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Bottom of the pile
19
/100
I Index Overall Rating
Readers
22/100Critics
15/100Scholars
Author:
Damien Lewis
Publisher:
PublicAffairs
Date:
July 12, 2022
Lewis uncovers this little-known history of the famous singerâs life. During the war years, as a member of the French Nurse paratroopersâa cover for her spying workâBaker participated in numerous clandestine activities and emerged as a formidable spy.
What The Reviewers Say
Lewis employs careful language to hedge the title’s bold assertion.
Given the value, danger, and sheer flamboyance of Baker’s spying activities, it’s a shame that she hasn’t found a better chronicler of her exploits or her complicated history. For Agent Josephine, Damien Lewis, the British author of several works of military history and biography, dug into hard-to-access archives and the chronicles left by key players to create an account that is long on detail but sadly lacking in psychological insight or storytelling panache.
... much fresh detail.
Lewis provides a rollicking, energetic commentary on Baker’s adventures, noting her sangfroid in face of German interrogators and her boundless compassion for wounded soldiers and war victims. Lewis also reveals her quirky side, her bawdy humor, her spats with jealous fellow entertainers, and her ill-advised love affair with spy chief Jacques Abtey. Lewis’ biography is set to be adapted for a miniseries starring Janelle Monáe as the remarkably talented and courageous Agent Baker..
