of the women who served and spied during WWII。 After the war the fearful eyes turned to the rise of communism and the CIA began to recruit young women mainly for desk jobs that they were over qualified for。 It began to be apparent that women could go to places unseen more easily than men and women began intelli 3 1/2 starsA history of the early days of the CIA focusing on the silent group who served alongside their male counterparts without receiving the accolades。 We are now hearing the stories of the women who served and spied during WWII。 After the war the fearful eyes turned to the rise of communism and the CIA began to recruit young women mainly for desk jobs that they were over qualified for。 It began to be apparent that women could go to places unseen more easily than men and women began intelligence gathering in earnest。 These women were also instrumental in searching for patterns and cells in the Middle East that became invaluable after 9/11。 This book highlights not only the accomplishments of some of the women who rose to higher ranks but also shows the many hoops they had to jump through， sacrificing a family in many instances and the hurdles they had to get promoted unlike their male peers。 I found the first half covering the Cold War less interesting than the last half covering the Middle East。 My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy。 。。。more
Joyce Goldstein
，
I read The Sisterhood in a prepublication galley。 It is not just another CIA book。 Americans love spies， the more James Bond like the better。 Of late， we’ve watched talented women spies in shows such as Homeland， Covert Actions， and the Americans。 This was Hollywood and not reality。 The meticulous reporting in this book exposes how the CIA， from its’ 1947 beginnings， was a boys club with a long history of sexism， chauvinism， and a checkered history of success。 It is an engrossing—and chilling-- I read The Sisterhood in a prepublication galley。 It is not just another CIA book。 Americans love spies， the more James Bond like the better。 Of late， we’ve watched talented women spies in shows such as Homeland， Covert Actions， and the Americans。 This was Hollywood and not reality。 The meticulous reporting in this book exposes how the CIA， from its’ 1947 beginnings， was a boys club with a long history of sexism， chauvinism， and a checkered history of success。 It is an engrossing—and chilling-- story that turns over many rocks。 The Sisterhood suggests an explanation for the CIA’s lackluster performance。 The early days were “Madmen” like。 With the staffing of the 1980’s， came more confident， educated， and higher-level women who expected to be treated equally formed their own network to combat issues of ongoing discrimination， sexual and workplace harassment， the resistant old boys network， and their work ignored or minimized。 The result was an agency unable to execute as expected。 Although this situation is not unique in American organizations， in a government organization that is tasked with keeping us safe， these issues are often fatal。 Although the book is about a sisterhood， it is not a women’s book。 We should all be frightened to see how this agency failed in protecting us。 Aldrich Ames was identified by a woman in 1989 as a possible double agent。 He was not arrested until 1993。 The CIA’s most significant failure was 9。11。 Its’ leadership was unprepared， and few understood the importance of non-state actors。 “Tracking all the terrorists in the world， with thousands of pieces of data to analyze， was left to thirty people， mostly women。” One of them， Gina Bennett， in 1993， published the first prescient warning about Osama Bin Laden。 After 9。11， the book truly become alive as all forces are now centered on the hunt for Bin Laden and all the other terrorists around the world。The Sisterhood is painstakingly researched， and the ends tied together。 Mundy conducted over 100 interviews， and relied on scholarly papers， research， and documents。 For most of the book， she crafts the research into an extremely readable and compelling picture， but some of the portraits are confusing and not very rich。 My galley edition could use a bit more editing， especially in the beginning of the book。 A list of characters and a CIA organization chart would also help。 But Mundy’s message is clear; The CIA could have better succeeded if merit， not sex， nor connections， nor drinking with the right people was the determinant of success。 。。。more
Allison
，
Amazing！ A little dry at first but kept getting better and better as I began to recognize history。 These women deserve so much respect and admiration。 They were unappreciated， low paid， bullied， assaulted and second-guessed but still did so much for our country。 Their stories are important and should be told。 Thank you。 Side note， there were a number of words that needed spaces this early edition which I’m sure will be corrected。 #goodreadsgiveaway
Roxanne
，
The subject of this book women in the CIA in various capacities is a good subject which I have never read about before。 It does lay the ground work for women to do this type of work because they are not easily suspected。 However the book was boring and I almost gave up on it until the part about Osama bin Laden。 That part of the book was great， how they were tracking him as early as the 1990，s when he got on thier radar。 After some attacks on ships etc。 these agents started compiling more report The subject of this book women in the CIA in various capacities is a good subject which I have never read about before。 It does lay the ground work for women to do this type of work because they are not easily suspected。 However the book was boring and I almost gave up on it until the part about Osama bin Laden。 That part of the book was great， how they were tracking him as early as the 1990，s when he got on thier radar。 After some attacks on ships etc。 these agents started compiling more reports that he was going to attack the US in our own country。 They made 70 reports which by the time it got up the chain of command and to the attention of the President the attack on the twin towers happened。 I think this information that was gathered was a subject that no one thought would really happen。 One thing I did learn is these women in the CIA were in danger many times trying to moniter their subjects and their personal lives suffered from high stress。 。。。more
Kirsten
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