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!

Propaganda girls is a well written account of 4 women who joined up in the fight during WWII to help in their own way. It was interesting to learn about how propaganda and gossip was used and how it played a large role in helping the war effort. The way each woman had her own chapter kept the book organized and flowed well.

What a fascinating recollection of this untold story of heroism. Lisa Rogak has shred a well researched, fact filled, and intriguing story of the brave women in this interesting and overlooked element of WWII. Thanks #NetGalley #StMartinsPress

The book follows Betty MacDonald, Jane Smith-Hutton, Zuzka Lauwers and Marlene Dietrich who were all recruited to work for the OSS during the war creating black propaganda. They all were fluent in at least two languages. Betty and Jane were familiar with Japanese culture and language. Zuzka and Marlene worked in Europe. Marlene was tireless doing shows for "her boys."

While I really liked learning about another aspect of our involvement in WW2 I found the book hard to follow. The chapters covered one woman at a time so by the time we rotated back to a particular person that was three chapters back. That also meant jumping from Europe to China to Japan and sometimes the U.S. I would have enjoyed it more if it focused on one person at a time and I would have gotten more of a feel of their personalities.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a digital copy.

As someone who finds reading about WWII fascinating, this book did not disappoint. We read about the memoirs of four women who worked for the OSS during WWII, highlighting the key role women played in overseas propaganda operations. I really found this book to be an interesting source of information and the material was well-researched and well-written! Such a fascinating book!

I really enjoyed Propaganda Girls by Lisa Rogak. Off the bat, I admittedly knew little about the details/OSS and their work, but I especially had never heard of the four women that Rogak highlights.

The novel was very clear cut — each chapter dove a little more into the women, their lives before/during/after WWII. Rogak did a great job of taking the OSS' large assignments and projects and writing about them clearly. It never felt too dry or heavy with dates and data, but engaging for the reader.

I will say—even with that, the novel felt long at times. I struggled near the end with pacing and kept thinking I was closer to finishing than I was.

Rounded up from 3.5 stars.

I realize I have already read at least 2 books with a similar topic, but only following some of the women featured in this book. If you enjoy WWII stories of interesting women, you will enjoy this book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC #sponsored.

Documenting four women who worked for the OSS spreading black propaganda during WWII, "Propaganda Girls" follows in the same vein as many books in the last few years featuring women who found ways to serve in the military in non-traditional ways at a time when women were not allowed to enlist. And it made me feel the same way as many of those books have in the recent past: disappointed, frustrated, incensed, but proud. To be reminded time and again of the intelligence, creativity, and power of women in any role, but especially male-dominated ones, can be tiring, but it's always nice to add a few more strong representatives to the list.

My only wish for this book was likely not possible for the author--with four POVs, the narrative occasionally felt disjointed beyond the connection that all four women held the same type of job in the same organization and faced the same issues. Rogak found ways to weave their stories together where they overlapped or to point out similarities in their experiences, but occasionally I found myself confused in the timeline and/or location.

But it didn't take away from my overall experience too much. You'll find moments to reflect on how this parallels women's roles today, moments to laugh at their wacky ideas to demoralize troops or foster anti-Axis sentiments, and moments where you'll feel joy and pride for the work these women did, no matter how unmeasurable.

3.5 - I definitely learned a lot! Non fiction is not my typical genre, but the story of the propaganda girls kept me more interested than I expected. Would recommend this to any history lovers!

This is my Goodreads review: I loved this book. At first I was unsure if it was a novel or non-fiction but the more I read the more I realized it was not a novel, it just read like one. The author's detailed research on the 4 women she chose to highlight was well done and used in such a way to not be dry or boring. The 4 different women helped me understand what they experienced in WWII and how they coped after the war ended. If you are interested in women's war service this is the perfect book about a niche that is little spoken of.

How much do you know about the office of Morale Operations within the OSS Department during WWII? If you are like me, very little. Then add the story of four remarkable women from varying backgrounds, who are hired to develop false scripts to fool the enemy and you have the “Propaganda Girls.”

This book takes the reader on a journey through WWII through the eyes of each woman. I only knew one of the names prior to reading the book, Marlene Dietrich, but I found each one’s story fascinating.

This was an absolutely fantastic read about four fabulous and brave [out of MANY] who worked both as spies, and as propaganda writers within the OSS [which was 1. the precursor to the CIA, and 2. had several famous names were a part of the OSS as well; some are mentioned in the book], and their lives before *AND* after the war [and what storied, interesting lives they all led].

Detailed, expertly researched and written in an upfront, engaging way, this was one of the best books i have read this month, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is a history buff or enjoys stories about truly brave and strong women.

Very well done!!

Samara Naeymi is a new-to-me narrator and I seriously hope its not the last time I get to listen to her narrate a book. She does an excellent job here and makes you really feel the story and the women within it. I highly recommend this audiobook!!

I was invited to read/review this book by the publisher [St. Martin's Press] and I thank them, NetGalley, Lisa Rogak, and Macmillan Audio for providing both the eBook and audiobook ARC's in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fascinating look into the role women played in the propaganda war of WWII. In particular, Propaganda Girls looks at black propaganda and how four women were able to play special roles in US operations creating and distributing that—and how little they were given in return.

Three—Betty, Jane, and Zuzka—were women I’d never heard of before, but the fourth is Marlene—as in Dietrich, the movie star. Of the four, she has the most tenuous tie to propaganda, as her work was primarily in the USO (which one could view as a type of white propaganda). But I never realized how powerful her recording of Lili Marlene was in the war effort, and the meaning the war had for her was poignant.

The other three served in the OSS creating various types of propaganda. Reading how their interviews with prisoners or random comments they heard would spur clever ideas for propaganda that only a women would probably think of were my favorite moments in this book. And, disappointingly but unsurprisingly, each was overlooked for well-deserved promotions despite laudatory recommendations and support from their peers and immediate supervisors.

A drawback to Propaganda Girls is its structure. Each chapter deals with one woman at a certain point in their OSS activity—before, starting, zenith, afterwards—but because these chapters are mixed together and in random order per segment, I’d start a chapter about someone and have trouble recalling what went on before with that person. I would have appreciated it if Rogak had written a brief paragraph or two at the start of each chapter to reorient the reader.

Propaganda Girls is a fine read, acknowledging an overlooked role for women in WWII, and how for these women it was a high point in their lives. It’s a book I kept coming back to with great interest, and it’s recommended to fans of the era and of military history.

These women are very interesting in the time of male dominance. They all had a very fascinating story behind them.And the author did a very good job explaining how they developed. They faced a lot of options too. Petty was a very interesting person for she was a writer for a newspaper along with her husband. In hawaii. The day pearl Harbor was bombed. Things changed rapidly for her. When pearl harbor was bombed. She embarked on a journey through many different areas. She's also taking Japanese lessons as well and we're sent to China. She really liked this life. She had different husbands at that point. She did remarkable things after the war as well. June was married to a navy officer stationed in tokyo. As when the war started, they came back to the states. When her husband was stationed all the time, she became a writer. She also divorced her husband as well. Y She had a great life with her new husband after the war. ZUZKA Who's the most interesting because she had to leave her home Country, which was CZ EC HO So OPAK. IN. Because she was jewish and the german army was coming in. She Married a merican left just in time. They traveled all over the place in europe. They came to america and this was a struggle. They?
Also eventually divorced. She had a very interesting way because she could speak German. So she went over back there to help the Americans.. She had a difficult time after the war as well. Arrow Dietrich. MPR L ENE Di. Etr I. C. H. Was a famous movie star in german She was signed by paramount. During the war she did different concerts. She had a very interesting life as well. This author is very interesting.How she strongly These stories together and it was a very great read.Because everybody had their own opinion and how they managed to survive

The introductions of the women felt very long compared to the writing about what they did during the war. I feel like there could have been more said about their war time. Overall I enjoyed reading about women involved in WWII since for so long women’s voices have been ignored in wartime history.

Propaganda Girls -The Secret War of the Women in OSS by Lisa Rogak is a meticulously researched, well-organized, and well-written account of four women who work for the Office of Strategic Services. Their work during World War II helped change the course of the war for the Allied forces. The Historical information gives the reader a look behind the scenes on what the Allied Forces used propaganda for in their desire to combat the enemy. .

The book focuses on four women who worked for the OSS. Betty McDonald ( a reporter from Hawaii), Bozena (Zuzka) Lauwers (a language scholar from Czechoslovakia), Jane Smith-Hutton (wife of naval attache stationed in Tokyo), and Marlene Dietrich (German American Actress and singer). Each woman worked for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War II in various capacities, but all of their roles, in one way or another, consisted of creating propaganda to target enemy forces. They created stories, entertainment, political cartoons, and leaflets that were carefully disseminated and distributed into the hands of the enemy. When the propaganda was effective it had the power to sway thousands of enemy soldiers to surrender.

I found the stories of these four brave, smart women fascinating, I also thought the subject matter posed a fascinating perspective how far the Allied Forces were willing to go in order to defeat the enemy. These four women had talent, ideas, and brains. I am glad to have found out more about these women and the impact they had on the world’s history.

I would like to thank the author, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A great book on yet another group of unsung women in history. As a fan of women in history I will never get enough of books like this because it seems that with each one, I learn and discover something new.
I hadn't really heard of the OSS before but am not at all surprised in the role women had in the organization, and this book serves as an amazing highlight reel on four of the women involved. We get to know so much about who they were, what they did in such great detail.
It definitely left me wanting to know more about these four and the OSS.