It has been some time since I have read an actual historical NON-fiction book, and there were times while reading The Wolves at the Door when I wished it was written as fiction. That said, when I leaned into the genre, I was glad I stayed the course.

The Wolves at the Door is a very well-researched story about Virginia Hall, an American who, in the 1930s, worked for the government with aspirations of becoming a foreign service officer. However, due to an unfortunate accident that left the 20-something Hall without a leg and the fact that she was a woman, her career dreams looked to be dashed (No disabled persons, and especially no disabled women, were allowed as foreign service officers for the United States). But, Virginia was undeterred, and at the start of WW2, Virginia joined the British Special Operations Executive organization. The SOE dealt with espionage and sabotage against the Nazis.

Throughout the next many years until the war ended, Virginia made her way through France, Spain, and England, assisting downed allied pilots to safety, coordinating the destruction of railways, setting up safe houses, and gathering intelligence. In short, the female, one-legged Virginia Hall, who became known as the "limping lady" to the Nazis and was one of their most sought-after combatants, was a badass.

It took quite some time for Virginia to receive the recognition she deserved for the lives she saved and the war-changing intelligence she snuck out of Nazi-controlled countries to help the Allies. But ultimately, both Brittan and the U.S., quietly and without ceremony (her choice so she could continue to be an agent in the field), recognized Virginia as a well-deserved hero.

The Wolves at the Door is a well-written book that deserves praise. Author Judith L. Pearson did a remarkable job researching Virginia Hall's story and the many other side and back stories that created the landscape within which Ms. Hall performed her duties.

This excellent historical book helps shine a positive light on the limitless potential of persons with disabilities as well as females. If you are into history, this is a must-read. ( )

Virginia Hall grew up in a privileged home in the U.S. She always knew that she wanted to have a career in the Foreign Service. To that end, she accepted several low level jobs at US embassies doing secretarial work. And while she was aware that it would be almost impossible for a woman to become a member of the Foreign Service, after numerous requests she was informed that due to an injury that had resulted in the amputation of a foot, she would never be accepted.

She quit her position and headed to Paris to see the country. Soon after she arrived, the Nazis attacked France. Hall and a close friend volunteered to become ambulance drivers at the front. When the Maginot Line was overrun, the work increased exponentially until the fall of France.

Eventually Hall left for Great Britain where she was recruited by the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) to work within France as part of the French Resistance movement. Hall’s excellent French, and knowledge of the French countryside made her work invaluable and her presence almost invisible.

Inevitably though, her resistance cell was discovered, and she had to escape through the deeply snow covered Pyrenes by foot - on her leg prosthetic literally made of wood.

However, she was not content to remain on the sidelines and as soon as possible returned undercover to France, this time as part of the American Office of Strategic Services since the US was now formally at war with Germany. This time she chose even more hazardous work.

This was an excellent account of a woman who, despite several books and an independent movie, is not well known in the US.

I read this for one of my in-person book clubs. We had a really interesting zoom conversation with the author Judith Pearson, which was arranged through Ms. Pearson’s web site. If your book club is interested in this book, I’d highly recommend seeing if Ms. Pearson is available to zoom with you. ( )

Virginia Hall has been in our consciences recently - a movie and now this book. It is great that a true American hero has finally been recognized. This book serves to make us much more aware of what Ms. Hall experienced. The constant threat, the inability to trust anyone and the courage that it took to operate in that environment was masterfully shown to us in the book. The matter of fact way that the story was told, instead of by hyperbole, was very much appreciated. We learned what made Virginia tick, what allowed her to not only prevail against unfair opinions but to far exceed her original ambitions. A very good read.

This compelling story was completely new to me, for I'd never heard of Virginia Hall, an American woman who served as a spy in WWII. Generally I appreciate books that recover women's history, as so many stories about WWII focus on men's heroics. And Hall was extraordinarily brave, putting herself back in France to work with the Resistance when she knew her portrait was circulating among those who'd capture and torture her. I thought Pearson did well exploring Virginia's youth and the accident that she refused to let limit her; I felt outraged for Virginia as the Foreign Office rejected her applications, largely based on her sex. Pearson explores the politics of the different intelligence agencies (section D of the Foreign Office vs. Special Operations Executive) and sustains the historical context without going into detail about WWII history that most of us know (the invasion of Austria ... Poland ... etc.). The section on Vichy France is very well done and, as it falls within Virginia's purview, contains more specifics--I learned a great deal (again, I was outraged by much of it!). Pearson also shares some of the details of Virginia's training for going undercover in France--for example, how when startled from their beds, they were taught to jump up and scream "Nom de Dieu" instead of "Bloody hell!" At times her synopses left me wishing for more detail ("Virginia was now working almost nonstop. There were agents in need of money, contacts, or a shoulder to lean on. There were RAF pilots, anxious to return to the fighting, who needed safe transport back to England...."). But overall a quick, engaging read that provides a window into a world. Readers who like Susan Elia MacNeal's (fictional) Maggie Hope books and Elizabeth Wein's CODE NAME VERITY, will probably find this book provides an interesting viewpoint. ( )

I must admit that as a man who has an advanced degree in history and as someone who was interested in World War II, the issue of women in war was not alien to me at all. On the other hand, when dealing with such matters, it must be remembered that every woman or man who acted as an "agent" behind enemy lines sacrificed himself theoretically knowing that the hostile intelligence agents would locate him and kill him with severe torture. True, being a regular soldier in this war is an unsafe bet, but when you are a soldier, you have at least the right to think that it is "the plight of the many." As for the very story - the women in the war or Virginia itself. It is tough to judge her act with eyes that distinguish between a woman and a man when reading the book in 2018. So things were different, women had limitations that were not men, on the other hand, the level of suspicion towards them was lower than that attributed to men, so was the level of risk. Either way, this is a highly recommended book for any history researcher. ( )