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Hybrid: Random History Book Discussion

Book and Dagger by Elyse Graham

Please join us for our non-fiction historical book discussion. This month's title: Book and Dagger: How Scholars and Librarian Became the Unlikely Spies of World War II by Elyse Graham.

The untold story of the academics who became OSS spies, invented modern spy craft, and helped turn the tide of the war. At the start of WWII, the U.S. found itself in desperate need of an intelligence agency. The Office of Strategic Services (OSS), a precursor to today’s CIA, was quickly formed—and, in an effort to fill its ranks with experts, the OSS turned to academia for recruits. Suddenly, literature professors, librarians, and historians were training to perform undercover operations and investigative work—and these surprising spies would go on to profoundly shape both the course of the war and our cultural institutions with their efforts. Author Elyse Graham draws on personal histories, letters, and declassified OSS files to tell the story of a small but connected group of humanities scholars turned spies. These unforgettable characters would ultimately help lay the foundations of modern intelligence and transform American higher education when they returned after the war. Thrillingly paced and rigorously researched, Book and Dagger is an inspiring and gripping true story about a group of academics who helped beat the Nazis—a tale that reveals the indelible power of the humanities to change the world.

Reserve a copy of the book while registering (we'll let you know when it's ready to be picked up), or come to the Central Fiction/Adult Information Desk.

Questions? Email discussion leader Susan Gibberman at sgibberman@stdl.org.

You can choose to attend this program in-person or participate online on Zoom. Please indicate your preference when registering. After registering, you receive a link to the Zoom webinar at least three hours before the program.

Want to switch your attendance preference from online to in-person (or vice versa)? No problem! Just give us a call at (847) 923-3347 and we'll take care of that for you.

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