Thank you to St Martins Press and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy of Propaganda Girls by Lisa Logak.

This book focuses on four women who utilized propaganda to help hasten the end of World War II. It was an enjoyable and informative read. Most nonfiction can come across as dry but that is not the case with this book. It was also interesting to read about the women’s lives after the war and how they adjusted to civilian life. Overall a quick, interesting and informative read.

"Propaganda Girls" by Lisa Rogak is a riveting historical account that uncovers the untold story of four remarkable women—Betty MacDonald, Zuzka Lauwers, Jane Smith-Hutton, and Marlene Dietrich—who played crucial roles in the clandestine operations of the OSS during World War II. Rogak skillfully blends detailed research with compelling narratives, highlighting how these women utilized their diverse backgrounds and talents to produce innovative propaganda that undermined the morale of Axis soldiers and subtly influenced wartime perceptions. The book shines a light on their resilience and ingenuity, showcasing how they operated in a male-dominated environment and crafted narratives that were pivotal to the war effort, all while remaining largely anonymous. Through engaging prose and meticulous detail, Rogak brings these unsung heroines to life, revealing the impact of their covert contributions on the course of history and offering a broader understanding of women's invaluable roles in wartime efforts.

The book was enjoyable to read and showed a lot of potential. There was a lot going on, but it did not overwhelm the book. I do wish that the chapters were broken up a little more. Other than that, I would not change anything else about the book.

Propaganda Girls by Lisa Rogak
The Secret War of the Women in the OSS

I've read a lot about the women of the OSS, both historical fiction and biographical books. Most of the women have very strong personalities and a strong sense of self even if they hid both behind what they needed to be to play a role at any time in their careers. I'm amazed at the fights they put up against the enemy but also against their leaders and bosses. They risked life and limb and when the war was over they were expected to just walk away and go back to whatever "womanly" pursuits that were expected of a good woman of that time. This is after being paid so much less for so much more work then their male counterparts doing the same work.

This book features four women of the OSS. One of them is Marlene Dietrich and I see her in a different category as the other three only because she was a famous actress, too. Although I've always known who she was, I never had looked into her that closely and now, just like the other three women, I want to read more books about her. The work and energy she put into making sure each soldier knew how important they were is amazing. This is a woman who could have been doing other things, more comfortable, safer things, and she was out there in the elements, sometime close to the front lines, putting on shows for her country and those who fought for it.

Jane Smith-Hutton, Betty MacDonald, and Zuzka Lauwers were also heroes. Working with men but making less, being told no because they were working in a man's world, being expected to still be the one to serve coffee at business meetings even when they were working among equals, these women put their all into trying to figure out what would help the Allies and hurt the Axis. Propaganda was used as a weapon and even though it is next to impossible to ever know the actual numbers when it comes to their effect on winning the war, these women did make a difference. At least not everyone underestimated these women, some men knew what an asset they had in the work these women did and in the ideas they came up with to tear down the feeling of wellbeing of the enemy. The clever ideas these women came up with and employed (when allowed to do so) were genius. I want to read more about all of these women and the work they did.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

This was a great book! The research was very well done in this book and I appreciated the insight it had.

A thought provoking account of women in WW2. The sacrifices they made have not been highlighted in the past, however this book captured their relevance.

An intriguing and attention capturing account of four women who worked to provide propaganda to the enemy for the OSS during World War II. This book tells the story of four women who persevered in the realm of men and excelled at getting the enemy to think a certain way. Everybody interested in the OSS should read this book.

A most fascinating book for any reader who, like me, is interested in World War II, the little-known work of women who went to war to give their all for their country and in women's history in general. PROPAGANDA GIRLS reveals the remarkable contributions of four women who helped turn the tide of the war in both the European and Pacific theaters.

Consider these amazing women: Betty MacDonald, a 28-year-old reporter from Hawaii, Zuzka Lauwers who grew up in a tiny Czechoslovakian village and knew five languages by the time she was 21, Jane Smith-Hutton, the wife of a naval attaché living in Tokyo, and finally, Marlene Dietrich, the German-American actress and singer, who 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 undercover campaigns ofWWII.

As members of the OSS, they sacrificed their peacetime lives to create 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. , they forged letters and “official” military documents, 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, author Lisa Rogak reveals the story of four American women who, through their imaginative minds, remarkable language skills and incredible dedication would change the world's most horrific war and bring down the defeat of America's most powerful and vicious enemies. I can't recommend this book highly enough.

Thsi is the story of four American women who worked for the OSS during WWII, producing propaganda and influencing public opinion about the war on both sides. One, Marlene Dietrich, was famous, but the others were among thousands of others in the war machine behind the front lines. The book is divided into four sections, pre-war, during the war, and post-war. I found the most compelling parts to be the first, describing their motivations for joining the war effort rather than staying home and living more conventional lives. The descriptions of Pearl Harbor are especially vivid. Somewhere along the way, the chapters begin to feel a bit less dynamic, even while the women were most involved in the war (exception being Dietrich, maybe because she left a more public trail to follow). There is obviously some reference to the obstacles they faced as women (lower pay, less recognition, harassment, etc), but the book doesn't focus on the broader context of the war, OSS, or women's place in them (maybe because that's well traveled ground)? And finally, the story ends abruptly with Jane's last chapter; I think it would benefit greatly from having an epilogue to tie everything together. All this aside, it's an interesting and concise book that WWII buffs will enjoy.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

Review to be published in the shelf awareness newsletter and on www.shelf-awareness.com. It can be found by either searching the title or my last name.

How much do you know about the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the World War II predecessor to the CIA? Want to learn more, then join Lisa Rogak as she twines the tales of four women who worked in the Morale Operations branch of the OSS.

Lisa Rogak opens with background chapters on each of the four women in Propaganda Girls - Elizabeth "Betty" McDonald, Jane Smith-Hutton, Barbara "Zuzka" Lauwers, and Marlene Dietrich. The background chapters lay the groundwork and motivation of why each woman volunteered to be part of the OSS's black propaganda operation. The next several rounds of chapters laid out the various jobs they held and how each of these jobs whether in Washington D.C., in India, China, Italy, or France managed to aid the Allied cause while raising havoc with the Axis forces. For example, Zuzka had toilet paper created with the image of Hitler's face and the German phrase "Use this side" airdropped behind enemy lines. She also used POWs to sneak behind German lines in Italy with pamphlets saying that the war was over and Kesselring was in charge. Betty used her skills as a newspaper reporter to create newsletters dropped on Japan and behind the lines in China to create division in the enemy population. Jane used her hard-earned knowledge the Japanese language and culture to hold "rumor mill" sessions that proposed various rumors to be spread by spies and to create black propaganda items. Marlene was involved radio broadcasts from London that were beamed to Allied troops, but picked up the Germans as well. She was also in the MUZAK Project which had popular American songs sung in German by German artists. Marlene recorded 12 songs, some with special lyrics, for the program. Years later, all 12 songs were released as an album. Finally, Lisa Rognak covers the lives and careers of all four women after the end of the war.

So, if you are looking for a readable, well-documented account of some of the women who worked for the OSS, pick up Propaganda Girls and settle in for the ride.

Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to read this title!

Well, I just loved this book! It's inspiring, it is educational, it's funny at times - I think that this should be required reading in schools. It felt very modern for a book that is covering events from 80 years ago. It made me want to learn even more about Marlene Dettrick. These stories are ripe for an on-screen adaptation. Loved.

A brilliant true-life tale for fans of WWII stories. Features four women--the famous actress Marlene Dietrich, reporter Betty MacDonald from Hawaii, Zuzka Lauwers from Czechoslovakia, and Jane Smith-Hutton (spouse of a naval attaché based in Tokyo)--who helped pull off a highly successful secret propaganda campaign that contributed to the Allies winning the war. Unputdownable!

This is a concise and engaging account of four women who helped to end WWII in a way no one ever expected them to be able to. I really enjoyed this and will be using the stories of these women in my classroom.

This novel had me engaged the whole time. The nostalgic time with women from Hollywood and a piece of history almost forgotten. I learned a lot about Marlene Dietrich, which I knew from the movies, but her time during the war was difficult with what was happening with the Nazis, and she made decisions that were difficult at that time. We follow several ladies, Betty, Zuzka, Jane and Marlene. These four women made their own impact during the war which sadly could not be recognized. I will be looking for more of Rogak’s work.