Book: A Woman of No Importance
Author: Sonia Purnell
A Woman of No Importance is an excellent book that I storngly encourage all to read. It tells the real life story of a true hero who never sought the limelight or public recognition for her contributions.
Virginia Hall was born into an upper class family in the early 1900s in the US. She had a knack for learning languages and a father that encouraged her adventurous spirit. Her mother not so much. She took her love of languages and adventurous spirit and joined the foreign service. As a female, she was regulated to desk jobs that were more clerical in nature. Definiely not her forte. So she started looking for different options and new adventures.
She ended up joining up with the British – prior to the US entering the war – and worked as an undercover agent in France. Originally she was assigned as an underlying. But she found she had a knack for undercover work. Eventually she went on to become one of the leaders of a very influential network that was critical to the war’s success. All while being a woman and one with a disablity – she had a prothstetic leg (nicknamed Cuthright). Her gender and disablity made her an unlikely undercover agent but also a very effective one. The enemy was looking for a male and not a female. It wasn’t until towards the end of the Nazi occupation that they discovered they were actually looking for a female. And many of those working with her never knew her true identity or nationality.
After the war she returned the US and was part of the founding of the CIA. Unfortnatley she was continually overlooked and underutlitzed due to her gender. It was as if her superiors were afraid her talents and accomplishment would diminish their own so they held her back and never fully utlized her.
Virignia broke many barriers and showed that females could fill many roles generally thought of as male roles. She not only filled them but exceeded at them. During her lifetime Virigina turned down many honors. Those she did receive she requestd they be private as she wanted to continue as an undercover agent. It wasn’t until after her death that many of her accomplishments were acknowledged. And the critical role she played in the allies victory were made public.
