I've been working on reading more nonfiction this year, so I was pleased to come across this book. I love reading about tough women who were trailblazers. This was well-written, fast paced, and engaging. I especially appreciated that this taught me about a new-to-me piece of history.

What a wonderful biography, chronicling a remarkable journalist, Maggie Higgins. From her groundbreaking coverage of the liberation of Dachau during World War II to her Pulitzer Prize-winning dispatches from the front lines of the Korean War, Higgins was a trailblazer, much to the chagrin of many men within the industry who attempted to bring her down. She fearlessly entered war zones and paved the way for journalists, particularly women. Higgins was unapologetically herself and I really enjoyed learning of her personal and professional endeavors. Highly recommend this biography!

Sincere thanks to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for an advanced listener copy in exchange for an honest review.

Actual Rating 3.5

This biography explores the journalistic career of Maggie Higgins who rose to fame after reporting on the liberation of Dachau at the end of WWII.

I quite liked this portrayal of Maggie. While she was touted as a feminist, it seemed that she was mainly driven by self-interest and did what it took to get to where she wanted, no matter if a man or woman was in the way. There were many quotes by her contemporaries about her included throughout the read, which provided excellent insight into how she was viewed by others at the time. The author also took the time to dispel a couple myths about her that were prevalent while she was alive and in previous biographies written about her. I also enjoyed that some of Maggie's less positive actions were included, painting a more realistic picture of her.

There was plenty of history incorporated throughout the read, especially relating to politics as Maggie was a foreign war correspondent. This included some details about WWII and its aftereffects, including some information I didn't know (I'm not a WWII buff). The last portion of the book included similar details relating to JFK's presidency and the Vietnam War.
The last portion of the book does seem to become more focused on the politics of the time rather than on Maggie herself. It's included because the politics and conflicts of the time influenced where she went and what she did, but there were several times when it was too easy to lose sight of Maggie beneath all the politics and intricacies. The ending was also a little abrupt - I wanted a conclusion from the author, maybe even as an epilogue. An author's note at the end would have been beneficial as well, though there may be one present in the physical copy.

I think the author did an excellent job compiling information about Maggie and creating a digestible biography. However, there were several instances of unnecessary repetition, especially relating to possible motivations of Maggie, unnecessary physical descriptions of Maggie, etc. The work would definitely benefit from another edit to tighten it up. If you're interested in learning about a female war journalist and her life, then I would recommend this read. My thanks to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The version reviewed was the audio version. Narration by EJ Lavery was very well done. The audio is nearly 14 hours (the hardcover is 416 pages).

I struggle to rate Fierce Ambitions. Very well written; but I had no respect for Maggie Higgins, the subject of this biography. Feminists will love her. At the end of the book author Jennet Conant said that a coworkers comment about Maggie Higgins is that people either loved her or hated her. I would agree with that. Kudos to author Jennet Conant; she consistently tells both sides of the story. Because I really did not like Maggie Higgins, I really struggle with how to rate the book; as it is well written and you get a sense of Maggie from the perspective of those that like her and those that do not. So, I've gone from giving it a 2 (for my dislike of Maggie) to a 5 (because it was well written and I feel very emotionally engaged).

The book starts with … Good candidates for the job are rare; they are usually freaks who have landed head first at their goal, either by opportunity, hard work or luck. Most often luck. … Ishbel Ross, Ladies of the Press.

(It's difficult to pull quotes from an audio book. I've tried below. My comments are in parenthesis.)

Maggie scored her first big feature article in Feb 1940 on rumblings of revolution in Mexico. The stories were based on her observations of the country during the 3 week Christmas break. … In Mexico … , Maggie reported, there are no elections as we conceive of them in the United States, the government candidate always wins. No matter who is the people’s choice. It was a coup for a junior, but it was Maggie’s continued use of the royal “we” in the piece that confounded her colleagues.

Maggie came back from Mexico pregnant at 19; she went to AZ for an abortion. … there is no record of her pain or regret, save a confession to a close friend years later that she had undergone one too many terminations in her youth. Maggie did not allow herself to dwell on past mistakes. (Yes. I'm pro-life. Yes. Abortions kill a fetus, not a mass of cells but a beating heart. Abortions shouldn't be a method of birth control, especially not a repeated method.)


Maggie ended up in Watson’s lap and inevitably they became an item, … it would be hard to say who was using whom … how nice to have an adoring acolyte who hung onto your every word and then you took home at night. … The author said it gave her a reputation that she did not deserve.
A colleague said she had to learn how to write, we all broke her in. Some in more ways than one. Another said “Hell, she just liked to get laid.” “immensely good looking blond, with bright blue eyes … She was 22 years old, brash and bossy, with a little girls voice projecting an innocence that she did not possess.” Rumors were that she would do anything to get a story, meaning she was generous with her sexual favors and stingy with sharing credit. “Her conduct was no better or worse than her male counterparts”.

Helen Read (married to the owner of the Tribune) knew that women did 80% of the women's buying and she believed that women wanted to see more stories with a woman’s byline. Read noticed that Maggie had drive and ingenuity, … if she had stepped out of line and tramped on some male toes along the way, so be it.

Once again … “Maggie always seemed to come out well no matter what” … “exclusives wherever she went” … “soon gave rise that she was trading on her sex and trading favors for information”. Maggie believed that women correspondents were discriminated against and that if she used her sex appeal, she was just merely righting the balance. Andy Rooney, then a 26 year old correspondent for Stars and Stripes, did not care for her. She was smart, attractive and unquestionably a good reporter he recalled, she was also one of the few that I knew that was widely disliked by a generally collegially group of reporters. None other than Higgins was accused of using sex to gain an advantage over other correspondents. “No man was safe around her”.

She was constantly pumping all colleagues for information until it became obvious that she was using them. Comments from her colleagues at the time. “She needed to be transferred out of Germany, preferably back to Paris, where she might safely be allowed to cover fashion.” “Maggie treated all reporters as enemies, even the one or two that she was sleeping with” … “She was a dangerous, venomous bitch.” “Beautiful and unscrupulous.”

Tony Howard wrote a book, Shriek with Pleasure. Probably Maggie was used to model the protagonist.

Maggie was transferred to China and just happened to be in the area when the Korean War started.

At some point Maggie helped treat wounded soldiers in Korea.

(So this is where the book changes for me; for entirely personal reasons. Even though i had very little respect for Maggie's tactics. This book was very well written. My dad served in Korea and passed away 20 years ago. But this book opened my eyes and I've been trying to find out more about his service in Korea. He was there in 1953/54 as a heavy equipment mechanic. So I was very thankful to have read Fierce Ambition, if for no other reason that it opened my eyes to what it was like to have been on the ground in Korea.)

Many thanks to NetGalley and Publisher HighBridge Audio for approving my request to listen to the advance listen of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Publication date is Oct 31, 2023.

This is an incredible biography written about war correspondent, Maggie Higgins. She was definitely a pioneer in her field and faced adversity as a woman in a male-dominated career with incredible tenacity. This biography covers her childhood, college days and her eventual pursuit and execution of an amazing career. Maggie managed to realize her dreams of covering the most significant events around three wars in the 20th century. The ways in which she faced her opposition was inspiring even though she was frequently criticized for these traits at the time.
I was unaware of the life of this amazing woman and found her biography to be almost unbelievable. That she was able to play significant journalistic roles during WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam War as a woman during this time was unheard of. I was also amazed that she desired the roles of wife and mother and was able to fulfill these roles as well as she continued her journalism career.
Thanks to the publisher for the print ARC of the book in a Goodreads giveaway.
I also listened to the audio version of the book and found the narrator to be easy to listen to with no distraction from the story. #NetGalley #HighBridgeAudio