Brainstorm 321: Nonfiction Spy Stories

I started working on the spy stories Brainstorm today for your dark and stormy night reading and realized I had so many great nonfiction spy stories they should get their own Brainstorm. So I’ll share the fictional spy stories next week and give you the nonfiction recommendations today. After the spies have their days, I’ll share the promised scifi/mystery subgenre reads. Click on the titles to see my full reviews including any content notes/trigger warnings.

Chief of Station, Congo: Fighting the Cold War in a Hot Zone by Larry Devlin

In a nutshell: The CIA's man in Congo after they gained independence from Belgium shares his efforts to keep them from falling to Communist influence.

More info: Larry Devlin was the CIA's man in Congo for some of the main years of unrest right after it gained independence from Belgium. At that time the Soviet Union was looking for a country to be their foothold in Africa, so Larry spent most of his years trying to keep Congo out of the hands of the Soviets. No small task when the country is in turmoil and power keeps changing hands.

Extra thoughts: This was a fascinating read. It gave some great insights into the Cold War power struggles in Africa, an eye-opening look at what a real CIA agent's life is like and Embassy life (not what you might always imagine).

Target readers: Memoir Fans, Cold War Story Fans, Africa Setting Fans, History Fans, Crazy True Story Fans, Adult Readers (though approachable to YA)

MI5 and Me: a Coronet among the Spooks by Charlotte Bingham

In a nutshell: A cozy and humorous memoir of a young woman whose spy father recruited her to be a secretary for MI5.

More info: Charlotte Bingham was called into her father's office at 18 and told she needed to do something with her life. Oh, and her father works for MI5 and he's getting her a job as a secretary there. After recovering from that bombshell Charlotte was sure life as an MI5 secretary would be miserable and boring. Only time would tell if she was right or not.

Extra thoughts: This was a fascinating and very entertaining memoir about what real life was like in the 1950s as a secretary at MI5. Bingham relates her experiences with touches of humor that make this highly readable (I devoured it in 1 sitting).

Target readers: Memoir Fans, Humor Fans, Less Tense Spy Story Fans, Crazy True Story Fans, Adult Readers (though totally approachable to YA)

Spies: the Secret Showdown between America and Russia by Marc Favreau

In a nutshell: A history of spycraft between the USSR and the USA during the Cold War.

More info: The nutshell says it all. 

Extra thoughts: This is pretty succinct and really just touches on some of the biggest moments in spying during the Cold War. You learn some of the biggest spies on each side, and moments when things got really dicey.

Target readers: History Fans, Nonfiction Fans, Cold War Studiers, Readers Looking for Just the Highlights, YA Readers (though approachable to Middle Grade)

Spies by David Long, ill. by Terri Po

In a nutshell: An illustrated collection of brief biographies of spies from both sides of the WWII conflict.

More info: The nutshell says it all again. 

Extra thoughts: Based on the chapters on people I had read much longer books on, David Long did an amazing job of succinctly summarizing the key parts of their missions. I like that the font is larger than normal for a middle grade book and is dyslexia-friendly, making this a good pick for middle grade readers with visual acuity issues.

Target Readers: WWII Story Fans, Short Biography Collection Fans, Readers with Visual Acuity Issues (Like Dyslexia), Fans of Heavily-Illustrated Books, Nonfiction Fans, Random Fact Collectors, Middle Grade Readers (though interesting enough for YA and Adults)

The Spy and the Traitor: the Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War by Ben MacIntyre

In a nutshell: A biography of a KGB traitor who fed info to MI6 and played a pivotal role in the Cold War behind the scenes.

More info: A biography of Oleg Gordievsky, who was raised in a KGB family, recruited to the KGB at a young age and quickly rose in the ranks working in Scandinavia and then England. The book outlines how he was recruited by MI6 and the role he played behind the scenes in the Cold War and world history because of his spying.

Extra thoughts: This book reveals many behind the scenes things about the Cold War, like how close the world came to a nuclear war, and how important Gordievsky's spying was for peace talks, that made for a riveting and eye-opening historical read. It was also a good dose of reality to balance out the perception of spies in Hollywood.

Target readers: Crazy True Story Fans, Biography Fans, Cold War Studiers, History Fans, Nonfiction Fans, Adult Readers (approachable to some YA readers)

Unbreakable: the Spies Who Cracked the Nazis’ Secret Code by Rebeca E.F. Barone

In a nutshell: A history of the people who broke the Enigma code during WWII.

More info: A look at the Polish, French, and British linguists, mathematicians, spies, and soldiers who were responsible for enabling the Allies to break the Enigma encoded messages the Nazis were sending to each other.

Extra thoughts: This was a fascinating read. I learned a lot, but it was extremely readable. And though it is approachable enough for middle grade, it has enough historic details not talked about much elsewhere that even YA and adult readers interested in WWII will likely enjoy this.

Target readers: WWII Story Fans, History Fans, Code Breaker Stories, Nonfiction Fans, Middle Grade/YA/Adult Readers

Wise Gals: the Spies Who Built the CIA and Changed the Future of Espionage by Nathalia Holt

In a nutshell: A history of women in the Central Intelligence Agency of the USA.

More info: A history of women in the CIA, focusing on some of the original women who transitioned from being OSS operatives to being in the CIA or were in the very first class of trainees. Their names were Adelaide (Addy) Hawkins, Mary Hutchison, Eloise Page, Jane Burrell, and Elizabeth (Liz) Sudmeier. All but one of these women got together in the 1950s to do a study on inequalities of women in the CIA and submitted their data and stories to try and improve the situation for women. They were largely ignored, but they paved the way with their solid records and work ethic to open doors for women in the future. These are their untold stories.

Extra thoughts: This is a fairly long book, but I found it a quick read for a nonfiction book. It is well-written and explores gender equality issues as well as how the spy trade changed from WWII to chasing Nazi war criminals to Cold War tensions to anti-terrorism from the 1930s-1980s. 

Target readers: History Fans, Collective Biography Fans, Gender Equality Story Fans, CIA Evolution Studiers, Nonfiction Fans, Adult Readers (though approachable to some YA interested enough in the topics)

The Woman All Spies Fear: Code Breaker Elizebeth Smith Friedman and Her Hidden Life by Amy Butler Greenfield

In a nutshell: A biography of one of the most instrumental code breakers in the US in the 20th century.

More info: A biography of Elizebeth Smith Friedman who became an instrumental code and cipher breaker in the first half of the 20th century, bringing down mob and drug leaders, figuring out WWII secrets, and paving the way for women leaders in the field.

Extra thoughts: Amy Butler Greenfield did a phenomenal job of presenting Elizebeth's story for teens. It was expertly researched, included lots of photos, and had just the right amount of code breaking details to show Elizebeth's genius without causing readers to get lost in the technical details. I like this even better than the adult biography on Elizebeth I’ve read, The Woman Who Smashed Codes.

Target readers: Biography Fans, STEM Bio Fans, History Fans, Code Breaker Story Fans, Young Adult Readers (though of interest to Adult readers, and approachable to some Middle Grade readers)

A Woman of No Importance: the Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II by Sonia Purnell

In a nutshell: A biography of Virginia Hall, an American woman who lost a leg prior to the war, but still successfully ran extensive networks of French resistance workers in Southern France during WWII.

More info: In Lyon, France at the outset of WWII, an American woman who used to work for the US State Department but felt frustrated with desk work found her niche. Virginia Hall was reluctantly sent to France by the British SEO under the cover of being a journalist. They weren't super enthusiastic or hopeful about sending a woman to start resistance groups, but she spoke French and German fluently, and she was very eager to go. She was to prove to be one of their best assets of the war, but she worked so much behind the scenes and shunned accolades, so that despite her successes and vital work for the Allies, she had all but disappeared from history until Purnell started digging. What she relates is an incredible story of a woman who despite being an amputee before the war, managed to build extensive networks of French resistance workers, designed and enabled one of the most successful prison escapes of Allied operatives, and helped free the first section of Southern France from German control with only resistance workers.

Extra thoughts: This is an eye-opening biography, one of the best WWII spy biographies I’ve ever read, and that’s mainly due to the impressive amount of research into history that was meant to be buried in many instances because of its clandestine nature.

Target readers: Biography Fans, WWII Story Fans, History Fans, Amputee Overcomer Story Fans, Nonfiction Fans, Crazy True Story Fans, Adult Readers (though approachable to some YA)

Brainstorm 320: Scifi Mystery Reads for Those Dark and Stormy Nights

With the gray, wet weather of rainy season, I always feel like curling up with either a good mystery, a spy story, or a good scifi tale. So that’s what I’m going to be bringing you with the next couple of Brainstorms. This week we’re starting off with some scifi mysteries. The next 2 Brainstorms will feature spy stories and a very specific subset of scifi mysteries, time-travel mysteries. Click on the titles to see my full reviews of each book including any content notes/trigger warnings. If you’re in a hurry, remember the new “In a nutshell” feature that summarizes each book in 1 sentence.

Attack of the ZomBees (Max Meow, #5) by John Gallager

In a nutshell: Superhero Max Meow must help handle a friend’s family misunderstandings, some robberies related to the mayoral campaign, and lots of bees.

More info: Mindy's Mom is running for Mayor, but when Mindy's brother Marty interrupts a debate with some bees some take it as a threat. Marty just wanted people to be aware that the new bridge construction was disrupting the bees' homes. He meant it as a peaceful protest. But Mindy is upset with him for hurting their mom's chances at the mayor's office. Soon, a whole bunch of bees invades another mayoral campaign stop and steal a necklace. Has Marty gone evil when no one listened to him? Or is someone else using bees for bad? It’s up to Max and Mindy to figure it out and save the day.

Extra thoughts: I like the lessons learned in this story, and the way it educates readers about bees and how they are important to ecosystems.

Target readers: Superhero Story Fans, Graphic Novel Fans, Pun Lovers, Bee Studiers, Mild Mystery Fans, Scifi Fans, Lower Grade/Middle Grade Readers

Battle for the Park (Futureland, #1) by H.D. Hunter

In a nutshell: When his family’s floating amusement park of the future seems to be falling into sinister hands and people start disappearing inside, Cam and some new friends must save the day. 

More info: Cam Walker, his mom and dad, and his uncle have a very unusual and popular home. They live in and run Futureland, a floating futuristic amusement park that travels the world. Cam's parents invented all the rides and experiences in the park and are pretty famous. Which is why he feels super awkward about going to public school for the first time when the family decides to stay hovering over their home city of Atlanta for a longer stretch of time. Cam knows everyone will know who he is and want to get close to him just to get access to the most popular amusement park in the world. Thankfully, he does make some quick friends who help protect him from the sycophants. They also prove to be great allies when things start going horribly wrong in the park. Revs (robots) start acting weird, which is bad since they work all the rides and experiences in the park. Cam can't find his uncle anywhere, and he's becoming increasingly convinced someone swapped out his parents with revs. A local businessman says his parents added him to their management team, but Cam knows his parents would never do that. And worst of all, children and teens have gone missing at the park. Can Cam and his friends find proof of sabotage and save the park from falling into evil clutches and find the missing people before it is too late?

Extra thoughts: I love the imaginative concept of Futureland, it’s tech, and the pacing of the story. I also like that Cam is basically a third culture kid; the author did a good job portraying him adjusting to living in, what on paper at least, is his “home” but feels like a foreign place to Cam.

Target readers: Mystery Fans, Suspense Fans, Futuristic Tech Fans, TCK Story Fans, Amusement Park Fans, Upper Middle Grade Readers

Drifters by Kevin Emerson

In a nutshell: Jovie’s life starts getting really strange when she’s the only one who remembers her friend Micah who went missing a few months ago, her mom develops blinding cataracts overnight, and she finds odd tech that lets her see people no one else can.

More info: Jovie's best friend, Micah, disappeared a few months ago. Well, technically she was really her former best friend. Something happened and they hadn't hung out in a while before the day Micah disappeared. At first the police were all over Micah's case, but now it seems like Jovie is the only one looking for her. And it isn't just that people have given up hope. Every time Jovie talks to someone about Micah now they don't look at her with pity, just confusion. It seems like no one remembers Micah any more. The principal at school even calls Jovie in asking her why she's posting these missing person posters for a made up person and doesn't remember Micah until Jovie strongly encourages him to look her up in the school's system. He and Jovie are shocked and disturbed. How could he have forgotten? People forgetting Micah isn't the only strange thing in Jovie's life. Her mom suddenly develops horrendous, blinding cataracts overnight. And she finds an object in her bag at the emergency room that lets her see people no one else can see. What is going on?

Extra thoughts: This is a huge doorstopper of a book, but the pacing and the gripping mysteries of just what is going on keep those pages turning fast. 

Target readers: Gripping Mystery Fans, Scifi Fans, Unique Plot Fans, Fans of Emerson’s Other Books, Doorstopper Tome Fans, Middle Grade/Young Adult Readers

The Mutant Mushroom Takeover (Maggie and Nate Mysteries, #1) by Summer Rachel Short

In a nutshell: When dangerous mushrooms start taking over the town and turning people and animals into zombies, science nerd Maggie and crypto enthusiast Nate are on their own to find a stop to the infestation.

More info: Mags is hunting for a grand science specimen that will cinch her win of the Vitaccino Junior Naturalist Merit Award. This is step 1 in her grand plan of getting her dad's job back at Vitaccino so he doesn't have to work way far away in Yellowstone. Mags loves her Gran and all, but she desperately misses her father. So she's on the hunt for something spectacular with her best friend, Nate, who is also in search of some weird phenomenon for his crytpo/supernatural/conspiracy theory Youtube channel. When they hear about weird glowing mushrooms at Old Man Bell's, they decide this is worth risking getting caught trespassing for. But they stumble into more than they bargained. These mushrooms don't just glow, they are variations of a mushroom that makes zombies out of ants in the Amazon and they are starting to take over the town's plant, animal, and even human population. But they seem to be the only ones who notice, and who's going to listen to some kids talking about dangerous mushrooms?

Extra thoughts: I loved the solid, real science basis for this slightly creepy scifi mystery. It has also been an easy sell for reluctant readers.

Target readers: Scifi Fans, Mystery Fans, Science Lovers, Zombie Story Fans, Mildly Creepy Story Fans, Friendship Story Fans, Middle Grade Readers

Pete the Cat and the Space Chase (Pete the Cat: Agent Meow Readers) by Kimberly & James Dean

In a nutshell: Agent Meow investigates strange lights and an abandoned spaceship at the playground.

More info: Agent Meow gets a call about strange lights on the playground at night. While investigating, he comes across an alien spaceship. No aliens appear to be around so Agent Meow takes it for a spin. But who left the spaceship there and why?

Extra thoughts: Don’t worry, there are only friendly aliens involved in this Pete the Cat/Agent Meow little mystery. Pete’s little jaunt through space is fun.

Target Readers: Pete the Cat Fans, Mystery Fans, Scifi Fans, Space Adventure Fans, Spy/Detective Story Fans, Leveled Reader Fans, Picture Book Readers

Prime Directive by Davis Bunn

In a nutshell: Lt. Amanda Bostick is sent to investigate a rash of sudden deaths at scientific outpost on a remote planet, and it is very clear someone (or someones) doesn’t want her investigating. 

More info: There have been 16 unexplained deaths in a very short period of time on the scientific outpost on the planet Loria, and those in residence there only brought it up because they are asking command for replacements. Commander Rickets is very concerned, but because of galactic politics at the time, others want to ignore the event. So Rickets is sending in the only person who also seems concerned about a whole slew of deaths on a distant outpost, Lieutenant Amanda Bostick. Bostick is given a promotion (so that she outranks anyone on the science base on Loria), and sent with two soldiers, Hamoud and Nasim, with combat experience (and motives to prove themselves in this mission). But they only have 10 days. Others in the Galactic Space Arm are obviously trying to sabotage their mission, Bostick has no previous mission experience, there are rumors of pirates in the area around Loria, there are decidedly weird things going on on Loria, and the locals and scientists on Loria actively resist any investigation. This investigation could very well get them all killed.

Extra thoughts: Bunn pulls off an impressive amount of world-building in under 200 pages. I thoroughly enjoyed this classic-feeling little scifi mystery adventure with clever games of wit.

Target readers: Quick Read Fans, Classic-Feeling Scifi Fans, Mystery Fans, Space Adventure Fans, Mystery on the Remote Science Outpost Fans, Adult Readers (though approachable to YA)

Recorder (Children of the Consortium, #1) by Cathy McCrumb

In a nutshell: A government recorder (carefully raised human linked to a drone) is sent to document a disaster that wiped out most of a remote science outpost, only the trouble is still there, she gets separated from her drone, made to question her position in the world and human rights, and solve a disaster/murder mystery without her normal tech.

More info: Recorder was given to the Consortium at birth to be raised for one of several public service positions. As a Recorder, it is her job to observe and archive events without interfering. To help her better fulfill her role, she has been bonded to a drone that also helps her to regulate her emotions and make sure she does not interfere, but just observe. Recorder has been sent on a mission with the crew of the Thalassa to retrieve records from the science station on the moonlet Pallas and see if there are any survivors. All that they know is a flu of some kind wiped out most of the population. They do not know if anyone made it into stasis in time to be saved, or if there is still power to maintain the stasis pods. Recorder has her own mission to retrieve the remains of Pallas' Recorder and her drone, in addition to the station data. Recorder knows that the rest of the recovery crew is anxious being around her. But she does not know each of their pasts with Recorders that has made them that way. As their recovery mission goes badly wrong, Recorder is gravely injured and her drone is destroyed. She awakes back on the Thalassa totally lost without her drone. She must learn how to read and interact with other humans without a computer interface, and they start to realize Recorders are just as human as they are. They also realize that at least 1 person was murdered before the flu hit on Pallas. Time is ticking before they arrive back to where they must report to the Consortium. All of them have much to learn about what it means to be human, question what they always took for granted in the Consortium's ways, and solve a murder mystery. The plot points in this book continue for 2 more books. The trilogy is now complete.

Extra thoughts: This whole series is excellent for the world building, character development, intense action sequences, exploration of topics to get you thinking, the way Christian characters and values are woven in, and the compelling mystery. Oh, and the cats.

Target readers: Dystopia Fans, Mystery Fans, Suspense Fans, Scifi Fans, Space Adventure Fans, Mystery on the Remote Science Outpost Fans, Human Rights Story Fans, Thought-Provoking Story Fans, Christian Fiction Fans, Adult Readers (though approachable to YA)

This Town Is Not All Right (This Town Is Not All Right, #1) by M.K. Krys

In a nutshell: Beacon finds his new home town disturbingly odd, from cars breaking down for no reason to the inhumanly well-behaved kids at school, and no one else seems disturbed except the town outcast.

More info: After the tragic death of their older brother, Beacon and Everleigh's dad has decided they all need a fresh start in a brand new town. He's moving them pretty much as far away from LA as possible to a small town in the middle of nowhere New England. Beacon is trying to be as positive as possible about the move in order to compensate for his twin's extra negativity, but he really has to work to find good things about Driftwood Harbor. Their car breaks down for no good reason as soon as they cross into town. The inn where they are staying until they can find a house looks like it's all ready to be the town Haunted House for Halloween. Beacon swears he sees a girl drowning in the ocean the first night, but no one believes him and the girl is fine the next day. And the rest of the kids at school are...odd. They are the perfect students, and don't so much as whisper even before the bell has wrung. It feels eerie. And then the school calls Beacon and Everleigh down for vitamin D shots their first day at school saying it is required because of the heavy cloud cover. Beacon hates shots so he manages to evade it that day, but Everleigh gets it and suddenly goes from the girl who loves to pretend to be sick to skip classes to work on cars to the pink skirt wearing goody goody who suddenly follows all the rules. And no one but Beacon seems concerned about his sister's radical change in behavior or all the weird things going on in town except a kid named Arthur who tells him the strange things are related to a UFO crash in town in the 1960s which he's trying to track with his homemade alien energy tracker... Who does Beacon believe? The town outcast, his gut, or the adults?

Extra thoughts: This is a hard-to-put-down lightly creepy mystery that has a solid scifi base which I can't tell you about without spoilers. Every student who has picked this up has devoured it and its sequel just as quickly as I did.

Target readers: Odd Town Mystery Fans, Scifi Fans, Lightly Creepy Story Fans, Sibling Story Fans, Upper Middle Grade Readers