I love that more and more stories are coming out about the integral role women played in the outcome of WWII. This particular book, by celebrated author Lisa Rogak, pays tribute to four brave and forward-thinking women, all of whom contributed immeasurably to the war campaign. As members of the OSS, Betty MacDonald, Zuzka Lauwers, Jane Smith-Hutton, and Marlene Dietrich developed secret black propaganda aiming to break Axis soldier's morale by discrediting the Reich.

Ms. Rogak does a tremendous job in describing these gallant women's backgrounds and efforts in striking detail. As opposed to some nonfiction accounts, this one held my attention from the first page. In a time when women and minorities' voices are being silenced and erased, this novel brings to light the incredible contributions that ALL people can bring to the table.

Many thanks to partner St. Martin's Press for this 5-star gifted novel! I enjoyed learning about so much of this unknown history!

This is the little known story of four women who helped turn the tide for the Allies during World War II. Betty MacDonald, Jane Smith-Hutton, Barbara "Zuzka" Lauwers, and German American actress, Marlene Dietrich worked in the Office of Strategic Services, or OSS, the precursor to today's CIA. The OSS' s department of Morale Operations, led by General Bill Donovan, was designed to produce "black propaganda", which appeared to come from within the enemy country. The purpose of this propaganda was to cause war weary Axis soldiers to lose faith in their own beliefs and ultimately surrender. The women faced constant danger, often working behind enemy lines. They produced leaflets, letters and broadcasts designed to deflate the enemies morale. Betty worked in India and China, Zuzka interrogated German POW's and Marlene Dietrich continually put herself in jeopardy covertly visiting with Allied troops in German occupied zones. Hitler had placed a bounty on her head the moment she became a US citizen. Jane and her husband, working at the US embassy in Japan, were held there for 6 months after the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor. When they were finally allowed back to the US, Jane was invaluable to the Far East desk of the OSS because of her knowledge of the Japanese culture and language.

This is a very well researched book, great for history lovers and World War II enthusiasts.

Propaganda Girls
By: Lisa Rogak
Review Score: 4 Stars

Boogie’s Bulletpoints
•Nonfiction
•World War 2
•Women’s Impact in the war
•Multiple Points of View

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Propaganda Girls was kindly provided as an ARC by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press. Thank you for allowing me to enjoy this wonderful book!

As soon as I saw this book pop up on NetGalley, I knew I wanted to read it. I am a lover of history, and am always looking for new things to learn about.

Propaganda Girls introduces us to 4 women; Betty, Jane, Zuzka, and Marlene. Each woman had an impact in World War 2, be it entertaining the troops, diplomacy, or working for the OSS, distributing “black propaganda”.

Rogak does an amazing job of introducing you to each woman, their backgrounds, and their impact in the war. She also does an amazing job of telling you about their lives after the war, and how such extraordinary women struggled to adjust to a world after war.

I loved learning the ways in which woman supported the Allies in the war. This was such an interesting read!

If you enjoy reading about the brave women who served during World War II to give us the freedom we have today, you will enjoy this book. Read about 4 women who served in OSS during the war. Their job was to create propaganda that would help influence our enemies. They did their job under difficult and often dangerous circumstances. This is truly an inspiring read and one that I highly recommend.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and @NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Lisa Rogak pulls together the details of 4 women who venture from their everyday lives to find excitement, purpose, and challenges within the OSS during WWII. Betty, Zuzka, Jane, and Marlene contributed to one of the most covert and successful military campaigns in WWII by creating propaganda that would push misinformation into the hands of Axis troops, affecting their morale. The individual stories and achievements of these four women were remarkable and changed history. All four women came from very different walks of life, from the storied, glamourous life of Hollywood star, Marlene Dietrich to a difficult life of Czeck national Zuzka, to the wife of an American ambassador to China, these women braved treacherous events, prejudice against women to serve America in a meaningful way.

For me, the stories woven together were very interesting and the women encountered harrowing situations all to serve a higher purpose than themselves. However, the book read more like a history dissertation instead of a novel and at times felt disjointed as it moved across the stories. It was full of fascinating details of the campaign they put together and the impact they had was remarkable. It is definitely worth the read if you like to read about WWII.
#WWII #historicalfiction #OSS #womenspies #NetGalley

Propaganda Girls follows the lives of four women who worked in WWII’s OSS spinning propaganda webs that demoralized the enemy and helped speed the war to an end. Taking place in the European theater, behind enemy lines in occupied China, and in Washington, D.C., the story follows each of the women from her recruitment, through her placements and work, through her post-war life. The women: Marlene Dietrich — well known German actress who worked non stop for the effort; Betty MacDonald (NOT of Miss Piggle Wiggle fame) — the women’s editor in the Oahu paper, one of the first on the ground during Pearl Harbor; Jane Smith-Hutton — wife of a Naval Attache, fluent in Japanese, and held with her family for six months in the Tokyo American embassy after Pearl Harbor; and Barbara (“Zuzka”) Lauwers, a Czech national polyglot married to an American, who worked the European theater.

Each got into the work wanting to do something more for the war — and also wanting to do all that they were capable of doing, rather than living the traditional life available for most women. The story was full of details of life in that time period, the actual strategy and implementation of a propaganda war, and the (often ignored) contributions women made.

So many details were fascinating: The weird training they went through, details on procuring the exact right kind of papers, inks, and using the current language idioms. The arrays of people who had to be recruited with special skills. One story told of an innovative propaganda delivery system — condoms born up and stuffed with a pamphlet that could float across the water. The strategy for determining targets, fake stories, and deployments. How to deal with targets who were not actually literate. Special issues in places like India with hot, ink-melting climates and irregular electricity. But my favorite was a description of the “manual” face lift Marlene Dietrich had to undergo before filming, a kind of elastic pulling of her face, bound back into her hair. Painful and not permanent!

Part personal story, part full program debrief, the book was readable, entertaining, and enlightening.

Good book about four women with varied backgrounds who worked on propaganda during World War II. I think I would have liked a little more detail if possible - the book read like a good summary, but I wanted more. May not have been possible with research materials available. Overall an interesting read.

An outstanding book detailing the work of four ladies during World War II that was a tremendous asset to the war but went unnoticed by many. The efforts of these ladies in compiling and arranging distribution of propaganda to the enemy forces resulted in many surrenders. I did not recognize the names of three of the ladies but was very surprised to see that the fourth one was movie star Marlene Dietrich.
The book was well written and the facts that the author provided from her research was very interesting. It was an informative book as well as an enjoyable read. I would highly recommend it. Even if you are not a war buff you will enjoy reading about these heroic women.

Thank you to Negalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

Review of Propaganda Girls by Lisa Rogak
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Lisa Rogak’s Propaganda Girls is a gripping and meticulously researched look at the women behind some of the most ingenious psychological warfare efforts of World War II. The book follows Betty MacDonald, Zuzka Lauwers, Jane Smith-Hutton, and Marlene Dietrich, who worked in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) to craft misinformation campaigns that undermined Axis morale.

Rogak does an excellent job of blending historical context with engaging storytelling, making these women’s contributions feel as thrilling as any espionage novel. The book explores the challenges they faced—not just from the enemy but also from the sexism of their own ranks—and highlights their creativity, intelligence, and resilience.

While the structure occasionally jumps between timelines in a way that can be slightly disorienting, the compelling subject matter more than makes up for it. Fans of WWII history, intelligence operations, and untold women’s stories will find Propaganda Girls both informative and inspiring.

Propaganda Girls is a terrific book that highlights the contribution of women during WWII. The four women who are the focus of this book worked in the OSS and created propaganda to hurt enemies - one of the women is famous actress Marlene Dietrich. The other three women were so talented that there gender was overlooked and the team was formed - for example Zuzka Lauwers knew five languages and Betty MacDonald was a reported who lived through the Pearl Harbor bombing while covering the story. They were all brilliant and amazing women who crafted letters, reports, songs, and even plays to break enemy fighters. But they were also forced to serve drinks and act as 'decoration' during some of OSS meetings. The same 'colleagues' who used their work demanded these women act as 'work wife' after hours (shocking but not surprising}. The book includes great first person accounts and lots of references for further learning. A terrific book for anyone who is interested in WWII history and women's history. Highly recommend!

This was so very good—interesting, entertaining, and so well researched! I’ve read a lot of World War II novels, and this reads like the best of them, even though it is nonfiction. I learned a lot about a subject about which I knew very little, and was amazed at the roles these fascinating and driven women played in the war effort. The audiobook was especially well done.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Propaganda Girls tells the story of four intelligent, patriotic and creative women who served in the OSS during WW II. They held unique positions in that they created false propaganda that was distributed to the enemy. Each, in their own way, excelled at what they did. Impeccably researched and well told, the author brings their stories to life. Propaganda Girls is an important book and well worth reading. Highly recommended.

A well researched and written look at the women who worked for the OSS, writing and publishing propaganda against the enemy. It follows four women and their path during the war and it was fascinating! Incredibly brave and very intelligent, they went above and beyond to try and help end the war, even though they dealt with rampant sexism, lower pay, and the hardships of wartime.

Betty MacDonald was a 28-year-old reporter from Hawaii. Zuzka Lauwers grew up in a tiny Czechoslovakian village and knew five languages by the time she was 21. Jane Smith-Hutton was the wife of a naval attaché living in Tokyo. Marlene Dietrich, the German-American actress and singer, was of course one of the biggest stars of the 20th century. These four women, each fascinating in her own right, together contributed to one of the most covert and successful military campaigns in WWII.

As members of the OSS, their task was to create a secret brand of propaganda produced with the sole aim to break the morale of Axis soldiers. Working in the European theater, across enemy lines in occupied China, and in Washington, D.C., Betty, Zuzka, Jane, and Marlene forged letters and “official” military orders, wrote and produced entire newspapers, scripted radio broadcasts and songs, and even developed rumors for undercover spies and double agents to spread to the enemy. And outside of a small group of spies, no one knew they existed. Until now.

In Propaganda Girls, bestselling author Lisa Rogak brings to vivid life the incredible true story of four unsung heroes, whose spellbinding achievements would change the course of history.

I loved this biography, it was very interesting. I am glad these women's stories have been told.

This was a comprehensive, relatively fast-paced overview of four women and their contributions to black propaganda in the OSS department during World War II. I had no prior knowledge of the misinformation efforts at the time and I appreciated learning more. The book is divided into four sections, and each woman gets one chapter in each section. Their lives immediately before the war, during, and after are covered. This book highlighted the importance of morale and both soldier and civilian perceptions of a government and it's actions. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the early beginnings of the CIA and anyone wanting to learn more about black propaganda during World War II.

What does a reporter, international film star, wife and linguist all have in common, besides being young women? They were recruited during WWII to be in the OSS, Office of Strategic Services. It was the first intelligence agency developed in WWII and later became the CIA, Central Intelligence Agency.
There are different ways people can answer the call for service and these women with their specific skills did just that. This is an intriguing read of what spying/propaganda techniques were developed and implemented to win the war. The writing is clear and it is easy to follow each of these women through their experiences and what they did after the war. I truly enjoyed this book and honor everyday people who dedicated themselves to service. I highly recommend this book. It will be a very good discussion for book clubs as well.

3.5 stars

This book was an incredibly well-researched and detailed look into the lives of four women working deeply inside the US propoganda machine of WWII. Lisa Rogak chose to spotlight four women who had diverse backgrounds and experiences, and lets us see what women were allowed to do, but also what they chose to do, permission from men or no. Including Marlene Dietrich was fantastic, because many people (myself included) might not know she had anything to do with the war effort beyond performing for the troops.

These four women go beyond the usual Rosie the Riveter stories to show other ways women helped win the war while not being allowed to fight the actual military battles. Absolutely no disrespect for the women who kept the entire country running while the "boys" went off to war, because damn, ladies, you stepped up and the US and the rest of the Allies would have collapsed without you. But here, Rogak shines a light on a quieter and less conspicuous aspect of the war effort.

The reason for my three and a half stars is that the stories all started to run together, and I couldn't necessarily tell them apart after a while. A couple of the women did very similar jobs and I kept forgetting which person was the focus of the chapter. And the book was maybe a little too detailed at times, explaining all the minutiae of propaganda writing and production.

I love WWII home front stories, and I'm a sucker for going beyond the grim battlefront for a look at the inner workings of WWII, and this delivers both, so bring me more, please.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an E-ARC of this book.

We’ve all heard of Tokyo Rose and Axis Sally, the Japanese and German women who bombarded the Allied soldiers with propaganda in an effort to demoralize them. Little is known about the Allied efforts to sway the Axis soldiers and help bring an end to the war. Betty McDonald, Zuzka Lauwers, Jane Smith-Hutton and Marlena Dietrich all became members of the OSS and worked under General Bill Donovan to persuade the Axis soldiers that they were losing, that they would be better off surrendering, that their lives were in imminent danger. Donovan was the head of the OSS which later became the CIA. It took innovative ideas and cunning schemes to implement the plan to sway the enemy; to crush their morale. Their success was evidenced when enemy soldiers turned themselves over to the Allies, put down their weapons, and truly believed that they would have better food and living condition in the custody of the Allied forces.

One of the projects involved discovering enemy soldiers who would be able to infiltrate back to their homeland and spread rumors for the Allies. This was very tricky and the men had to be carefully vetted. Surprisingly, the plan succeeded and the men completed their missions and returned to the Allied side. There were many other successful initiatives that the women devised to sway the Axis soldiers. Reading about Marlena Dietrich was especially fascinating because of her risqué behavior and her flaunting of acceptable norms.

All four of the women ran into discrimination and the military’s reluctance to acknowledge the significant role they played. It is not at all surprising that these women are unsung heroes; given little credit for the significant role they played. This book is a wonderful addition to the historical record of spies and WWII. It has additional significance because it highlights the women who helped turn the tide through determination, fearlessness and creativity.

This book tells an incredibly powerful story of four women from vastly different backgrounds, each of whom played pivotal roles in the war effort. What stands out most is not just their strength, but their indomitable will. These women refused to let sexism or misogyny stand in the way of their call to duty, stepping up in times when their contributions were often overlooked or minimized.

From the very first pages, the narrative grips you, drawing you into the lives of these women, each of whom had a unique path but shared a common resolve: to serve and make a difference in the midst of global conflict. Their stories—full of courage, intelligence, and unwavering determination—have long been neglected in mainstream history. It's only through books like this that we begin to understand the full extent of their involvement and sacrifices.

I was only vaguely familiar with bits of their stories before reading this book—particularly the tidbits about Marlene Dietrich recording songs for the war effort via a podcast in 2020 (Wind of Change). But the depth of these women's contributions, as presented here, is eye-opening and moving. Their roles were far from token gestures; they were true agents of change, breaking barriers and defying societal expectations. This book not only highlights their bravery, but it also challenges us to rethink the narrative of wartime history, which has often been told from a narrow, male-dominated perspective.

The book’s importance cannot be overstated. It’s a vital reminder that women’s contributions during times of war were not just ancillary—they were central to the efforts that shaped the outcome of conflicts and, in turn, the course of history. The stories of these four women, and others like them, need to be brought to the forefront, so we never forget the invaluable role they played.

This is a book that deserves a wide audience. It’s not just a historical recounting; it’s a call to ensure that the voices of these strong, courageous women continue to be heard and celebrated. Their strength, willpower, and resilience are an essential part of the story of America’s wartime history, and this book ensures they will not be forgotten.

Courtesy of St .Martin's Press and Netgalley, I received the ARC of Propaganda Girls by Lisa Rogak. This compelling nonfiction book introduces four young women who were hired by the OSS during WWII because of their ability to communicate in other languages. Known as the Morale Office, their goal was to create black propaganda, innovative approaches to spread false and disruptive information among Axis soldiers. Unbelievable accomplishments!