A woman of no importance: the untold story of the American spy who helped win World War II
(Book)
Author:
Published:
[New York, New York] : Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, [2019].
Format:
Book
Physical Desc:
352 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, map ; 24 cm
Status:
33 copies, 10 people are on the wait list.
Description
"The never-before-told story of one woman's heroism that changed the course of the Second World War In 1942, the Gestapo sent out an urgent transmission: "She is the most dangerous of all Allied spies. We must find and destroy her." This spy was Virginia Hall, a young American woman--rejected from the foreign service because of her gender and her prosthetic leg--who talked her way into the spy organization dubbed Churchill's "ministry of ungentlemanly warfare," and, before the United States had even entered the war, became the first woman to deploy to occupied France. Virginia Hall was one of the greatest spies in American history, yet her story remains untold. Just as she did in Clementine, Sonia Purnell uncovers the captivating story of a powerful, influential, yet shockingly overlooked heroine of the Second World War. At a time when sending female secret agents into enemy territory was still strictly forbidden, Virginia Hall came to be known as the "Madonna of the Resistance," coordinating a network of spies to blow up bridges, report on German troop movements, arrange equipment drops for Resistance agents, and recruit and train guerilla fighters. Even as her face covered WANTED posters throughout Europe, Virginia refused order after order to evacuate. She finally escaped with her life in a grueling hike over the Pyrenees into Spain, her cover blown, and her associates all imprisoned or executed. But, adamant that she had "more lives to save," she dove back in as soon as she could, organizing forces to sabotage enemy lines and back up Allied forces landing on Normandy beaches. Told with Purnell's signature insight and novelistic panache, A Woman of No Importance is the breathtaking story of how one woman's fierce persistence helped win the war"--
Copies
Location
Call Number
Status
East Hampton Adult Nonfiction
940.54 PUR
Due Jul 31, 2025
Location
Call Number
Status
Branford/Blackstone Adult Biography
Biography GOILLOT (VIRGINIA)
On Shelf
Durham Adult Non-Fiction
940.5485 PURNELL
On Shelf
East Haddam/Moodus Adult Nonfiction
940.54 Pur
On Shelf
East Haddam/Rathbun A Adult Nonfiction
940.54 PUR
On Shelf
East Lyme Public Adult Non-Fiction
940.5485 Purnell
Due Jul 16, 2025
Essex Adult Nonfiction
940.54 PUR
Due Aug 2, 2025
Gales Ferry (LPL) Nonfiction
940.5485 Pur
Due Jul 12, 2025
Guilford Adult Non-Fiction
940.54 PURNELL
On Shelf
Hamden/Brundage Community Adult Nonfiction
940.5485/PUR
On Shelf
Hamden/Miller Adult Nonfiction 3rd Floor
940.5486/GOILLOT
Due Jul 22, 2025
Hamden/Whitneyville New Adult Nonfiction
B/GOILLOT
On Shelf
Lyme Adult Nonfiction
92 GOILLOT
On Shelf
Madison/Scranton Adult Nonfiction
940.5486 GOILLOT P
On Shelf
Mitchell College Book Stacks
D810 .S8 G597 2019
On Shelf
New London Adult Non Fiction
940.54 PUR
Due Jul 22, 2025
North Branford/Atwater Adult Nonfiction
940.548 Purnell
On Shelf
North Haven Adult Biography
Biography Hall, Victoria
On Shelf
North Stonington/Wheeler Adult Nonfiction
940.54 PURNELL (JUL 19)
On Shelf
Norwich/Otis Adult Biographies
BIO HALL
On Shelf
Old Lyme A Non-Fiction 900
940.5486 PUR
On Shelf
Old Saybrook/Acton Adult Non-Fiction
940.54 PURNELL
On Shelf
Orange/Case Adult Biography
Biography GOILLOT [Virginia] Purnell
On Shelf
Preston Adult Nonfiction
940.5485 PUR
On Shelf
Stony Creek/Willoughby Wallace Adult Non-Fiction
92 HALL
On Shelf
Wallingford Adult Nonfiction
940.54 PURNELL
On Shelf
Westbrook Adult Non-Fiction
B GOILLOT
On Shelf
Woodbridge Adult NF 900-999
940.5486/PUR
On Shelf
Woodbridge Book Club
BOOK CLUB 940.5486/PUR
Withdrawn
Woodbridge Book Club
BOOK CLUB 940.5486/PUR
Withdrawn
Woodbridge Book Club
BOOK CLUB 940.5486/PUR
Withdrawn
Woodbridge Book Club
BOOK CLUB 940.5486/PUR
Withdrawn
Woodbridge Book Club
BOOK CLUB 940.5486/PUR
Due Jul 8, 2025
Subjects
LC Subjects
Other Subjects
More Details
Language:
English
ISBN:
9780735225299, 9780735225312
Notes
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages [317]-334) and index.
Description
"The never-before-told story of one woman's heroism that changed the course of the Second World War In 1942, the Gestapo sent out an urgent transmission: "She is the most dangerous of all Allied spies. We must find and destroy her." This spy was Virginia Hall, a young American woman--rejected from the foreign service because of her gender and her prosthetic leg--who talked her way into the spy organization dubbed Churchill's "ministry of ungentlemanly warfare," and, before the United States had even entered the war, became the first woman to deploy to occupied France. Virginia Hall was one of the greatest spies in American history, yet her story remains untold. Just as she did in Clementine, Sonia Purnell uncovers the captivating story of a powerful, influential, yet shockingly overlooked heroine of the Second World War. At a time when sending female secret agents into enemy territory was still strictly forbidden, Virginia Hall came to be known as the "Madonna of the Resistance," coordinating a network of spies to blow up bridges, report on German troop movements, arrange equipment drops for Resistance agents, and recruit and train guerilla fighters. Even as her face covered WANTED posters throughout Europe, Virginia refused order after order to evacuate. She finally escaped with her life in a grueling hike over the Pyrenees into Spain, her cover blown, and her associates all imprisoned or executed. But, adamant that she had "more lives to save," she dove back in as soon as she could, organizing forces to sabotage enemy lines and back up Allied forces landing on Normandy beaches. Told with Purnell's signature insight and novelistic panache, A Woman of No Importance is the breathtaking story of how one woman's fierce persistence helped win the war"--,Provided by publisher.
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Citations
APA Citation (style guide)
Purnell, S. (2019). A woman of no importance: the untold story of the American spy who helped win World War II. Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)Purnell, Sonia. 2019. A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II. Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)Purnell, Sonia, A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II. Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2019.
MLA Citation (style guide)Purnell, Sonia. A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II. Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2019.
Note! Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2022. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy.
Staff View
Grouped Work ID:
8c3b0abe-f09c-7c3c-4059-d8622696fca0
Record Information
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| Last File Modification Time | Jul 03, 2025 08:42:51 AM |
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| 245 | 1 | 2 | |a A woman of no importance : |b the untold story of the American spy who helped win World War II / |c Sonia Purnell. |
| 264 | 1 | |a [New York, New York] : |b Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, |c [2019] | |
| 264 | 4 | |c ©2019 | |
| 300 | |a 352 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : |b illustrations, map ; |c 24 cm | ||
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| 504 | |a Includes bibliographical references (pages [317]-334) and index. | ||
| 505 | 0 | |a The dream -- Cometh the hour -- My tart friends -- Good-bye to Dindy -- Twelve minutes, twelve men -- Honeycomb of spies -- Cruel mountain -- Agent most wanted -- Scores to settle -- Madonna of the mountains -- From the skies above -- The CIA years. | |
| 520 | |a "The never-before-told story of one woman's heroism that changed the course of the Second World War In 1942, the Gestapo sent out an urgent transmission: "She is the most dangerous of all Allied spies. We must find and destroy her." This spy was Virginia Hall, a young American woman--rejected from the foreign service because of her gender and her prosthetic leg--who talked her way into the spy organization dubbed Churchill's "ministry of ungentlemanly warfare," and, before the United States had even entered the war, became the first woman to deploy to occupied France. Virginia Hall was one of the greatest spies in American history, yet her story remains untold. Just as she did in Clementine, Sonia Purnell uncovers the captivating story of a powerful, influential, yet shockingly overlooked heroine of the Second World War. At a time when sending female secret agents into enemy territory was still strictly forbidden, Virginia Hall came to be known as the "Madonna of the Resistance," coordinating a network of spies to blow up bridges, report on German troop movements, arrange equipment drops for Resistance agents, and recruit and train guerilla fighters. Even as her face covered WANTED posters throughout Europe, Virginia refused order after order to evacuate. She finally escaped with her life in a grueling hike over the Pyrenees into Spain, her cover blown, and her associates all imprisoned or executed. But, adamant that she had "more lives to save," she dove back in as soon as she could, organizing forces to sabotage enemy lines and back up Allied forces landing on Normandy beaches. Told with Purnell's signature insight and novelistic panache, A Woman of No Importance is the breathtaking story of how one woman's fierce persistence helped win the war"-- |c Provided by publisher. | ||
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