Monthly Book Club Meeting
For the time being, all book discussions are via Zoom.
Those who will be joining the discussion should send an e-mail to Katherine at katdixo@gmail.com by Tuesday morning. Please also cc jillcoogan@hotmail.com. At 7:30 pm that evening, right when the discussion is scheduled to begin, you will receive an e-mail from Katherine with a link to the meeting.
Remember that even if you don't have access to Zoom, you can phone in to the discussion -- RSVP by Tuesday morning to Katherine for phone link info.
Flirting with Danger: The Mysterious Life of Marguerite Harrison, Socialite Spy, by Janet Wallach. Led by Marian Mitchell Bond.
A NEW YORK TIMES EDITOR'S CHOICE
"A compelling story that pulsates with the energy of a thriller"—The Wall Street Journal
"Suspense, élan and a generous helping of glamour: Think George Smiley in a mink-trimmed coat."—The New York Times Book Review
The true story of socialite Marguerite Harrison, who spied for U.S. military intelligence in Russia and Germany in the fraught period between the world wars
Born a privileged child of America’s Gilded Age, Marguerite Harrison rebelled against her mother’s ambitions, married the man she loved, was widowed at thirty-seven, and set off on a life of adventure. Hired as a society reporter, when America entered World War I she applied to Military Intelligence to work as a spy.
She arrived in Berlin immediately after the Armistice and befriended the enemy, dining with aristocrats and dancing with socialists. Late into the night she wrote prescient reports on the growing power of the German right. Sent to Moscow, she sneaked into Russia to observe the results of the Bolshevik Revolution. Although she carried press credentials she was caught and imprisoned as an American spy. Terrified when told her only way out was to spy for the Cheka, she became a double agent, aiming to convince the Russian rulers she was working for them while striving to stay loyal to her country.
In Germany and Russia, Harrison saw the future—a second war with Germany, a cold war with the Soviets—but her reports were ignored by many back home. Over a decade, Harrison’s mysterious adventures took her to Europe, Baghdad, and the Far East, as a socialite, secret agent, and documentary filmmaker. Janet Wallach captures Harrison’s daring and glamour in this stranger-than-fiction history of a woman drawn to the impossible.