Thanks to St. martins press for the arc of this book. it was a great story of four women one of whom was very popular as an actress and their lives in the OSS during World War II. I enjoyed the snippet and sections of each woman as they progress through the war and what they encountered it was truly in lightning. I had hoped there would be more discussion around general Donovan and his role with these women. The book kept me involved and it was exceedingly interesting during all portions of the World War II, especially afterwards a very good read.

Absolutely loved this book! At the end it felt like u had sat down with each of these amazing women and had the chance to talk to them about their lives

Propaganda Girls gives us a look at some of the women who were instrumental in the OSS activities in World War II. Betty, Jane, Zuzka, and Marlene were four of the many women who were recruited for their language abilities and their willingness to go where they were needed to accomplish the mission. I had a pretty good grasp of the job that the OSS did, but I didn't realize how big of an impact was made by these women. They worked long hours under difficult conditions and, at times, their lives were at risk. This is an interesting read; one that was, for me, annoyingly eye opening to the lack of promotability some of them faced while doing the same job as their male counterparts. I recommend this to anyone who wants to learn more about women's contributions in WWII.

Propaganda Girls follows four women as they work for the OSS during World War II and gives them the long awaited appreciation they deserve. Often passed over for promotions simply because they were women, they risked their lives serving their country creating black propaganda designed to break the spirit and morale of the Axis soldiers. It was fascinating to hear how they questioned POWs to get information to help them understand what was happening on the enemy front lines and all of the steps they took to manufacture and distribute their pamphlets and information. A family friend fondly remembered meeting Marlene Dietrich during her morale boosting tours, so I especially enjoyed her sections and learning more about why she was so passionate about helping the Allied cause. The book is easy to read is a fascinating read for anyone who is interested in hearing more about how women helped the Allied forces win World War II.
Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC.

Real Rating: 4.25* of five

<b>The Publisher Says: The incredible untold story of four women who helped win WWII by generating a wave of black propaganda.</b>

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 <i>Propaganda Girls</i>, 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.

<b>I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.

My Review</b>: I think most of us know who Marlene Dietrich was; I thought <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_MacDonald">Betty MacDonald</a> was the author of <i>The Egg & I</i>, but that's not the case; none of the others caused even a flicker of recognition.

This, my fellow Murrikans, is not an accident. As covert-operations experts, it was never likely that the four women here...with one obvious exception...would become household names. Even Dietrich's wartime service, though, is very much downplayed and undercredited in biographies of her remarkable life. The others...well...I know we'll all clutch our collective pearls when we learn that they were passed over for promotions given to men they trained. Shocking, no?

Lisa Rogak has set out to tell the details, insofar as available, of the women whose lives were offered in service during a huge global war. The aftermath was predictably enough not glorious. The women are, I'm afraid, not part of the broader public record; that makes keeping track of them in this narrative of their covert activities a matter of noting names. No archive of their careers exists (<i>pace</i> Marlene), so we have little personality development. From divergent beginnings, they converge on a bored, rebellious attitude they are all entitled to. It just does little to keep their characters separate in one's mind. It doesn't help my sense of them as people that, based on the title, I was expecting more or less a Bletchley Park kind of ethos for them to operate together, as more or less a unit, to develop. Nothing could be further from the truth...they barely ever crossed paths and were not in the same kind of circumstances within the propaganda operation.

It's not so much a flaw in my mind as an inevitable consequence of the manner in which these women were treated as fungible, expendable units where their male colleagues were noticed and promoted...often on the backs of the women's efforts. The effect of propaganda on one's enemies is, obviously, a subject of great national importance in today's online world. I shudder to think what a popular entertainer of Dietrich's stature could do with social media at her command. Any one of these rumormongers, these evidence-fakers, these insiders-turned-enemies could do astonishing amounts of damage given free rein on the internet.

Heaven knows their descendants are. We ignore the ways and means of the past at our peril. We're still seeing these techniques used, as refined, against us now.

Why I couldn't reach a fifth star was really down to niggles, like the sort-of-faceless grievance ball the women turned into as I read along. It wasn't avoidable, I understand that we're dealing with people who didn't leave huge divots in the lawn of History here. It was, however, a distraction, so that's why this well-written, researched, and obviously very personally meaningful to the author story doesn't get its optimal five full stars.

Thank you to the publisher for providing a free preview copy of Propaganda Girls!

I’m a WWII and media history girlie, so this topic was definitely up my alley. I enjoyed the stories of the four women and how they each ended up in such a unique position with the OSS. Unfortunately the writing fell a bit flat for me, and there wasn’t a driving thesis to pull all the narrative together; instead it just seemed like a recitation of history (interesting though that history may be!!).

I enjoyed reading Propaganda Girls by Lisa Rogak. I found the story to be interesting and easy to read. I could tell that the author did her research. I was happy to discover that the book was not dry. The book is told from four women’s point-of-view who served in the OSS during World War II. The work that Betty MacDonald, Zuzka Lauwers, Jane Smith-Hutton, and Marlene Dietrich did to aid the war effort was fascinating. They worked to undermine the morale of Axis soldiers. It is shame that they did not receive the same pay, rank, or acknowledgement as men. Jane, Betty, and Zuzka’s contributions were just as important as Marlene Dietrich’s. The women were clever, and they came up with unique ideas. Those curious about inimitable jobs women did during World War II will enjoy Propaganda Girls.

An excellent, well-documented book about the work of four women in WWII, Propaganda Girls is full of detail about how propaganda works and worked in various projects, ranging from operations to bring down German morale to convincing Japanese fighters that it was honorable to surrender. Rogak confronts the sexism and other bigotries of the day head-on in chronicling the women's careers, aspirations, and challenges, explaining why they were qualified for what they did and how they did their jobs. Lively and written in a conversational style, this is sure to please a wide range of readers.

This is the incredible story of four women who did their part for the war effort by creating black propaganda. This propaganda had the sole aim to break the morale of the Axis soldiers.

Rogak has crafted an easy to read account of four amazing women that were drawn to serving their country. It appears to be thoroughly researched, yet not overly technical. This was a perfect read for international women’s month.

Thank you to the publisher for a review copy of this wonderful book. Propaganda Girls is an examination of the role that a handful of women played during WWII in crafting propaganda that was used to demoralize and sway the opinion of the Axis powers, both within the civilian and the military.

This book is enjoyably readable and progresses easily through the pre-war and war periods and also tell us what happened to these ladies after they left their positions with the OSS. For me, this was a new area of exploration as I was unaware of much of the propaganda efforts throughout the war, and especially with the role that women members of the OSS performed.

What was disheartening is seeing the toll it took on each of their lives for the sacrifices they made to assist in the war effort. The failed marriages, loss of careers, and feelings of losing their purpose after the war ended was heartbreaking. All of these women should be celebrated for their actions.

I enjoyed this book immensely and almost finished it in one go as I didn't really find a time where I wanted to put it down because I had lost interest in it. Well done, Lisa Rogak!!!

Loved it!
Of the four women covered in this book.

I knew about Marlene Dietrich's USO tours but was not aware that she was an OSS 'Morale Office" employee.
Also never knew (but am not surprised) that Hitler and his officers had a price on her head. Loved the insight
into her life provided by her daughter. Added more depth to an already fascination woman's story.

Also was shocked to find out that Jane Smith-Hutton wrote one of my favorite books when I was a child,
'Inky: The Seeing Eye Dog'. My tattered, beloved copy of this book is somewhere in the attic I'm sure.
I had no clue about her life, and 'Propaganda Girls' provided me with a detailed narrative. KUDOS!

Betty McDonald's narative of her first hand experience of the bombing of Pearl Harbor was gripping.
And her description of Julia Child on the hair-raising flight over 'The Hump' of the Himalaya's was hilarious
and on point for what I've read of Mrs. Child's demeanor.

Zuzka Lauwers story is the one that I'm most obliged for 'The Propaganda Girls' introduction. I am sure
that I would never have known about her without the help of this book.

All of these women are stellar examples of what we're capable of with just a little leeway and wit. And the
contempt they all seem to have dealt with (especially by the military higher ups) is maddening. Saddeningly
the fact that women have to do five times the work to be recognized and STILL are not adequately compensated
for their time and effort is still quite unfortunately in effect today.

World War Two history readers will enjoy this well researched book about the lives of four women heavily involved in the OSS and MO. Looking for a historical fiction work, I found it more of non-fiction. This book did reflect the frustrations of women trying to help in the war in a man’s field. Their efforts in war strategies were highly commendable and deserve recognition.

This book tells the powerful stories of four remarkable women who, in their own unique ways, stood up for what they believed in and played pivotal roles during World War II. Each of them displayed incredible bravery, intelligence, and resourcefulness, using their talents and voices to advocate for an end to the war. What struck me most was how distinct each woman’s story was, yet how crucial their contributions were in the larger fight. I was astounded by how little-known their efforts are, especially their work with the OSS. I found it fascinating how they used propaganda, derived from information gathered from POWs, to influence the course of the war. This book is incredibly well-written and thoroughly researched, offering a fresh perspective on an often-overlooked chapter of history.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Lisa Rogak for the e-ARC.

An absolutely fascinating look at four women, three you probably don't know and one, Marlene Dietrich, you probably do know, and the roles they played with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War 2. In many clever ways, these women created propaganda to try to demoralize the enemy.

Very well written, this highly readable book looked at each woman's background and how they came to be involved with the OSS and also the challenges each faced in creating the propaganda.

The author offered an amazing level of research in this must-read book for readers interested in World War 2 topics.

Highly recommended!!

Go to any bookstore, library or online bookstore and you will find at least one book about World War II. Propaganda Girls, is a much needed book, that must be read by anyone interested in WWII. Bestselling author Lisa Rogak introduces us to four women who played a crucial role in the creation of propaganda that helped change the course of history and that many of us do not know of.

All for women worked for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the precursor to today’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Their boss, General “Wild Bill” Donovan, wanted to hire creative, dedicated and quirky women who had unique skills. The women were tasked with the creation of propaganda that would damage the moral of axis powers.
Betty MacDonald was a young woman working as a reporter from Hawaii. Like all Hawaiians, the morning of December 7, 1941, changed the life of Betty. The attack of Pearl Harbor triggered a desire to contribute to fighting the war. Through her words, she contributed to change the course of the war. Barbara “Zuzka” Lauwers was not a citizen of the United States, nonetheless, she felt a hatred for Nazis. The bombing of Pearl Harbor altered her life as much as it did for Betty’s. Jane Smith-Hutton was a woman who liked to keep herself busy. She was the wife of a naval attaché who were living in Japan on December 7, 1941. Jane’s love for Asian culture, fluency in Japanese provided her with a much-coveted skill that was pivotal to changing the course of the war. Marlene Dietrich perhaps one of the most recognized names of the 20th century. Marlene was a German actress and singer whose ultimate revenge against Nazi Germany was to renounce her German citizenship and became a US citizen. She risked her life on numerous occasions to help her boys and even had a prize target from Hitler. All four women used their unique skills and contributed to the most covert and successful military campaigns in WWII.

The book is divided into chapters that focus on each woman and go back and forth. Lisa Rogak did a splendid job of unearthing information and allowing us to know what each woman did to help during the war.


Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sending me an ARC in exchange of an honest review of the book received.

“Did I hate the Germans? The Japanese? Not really. I helped make up the slogans to make the other people hate,” she said. “Packaged hate, like packaged breakfast foods, produced by the ad man in uniform. And249 a prize of a promise in every package— the corner drugstore, ice cubes, America.”

Happy International Women’s Day (and yes, it’s real - despite what any Apple or Google calendar will now tell you)! And, thanks to both @macmillan.audio and @stmartinspress, I was able to recently read and listen to such a fitting book: a #gifted copy of PROPAGANDA GIRLS: The Secret War of the Women in the OSS by Lisa Rogak.

This was the fascinating, well-researched story of four women who were responsible for brainstorming, creating, and strategizing the release of propaganda that eventually helped win WWII. They created parody newsletters and manuals in other languages; they strategized to release them via airplane or by strategically recruitment POWs to their cause. It was truly fascinating to see how they manipulated the enemy’s emotion and knowledge to influence morale and energy.

It showed readers both the backstory of each woman and how they ultimately were called to serve, the major projects they oversaw during the war, the gender inequality they faced (particularly as it relates to promotion and recognition), and how they spent their time later in life - so I appreciated that we were able to get to know the women even outside of their military accomplishments.

The audiobook was incredibly engaging; there was a single narrator and she helped bring these women to life - without it feeling like we were lost in facts and dates.

PROPAGANDA GIRLS is out now!

I’ve read several books depicting women’s involvement in WWII but never one like this. The amazing attention to detail alone separates this one from the others . Obviously well researched and thoughtfully put together . Everyone lives changed in unfathomable ways during this period but this woman and others lived lives for these few years that no woman could have ever imagined. Some of it may be shocking and perhaps not for some of the younger audience but it’s real, was real, life for these women. A lifetime lived in a a few years as we read about intelligent, hard working dedicated women fight for their country (s) in creative ways ,traveling the world in dangerous situations all for very little money or recognition.Most men didn’t think they needed these women but obviously they were wrong.

3.25 stars

This book follows the stories of four women who worked on Propaganda during WWII in separate chapters, one for each of the women during four phases of their time working on propaganda.

Their stories were remarkable and very interesting, but I felt that in some circumstances the stories felt a little repetitive from woman to woman. I also got a bit confused remembering who was who every time I started a new chapter about a personI hadn't read about since their last chapter--three chapters ago!

I also felt that the format made it so that there wasn't an obvious central thesis. rather than just sharing information about these women and their work. It would have been more effective to either have a combined narrative of propaganda in the war and how women worked in it, with these woman used as recurring examples, or if it were divided into sections about each women which built on each other around some kind of thesis.

While I do recommend the book as an interesting source of information for anyone interested in this topic, it was not nearly as effective as other biographies I've read of groups of women. Something about it felt incomplete.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing an ARC for unbiased review.

“Propaganda Girls” is the true story of four women– much braver than I could ever be– who affected the outcome of the last 18 months of WWII. Using their brains, they devised ways of tricking Axis soldiers into surrendering. While I had never heard of three of these women, one name I knew immediately: Marlene Dietrich. I had no idea that Elizabeth MacDonald, Jane Smith-Hutton, Barbara Lauwers, and Marlene Dietrich were members of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), which later became known as the CIA.

Their boss, General “Wild Bill” Donovan, wanted to hire creative, quirky women. One of his best-known admonitions was, “If you think it will work, go ahead.” All four took him at his word.

The book is divided into four consecutive sections. Each section contains one chapter about each of the four women and the area of the world in which they were located during the war. The book was very easy to follow and difficult to put down.

Lisa Rogak has done a wonderful job of unearthing information about women who might otherwise have been lost to history. Although I’ve read several historical novels about women in this period, Propaganda Girls” has the added cachet of being true. The book is meticulously documented.

I greatly enjoyed “Propaganda Girls and highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy. This is my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book a ton!! It is told from the perspective of four women who served in the OSS during WWII. I personally enjoy this type of stories because I am a female veteran, and you don't not hear many women perspectives in war books. Reading these women's stories was very inspiring and makes me proud to see their contributions brought to light. Great book and I will be buying a physical copy this weekend for my other history loving book readers. This is not one to skip. Thanks NetGalley.