The Unexpected Spy

The Unexpected Spy is the story of how Tracy Walder went from sorority girl to a CIA officer who would eventually travel to some of the most dangerous parts of the world under aliases in order to put a stop to terrorism.

Before I write about my thoughts on the book itself, I want to point out that aspects of Walder’s story have been redacted by the CIA (for obvious reasons) and in her foreword, Walder made it clear that she decided to keep in the redacted sections but just black them out rather than rewriting sections. This may bother some people, but I actually found it quite interesting to read what was around the redacted parts and to fill in some of the blanks with the information given. I didn’t have a problem with it, but it’s something to keep in mind. She’s also changed the names of people to protect identities and so forth.

Now, as a school teacher from Australia, there’s not a lot I have in common with a Californian sorority-girl-turned-CIA-officer-turned-FBI-agent. While I’m familiar with some of the historical events that Walder was involved in, and some of the White House names, the rest is pretty far removed from my life, so it was a reading experience that gave me a bit more of an insight into the workings of the CIA and FBI that aren’t purely based off of television and/or movies.

The writing is very easy to follow and Walder has a way of weaving her story together in way that offers insight into both her work and the political climate at the time. But the focus is definitely her work, in which she surveilled al-Qaeda operatives using drones and tracked terrorists involved in the production of Weapons of Mass Destruction. There’s a lot on the process of being vetted by the CIA and the training that she underwent, on the people she worked with and eventually her transition to the FBI which was a whole different ball game, where Walder pointed out the expectations of women were completely different to those of the CIA.

I liked that Walder didn’t shy away from the difficulties she faced as a woman in either agency – in the CIA if she was to debrief terrorists, chances were that they wouldn’t talk to her because she was a woman, and in the FBI she was penalised for being a woman, accused of lying about being a CIA officer because of how she looked and overlooked for positions despite her qualifications. More than that, I liked that she stuck to her beliefs that woman can do anything they set their mind to and used her time after leaving the FBI to help young women do just that.

This was a really interesting read about a strong, independent woman who wanted to make the world a better place and eventually found herself in a position to do that. I wish the book every success when it’s released in late February

This was a fascinating, sometimes frightening book but it was consistantly eye-opening. I do not understand how cruelty and narrow-mindedness can exist in our day, but I am glad that there are people working to shut it down.
The author has had an interesting life and it was good to see a driven woman in a position to do all she could to keep the world a little safer. The many redacted sections were a little distracting, but I understood the necessity for them.
This line "...trying to hold the terrorists in Afghanistan was like trying to hold water in a colander. Yeah, there are places where the water can't get out, but there are so many holes that it's going to get out anyway." really made me stop and think. Terrorists outnumbered the good guys in that instance, but terror is everywhere we look these days. I think Tracy and her colleages were fighting a losing battle, but I appreciate their dedication.

Overall, a gripping, highly readable and engaging book. I hope it does well when it comes out.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC.

I *love* a peek at a secret world, and Walder offers fascinating glimpses of her life as a CIA and an FBI agent, including training details, political machinations, significant and rankling discrimination, and her own glowing pride in doing her job well and protecting others from danger—even when anyone without security clearance remained necessarily ignorant of the invaluable nature of the work and the imminent risks avoided. Her evolution into her present-day self and current profession was satisfying to witness as well.

Printing the redactions as strikethrough text of the same length as what was omitted jarred me at first, and I wondered about this approach, but as the book went on, this method made sense and worked for me.

I would’ve liked this to be twice as long with even more more more detail!

St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley provided me with an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I tend to only read autobiographies featuring women in “nonconventional” hobbies or careers ("Jet Girl", "Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube", "What Happened"), as their struggles and successes are either personally inspiring or indicative that, as a society, we still have a ways to go regarding equality. The Unexpected Spy was no different. For someone who, to be honest, doesn’t have a great deal of interest in 9/11 and its aftermath (I’m more concerned with the rise of domestic terrorists - lone shooters and incel attacks), this book was still enthralling and fascinating.

The writing is easy to follow, engaging, and doesn’t get bogged down on details. We are given enough childhood backstory on Tracy that we understand her. She seems like a driven, focused woman who is also very kind and compassionate. A normal person who happened to land a job that suited her strengths.

As a Canadian myself, the “America, f*ck yeah!” statements peppered throughout were a little eye-rolling, but the (sometimes) hyperbolic patriotism was balanced with her critical take on the actions of her government and an open-minded approach to other countries. She clearly was not blinded by her devotion to her country, which was nice to see. I enjoyed that she briefly mentions how her career impacted her social life, but that wasn’t a focus of the story. This is a book about a woman doing her job, not balancing her career with her home life.

Yet, there are still some very poignant sections outlining the sexism she encountered in her role not only as a CIA agent but in the FBI. These moments were less frustrating when she was in the CIA and downright maddening when she discusses the FBI. Was I surprised this happened to her? No. Which is why I found those sections so important. Sexism and misogyny are still problems we need to deal with as a society, and I can only hope stories like these shed light on what needs to change.

In truth, this was likely not a book I would have picked up if the publisher had not offered me an early read, but I’m glad they did!

I stayed up late the first night reading this, until I just couldn’t hold my eyes open any longer. I might have read it right through if I hadn’t been so tired from just inhaling another book before this one. A really good read about a young lady spy for the CIA who goes after bad guy terrorists after 9/11. She later changes jobs to work for the FBI. I found it a good book and hope it might give some young women different goals for the future about making a difference. I found this to be another book I got right through, as I enjoyed it so much and recommend if you like this type of subject. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, authors Tracy Walder & Jessica Anya Blau, and the publisher.

The Unexpected Spy is an enthralling read. Walder grew up in SoCal and was recruited by the CIA while still in college. She also worked for the FBI and currently teaches in Texas. Being in the history profession myself, I related to her using her previous experiences to instruct her students on public policy and world history. Slander has definitely led an exciting life as both a foreign and domestic agent.

Ms. Walder tells about her distinctive experiences working at both the CIA and the FBI. The CIA position was her first post-graduate job. She was working at the CIA during 9-11. Ms. Walder provides a unique perspective on her work and her life surrounding her secretive jobs.

Recommended for academic libraries, public libraries, and book clubs.

What a fascinating read. This book give you a look into the CIA and FBI that is eye opening. I appreciated so much about this book. Thanks for sharing it with me.

Thanks to netgalley, the authors and the publisher for the copy I received.

Received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

This is a fantastic book! So interesting to read about the life as an Agent in both the CIA and the FBI and I look forward to seeing in on the tv screen :)

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for this review copy!

This is the story of how a sorority girl who was bullied at school found her calling working for the CIA. At a job fair at college, the author filled out a job application on a whim…and the rest is history. She started her job immediately after she graduated.

Shortly after starting work, Walder was promoted to The Vault, under kindly Director Tenet, who made her feel like a part of the team. She was respected by the other team members and everyone worked together well, thanks to Tenet. He was always doing thoughtful things, such as bringing Thanksgiving dinner to the Vault’s hardworking members.

A few months later, she was moved to Counterterrorism to work under Graham Andersson. This continued to bolster her confidence and erase the “loser” mindset she had, because she constantly received compliments and encouragement from her superiors. Some of the missions she worked on dealt with poison and other weapons of mass destruction. Despite being an introvert, she gave apresentation on a poisoning plot she and two other coworkers discovered. Due to their hard work, the people of interest were captured, and the poisoning plot was exposed and neutralized. The book continues with more stories like this, including some that highlight intelligence operatives that don’t work on Sunday, despite the terrorists that lurk nearby.

Walder remains positive, despite being minimalized by the men in other cultures. About 60% of the way through she meets some male counterparts after a bombing in Africa, and they are less than thrilled to be working with her. She remains professional and focused on the task at hand. This strength is one of her main characteristics – it shines through on almost every page. Her writing is full of her eagerness to fight the terrorists before they get a chance to perform their insidious tasks. She also writes about her feelings of personal failure regarding the March 11, 2004 bombing in Madrid. She wondered what scrap of information she had missed and felt personally responsible for all those dead and wounded. It was this final straw that cause her to fill out an application for the FBI and send it in. They accepted her immediately, and so Walder embarked on a new career. However, for the first time in her professional career she felt bullied during her training at Quantico. She kept moving forward and never let the constant criticism get her down – another display of her incredible mental strength.

Unfortunately, the FBI’s mentality was to pair her up with a more experienced partner and marginalize her, never making her the lead when they picked up criminals. She learned that she wasn’t the only female being discriminated against, but she kept going, hoping things would change. It didn’t, and she quit the FBI after working there only 15 months. Currently she is a history teacher at an all-girls school, her mission empowering and educating girls against the bullies and terrorists of the world. Walder puts as much determination into her teaching as she did in her career, and that is refreshing. She is a role model who still cares about eliminating hatred, embracing all walks of life, and giving girls their voice. I am glad that she chose to write her story to illuminate these causes! Her voice is clear and strong, the writing style will pull you in and make you laugh at times, while other times you will be incredulous, such as when you read about the mistreatment the FBI puts forth. It is also very interesting to be “behind the scenes” at the CIA, as much as they would allow. This unforgettable book would be great for any college age girl to read, for it may spark interest in a career such as Walder’s. Her experiences are powerful and empowering.

This book is an education in foreign policy that current day politicians need to read! I found it enlightening and scary. I would love to read the parts that are blacked out but admire the author for protecting US secrets and resources. this is a must read for anyone who wants to know how the CIA andFBI operate.

The book was well written and provided a chronological look at the varied careers of the author, mostly focusing on her time in the CIA. Unfortunately some of the material was redacted by the CIA and a few chronologies are missing information to help the reader glean a thorough understanding of the described events. Interesting career experiences for sure.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book to read and review.

Tracy Walder shares her story of beginning a career in the CIA at a very young age and quickly understanding how she can not only make an impact on the world, but also be a strong woman in many difficult environments. Her memoir also covers her shift to the FBI and the additional challenges she had to overcome. I thought it was interesting to learn about the training employees go through in both of these areas, but also frustrating to hear how women can so easily be belittled because of their gender. However, it was impressive to hear of Tracy's success at such a young age, and I applaud all of the work she continues to do to inspire women.

This is an excellent book - and the storyline would never be accepted if it were fiction!
I found it especially interesting to read about what was going on in the CIA "behind closed doors" in the aftermath of 9/11

It was somewhat frustrating to read round the redacted parts & I think I'd have preferred some rewrites or "Mr X" /"Middle East Location I will call City B" but I can understand why the author chose to do this - it added authenticity for her.

It was interesting to learn about her teenage years & the type of person she was, and very frustrating to read about the blatent sexism and mysogeny she encoutered during her working life, but so much more prevalently when she left the CIA to join FBI

I am not a US citizen, but I could still relate to this book - I am sure US Citizens would bring a slightly different set of experiences to it but I think it resonates with many in the Western World. It definitely makes you look at the CIA/FBI/Secret Sevrices/Inteligence agencies etc in a differnet light

Thank you for sharing your story Tracy ...

Disclosure: I received an advance reader copy of this book free via NetGalley. All opinions are my own

This was a great book. It was a bit frustrating at times work the redacted parts. I felt like the paragraphs could have been deleted and not missed anything. I really related to the author and her struggles. It was inspiring to see how far she came. I liked the reasoning and explanations rather than focusing on dangerous missions. It's interesting to look back through the lens of history and see how far we have (and haven't) come. The epilogue was awesome and great to see how she circled back around to her original goal

If this book had been a fiction novel, it would be criticized for being too preposterous. As an autobiography, it was an inspiring, upsetting, and very interesting book.

A true page turner Tracy Walker went right from college to the CIA her adventures as an agent her view of historic moments and to make this book even more involving she shares her personal life.For me I got caught up in her life and could not put it down.#netgalley#st.martinspress

Wow. That's really the best way to describe this phenomenal book. It's eye-opening and very difficult to put down. Read it and reap. You will never look at our government or the world in the same way again.

This was a fascinating read! I didn't expect the critique that occurred with the agency change! So refreshing to read the truth about federal government agencies! The redacted information did not deter from the story and in fact, added to the overall sense of intrigue! Thank you to Tracy Walder for her service as a CIA agent and now as a teacher of young minds. I would recommend this biographical account to all young women from middle school to adults; and to anyone else interested in the factual account of a USA spy! The author is candid and honest about her time in federal government service and about growing up as a young woman dealing with bullying because of her differences! I highly recommend this factual story!

The Unexpected Spy was Tracy Walder’s memoir of her years as a counterterrorism officer in the CIA, especially in the aftermath of 9/11, and as a special agent in the FBI. This was written, of course, without revealing any classified information.
The content was riveting, personal, and at times humorous. The author recounted her many journeys across the world and in the United States to gather information in order to protect against terroristic attacks. It was interesting to read a first hand account of the deception regarding the invasion of Iraq, their WMD, and how the CIA became the government’s scapegoat.

Being highly intelligent, blond, and female, Tracy also had to deal with sexism. The author met people that respected her and those that tried to belittle her role and intelligence by referring to her as Malibu Barbie. Tracy, however, not only dealt with sexism in that African nation, but also in the United States when she joined the FBI and encountered their misogynistic attitude. The instructors and members of her class also had a hard time believing her spy career with the CIA even though everything was in her file.

The author also included interesting personal stories such as: overcoming floppy baby syndrome, a target of bullies for many years, a member of USC’s Delta Gamma sorority, and most recently a history teacher in an all girls high school where she empowers her students -both academically and through her own life lessons.
This was an exceptional read and highly recommended.

A real life hero who overcomes a lot of obstacles to become a successful CIA and FBI agent helping fight terrorists and criminals. Tracy starts out the story as a sorority girl at USC and takes it to fighting the war on terror while overseas coming face to face with many people who wish the Western world ill will. She also works with intelligence agencies to share intelligence gathered by the US in an attempt to help others stop terrorism. This book unfortunately showed me sexism is still a big part of life in the military. A good book for those who are interested in the subject matter but will never be able to be part of it.
Thank you Netgalley,Tracy Walder; Jessica Anya Blau and St. Martin's Press for the ARC for my honest review.

This is an excellent book that I just could not put down. Tracy's experience in the CIA during and after 9/11 was fascinating and provided insight as to what was going on that day/week/month behind close doors. Her exposition challenged my thoughts of the Bush administration and provided a good background as to the terrorists who attacked us. I kind of expected that. What I didn't expect is what she encountered in the FBI, training and afterward. I couldn't help but cheer her grit and love that has found a place to call home.

I'm not a huge reader memoirs of 'regular' people or historical figures because usually they are kind of boring as they plod from one significant event to another. That was so not the case in the Unexpected Spy. This was a fascinating, engrossing read that moved at a fast clip through her time in the CIA to the FBI all the while dealing with sexism that no doubt still remains. I want to say it didn't read like memoir as if it reading like a memoir is a bad thing, but it's not and it's the memoir aspects, the thrill of what she achieved, the lows of dealing with unfair B.S. from people who judged her for being a woman brings everything into a sharper light.
Great writing, great story, I highly recommend.

Tracy Walder began life with hypotonia, known as a “floppy baby syndrome”. The odds of her walking were nearly impossible, and the odds of her becoming a dancer, a sorority girl, a CIA agent or an FBI agent were too crazy to consider. Yet, that is exactly what she did. But not without determination, hard work and confidence in herself.

Her mother can be credited with never giving up when doctors did. She worked with Tracy until she got stronger and finally walked on her own. Unfortunately, the kids at school were not kind to her. She had few friends and kept to herself. Her mind was and is brilliant, so it was no surprise that she entered USC and became a member of a sorority. What does come as a surprise to her and everyone else is that on a whim she filled out a card at a job fair for the CIA. Even more surprising is they called her back and recruited her.

The CIA was intense, but Tracy loved the fact that she was making a difference even if no one would ever be able to know the specifics of her job. But the intensity became too much, 9/11 weighed heavily on her and tracking terrorists left her sleepless. When she saw recruiting literature for the FBI she thought about having a home and family instead of the travel the CIA required. Again, she sent in her resume and was recruited. But the FBI has a different mindset when it comes to women operatives. After a few years, she decided to leave the bureau and begin the career she had dreamed about since she was a child, teaching.

Tracy’s fascinating story gives readers an inside glimpse of the CIA, FBI and what it is to be a woman in these male dominated professions. Part of her story has been redacted, there are many pages with ~~~~~~~~~~ in place of words. These signify information that is classified. Tracy submitted The Unexpected Spy to the CIA’s Publications Review Board. It was approved with the aforementioned redactions.

The Unexpected Spy reads like a spy novel, but is so much more impactful to the reader because it is based upon her life and the true events in our recent history. I loved it and am in awe of this courageous and adventurous woman.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Copyright © 2020 Laura Hartman

For more reviews and bookish posts please visit: http://www.ManOfLaBook.com

The Unexpected Spy: From the CIA to the FBI, My Secret Life Taking Down Some of the World’s Most Notorious Terrorists by Tracy Walder and Jessica Anya Blau is an account of Ms. Walder who went straight from being a college sorority girl to the CIA. After her stint at the CIA, Ms. Walder joined the FBI for a short time, and is now a teacher.

This memoir by Tracy Walder nee Tracy Schandler tells of her time in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), which recruited her right out of college. Ms. Schandler worked in counterterrorism after the September 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and the insights she gives about the work her and her fellow patriots did at the CIA before and after. Throughout the story, Ms. Schandler recounts pivotal moments from her upbringing, especially her school years, which influenced her later decisions.

After some time in the CIA, Ms. Schandler decided she might be able to contribute more to the safety of the nation by joining the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI). The experience in the FBI, however, was not as what she expected. Her instructors at the academy were misogynists and anti-Semites, which made the three months training period even more difficult. Afterwards, Ms. Schandler felt marginalized and left the FBI after only 15 months.
It was a sad statement that the FBI would user its academy to filter out people who are not in the “club”, according to Ms. Schandler. Several high profile law suits against the FBI might have changed all that.

The Unexpected Spy: From the CIA to the FBI, My Secret Life Taking Down Some of the World’s Most Notorious Terrorists by Tracy Walder and Jessica Anya Blau was an easy read, relatable and straightforward. I found the author’s insights fascinating, especially about the day-to-day activities of her job. In the book, which was cleared with both agencies, the author left the redacted parts in (blank, of course) which I thought was a good choice since the reader had some idea why certain things were missing. For those of us who keep up with politics and international affairs we could make an educated guess of what was not included.

WOW what an amazing young woman. Thanks so much for all your work in the government. I found the book to be entertaining while giving the public more information on life in government work. To give up so much freedom to serve is truly amazing. Thank you for sharing your story.

This really was unexpected. It was a great read. Although I am still surprised how badly people and big organisations like the FBI behavs. I allready know that people are jealous and that men can behave despicable. but it still surprises me. I would have loved to see some characters getting there behinds kicked but... Thanks to #Netgalley, #StMartinsPress and Sara Beth Haring for reaching out to me for an opinion on this memoir about a piece of CIA and FBI I actually didn't know much about. What an amazing worklife and wonderfully described settings. It was very hard to put down and I read it in two sitting. I would love to know more.

An eyeopening look inside the post 9/11 CIA and then a brief look at the inner workings of the FBI. I was particularly intrigued by the continuing challenges of being a woman in a predominately male world of espionage and Federal law enforcement. It was a quick, easy read that was well written and captivating from beginning to end. Highly recommended

This is a fascinating book about a woman's extraordinary career in the CIA, FBI, and finally as a teacher. Her career in the CIA was stellar and the dangers she faced were intense. It was riveting to read about her work in and dedication to counter-terrorism. She is an inspiration to all women. The sexism and misogyny she endured (particularly at the FBI) was infuriating but she rose above it, never complained, and never quit. It makes me mad to think of all the men of lesser ability, throughout history, who have skated through training and their careers just by virtue of the gender. This is a five star book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

<I>*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review *</i > 
<b>4 stars </b> 

The Unexpected Spy recounts Tracy Walder (née Schandler)'s journey from California sorority girl to the CIA, the FBI and later teaching.

This was a very insightful and compelling read, especially pertaining to the struggles faced by women particularly in the intelligence community.

However, some of the redactions were rather bothersome, and seemed to cut out essential parts of the story (although I understand why they had to be put into place).

At points, it feels almost like she’s trying to justify some of the more questionable acts of the CIA, which feels like she's been rather indoctrinated by the CIA (which would not be surprising). This book in mant instances mirrors the idea that the US is responsible for everything everywhere in the world (which is still baffling to most non-Americans)!

I really enjoyed this book! Even though large portions of the book were blanked out by the CIA, this was not too distracting and I was still able to enjoy the read. It was fast paced and completely engrossing. I am so impressed by Walder's life story and the grace with which she tells it. Five stars from me and be sure to pick up this title when it comes out on February 25th! I'll be thinking about this book for a long time!

This was an interesting and at times riveting memoir. While I don’t read a ton of nonfiction, I’m a fan of memoirs, biographies, and true stories that almost feel like reading fiction. I figured the true story about a real life female spy would be right up my alley. This was a little different than I expected, but I thought it was very good. It’s very readable and I finished it in one sitting since I didn’t want to put it down.

What made this story really interesting to me was that Tracey was in her first year at the CIA when 9-11 happened. While of course Tracey can’t give away national secrets in this book, but getting her take on what is what like working for the CIA during that time was quite gripping. Tracey was also still in the CIA when the Bush administration kept asking for proof of saddam Hussein having WMD’s (bio terrorism was one of her specialties) but there were none for her to give them. They actually used Tracey’s poison terrorist chart (after they changed and tampered with her info) to help sell the war. Tracey really was right in the middle of many important moments and it was very interesting reading.

The book is a little tough to read at times, but not as much as you would expect for someone working in counter terrorism. There were references to many deaths and graphic pictures, but some of the toughest parts to read were about the sexism she faced. I also found it very interesting that while she visited countries where women have hardly any rights at all, the worst sexism and misogyny was from our good ole FBI. The teachers at Quantico are a bunch of dicks including the women teachers too. She actually had to write a letter of apology to a male instructor because he was “distracted” by the fit of her suit. A suit she had bought and worn while in the CIA. She had to write an apology and buy suits that were sized too big for the rest of her time in training. This is just one small drop in the bucket about how shitty the FBI treats women but I’ll leave the rest for you to read about.

I do have to say I had an issue with the information blackouts in this book. This book was sent to the CIA and parts where blacked out that they felt may risk national security. I get it, and it makes sense, but it seemed to be overboard at times. I think they cut out more than even what the Trump administration wants to cut from John Bolton’s new book. While it was a word here and a sentence there, other times whole paragraphs and even pages where cut. I’m reading and all of a sudden I don’t quite know what happened. It just drove me nuts. I wish in the parts that were cut, Tracey could have just changed names, places, whatever enough to keep the flow and meaning and just make it clear that these parts where “faked” for security reasons instead of just leaving things blank.

Since this is a memoir it doesn’t cover Tracey’s whole life. There is a little as a child and college age so you can see why the CIA appealed to her, but most of the book is about working in the CIA, FBI, and where Tracey is now. This book is filled with a lot of meat so to say, so it’s very easy to keep turning the pages. While Tracey mentions a guy she dated and her current status at the end, this is really about her fascinating career, not her personal life. The work she was doing didn’t leave much time for a personal life so you don’t feel like you are missing anything by not having those parts. I enjoyed this read and I would recommend this book to people who like stories about strong women. Tracey has been through a lot in her life and her story is well worth the read.

When Tracy Walder was a sorority sister at USC, she planned on becoming a history teacher—but she was also a keen observer of current affairs. During a career fair, she gave her resume to the CIA representative, and that spur of the moment decision began her unexpected career.

Although Walder was a CIA operative working in war zones and traveling to countries where she’d be a valuable kidnapping victim, and her account is exciting, it’s also very accessible. The book reads like a friend recounting stories, and while it includes major victories and key setbacks, it also is filled with the quotidian experiences of life as a spy.

I particularly enjoyed reading about interactions with agents from other countries and how she had to handle their misconceptions of her. When she described her training at the FBI and the institutionalized sexism at the agency, I was so angry on her behalf!

Obviously, given her achievements, Tracy is spectacularly intelligent, ambitious, and hard-working, but in the text, she is modest and self-deprecating, often finding humor in her experiences—though she also shows how her self-confidence grew from her childhood when she was bullied.

As a former CIA employee, she had to submit her manuscript for vetting. She chose to leave the excised sections in, and I thought it was very interesting to see the blacked-out segments.

I really enjoyed this memoir, and think those interested in women’s stories, espionage, and 9/11 should add it to your reading list!

This is the true story of Tracy Walder (ne' Schandler) a nice Jewish girl from California who went directly from USC into the CIA, where she spent several years as a counterterrorism staff operations officer, before leaving The Agency to become a special agent with the FBI.

Tracy Walder was a new face at Langley when the attacks on The Twin Towers occurred on 9/11. She subsequently transitioned into a position directly relating to finding and tracking terrorist threats that had her traveling to various hot spots around the world. Suffice to say, Ms. Walder has seen some stuff.

The Unexpected Spy doesn't try to be an all encompassing study of the events that occurred on 9/11 and the resulting operations that followed, it is simply one woman's - one AGENT'S - recollections of her participation in those things.

Told in an easy to follow style that simplifies a lot of really complicated issues without becoming condescending or patronizing. It's a bit like spending some time with your exciting globe trotting cousin... Never dry or dull just kind of a sense of 'Wow! So that really happened to you?'

This is a spy memoir for people who aren't necessarily fans of spy memoirs. Not too political, the people here are professionals not politicians, with a healthy dose of "girl power" for lack of a better term that shines through as Ms. Walder earns a place of respect in the CIA but struggles to be heard in the FBI.

There is a smattering of adult language, a few adult situations, and some violent imagery. Firmly within a PG-13 rating.

***Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and author Tracy Walder (with Jessica Anya Blau) for providing me with a free digital copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

This book has san intriguing premise that hooked me from page 1: A sorority girl from Southern California joins the CIA around the events of 9/11. The book addressed several themes of those times, including the controversial search for weapons of mass destruction, in which the author was directly involved, The author wrote with the cooperation of her former employer, requiring large sections of text to be redacted. I thought that was distracting, but I understand its necessity. That is my only complaint. I think that the details of her assignments would have added to the narrative, but could have compromised the safety of her colleagues. Overall, this was a really interesting memoir.

The Unexpected Spy was a fine, surprising, and enlightening read. Tracy Walder was a girly-girl from southern California, a Delta Gamma at USC, not the kind of young woman to join the CIA. And yet, she was passionate about history and politics, and when she approached a CIA recruiting booth at a campus job fair, she picked up a brochure, read it, and thought WHY NOT? Her memoir is an adventure from mapping terrorist groups on computer to surviving 9/11 to espionage in some of the world's most dangerous locales where she brought down terrorists and WMDs. We get all the scoop on those mysterious, vanishing WMDs in Iraq, and all kinds of great inside gossip. Through it all, Tracy remains cool, detached, collected, and determined to make the world a better place. Her experience with the FBI was somewhat less gratifying, but you really need to read this book and find out for yourself!

I found this to be a fascinating read. As I have held non-traditional jobs for females, I could empathize with Ms Walder. Yes, there are narrow-minded jerks in all professions.

I admire her sticking to her convictions and serving her country. I also understand not being able to divulge a lot of background information on the tasks she had to perform.

The personal stories added to the telling of her story.

I highly recommend this book.

The Unexpected Spy: From the CIA to the FBI, My Secret Life Taking Down Some of the World's Most Notorious Terrorists by Tracy Walder is a highly recommended memoir about the author's experiences in the CIA and FBI.

Tracy went from being a student at the University of Southern California and in a Delta Gamma sorority house in 2000 to a special agent in the CIA. She was in the CIA when 9/11 occurred and she soon found herself looking for WMD, tracking chemical terrorists, and identifying and watching al-Qaeda members with drones. She felt compelled to help stop further attacks and left the relative safety of a job at CIA headquarters to go undercover in the Middle East as a counterterrorism specialist tracking al-Qaeda.

Then, wanting to be closer to her family, she went into the FBI where she worked in counterintelligence. The FBI was very different that the CIA. There she encountered blatant sexism and bullying behavior from both trainers and recruits. Walder left the FBI to become a teacher at an all-girls school where she can encourage young women to find a place in the FBI, CIA, State Department or the Senate.
Walder has to describe her job at the CIA in general terms due to national security. During the vetting of the book, the CIA actually redacted many large blocks of her original text. She chose to leave these portions of the text as blacked-out lines rather than rewriting the accounts. While seeing the extent of the redacted blocks of text is mildly interesting, perhaps a better approach would have been to insert a [redacted text] and then continue the story or do a rewrite.

Walder has a lot to be proud of so why not tell her story with a look at being an inspiration to young women. While I do see that a case could be made that there is a hint of bragging look-at-me-and-what-I-did, I also felt like this is her story and it is amazing. She was a young woman working in the CIA during a trying time. If she also needs to talk about her blond hair, makeup, etc., it's okay with me because it is a part of her personality and shows that she can be a special agent at the CIA and care about little frivolous things too. I would encourage young women to read this, especially if they are interested in a career in the CIA or FBI.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of St. Martin's Publishing Group.
Review on Amazon and Barnes&Noble after publication

Welcome to the world of the CIA and the FBI, described by a former agent who views the world through serious glasses while sharing occasional humorous views as part of what is primarily an intense landscape.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book. It isn’t a book of chapters, each taking a talking point and ripping her former agencies. It is a chronological story of author Tracy Walder’s life, beginning with a brief description of her younger years before joining the CIA shortly before 9/11. As she informs us in the Author’s Note, Ms. Walder shares as much as she can without endangering others connected with her work as well as protecting the secrets she will not talk about due to her “…loyalty…to the CIA, the people of the United States, and the safety of the people of the United States.” Rather than make us guess, she chose to leave the redacted sections in place (appearing as ~~~~~), which I appreciated.

I mentioned humor before, though I am not sure if Ms. Walder always intends to be funny. The result is an intimate look into her thought processes while lightening the mood of the book. Consider the eating habits she adopted during her time in the CIA: “I usually ordered whole wheat roast and egg whites, a fruit bowl, and sometimes a half grapefruit…because I feared that my odd hours would lead to odd illnesses like scurvy.” At other times, the humor becomes incredibly dark and a scary form of truth: “Terrorists were out-serial-killing even the most notorious serial killers by far.”

In various passages the author examines her thought processes, explaining how personal experiences changed her view of the world yet always set her forward toward new goals. Some dealt with the challenges of being a woman in her past positions, while others considered that perceptions of people from different countries might not match the beliefs of those living in America.

I appreciate the work that she and others performed. In the shielded world where most of us dwell, we only hear about the awful and misguided acts that operatives are accused of performing. Reading a personal account from an agent’s point of view is enlightening. Based upon one’s background, I suppose it could be debated that Ms. Walder’s accounts should be taken with a grain of salt. I can only offer a shrug to that and recommend for everyone to read the book and decide for yourselves. Five stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a complimentary electronic copy of this book.

Tracy Schandler recounts her younger years -- from being bullied in high school to being a more self-aware Delta Gamma girl at the USC, to landing a career spot in the CIA and eventually, the FBI. Tracy is a sucker for history and, like most of us, she wants to make this world a better place. Getting face-to-face with the most wanted terrorists in the early 2000s, she had never once felt afraid. What really led her to start her revolution is learning that the discrimination against women is just as much of a struggle as having to catch and extract information from Islamic extremists.

The events in this book are based on real events, and because of the sensitivity of the information, several parts of the narrative have been redacted. There are also a few typographical errors present. In spite of these, the message that Tracy Schandler (now Walder) conveys is still loud and clear.

The writing style is expository, and there's nothing more enlightening than learning recent history from a primary source. The content is heavy, but the book has the right amount of humor and sarcasm to balance it out. Initially, the fight for gender equality is not inherent, but as the book comes to an end, that seems to be the over-arching theme. The focus shifts abruptly from fighting criminals to fighting double-standards.

Though this book deals with war and violence, it is slow-paced in revealing the ups and downs of being a spy. The narrative slowly builds up and ends with an inspiring call to action.

Trigger warnings include terrorism (e.g., 9/11), hypotonia, graphic injuries, death of a loved one, PTSD, racism, and sexism. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Unexpected Spy by Tracy Walder was a highly anticipated read for me after Jet Girl and Inside the Hot Zone. This memoir follows an all-American sorority girl from California as she narrates her experiences as a spy in the CIA, a domestic agent for the FBI, and her current position as a history teacher at an all girls school. After all the sexism you hear about in the military and government agencies, it was interesting to see how supportive the CIA was of her and how successful she was in her job. After the thrill of those adventures though, the opposing disaster of the FBI was doubly disappointing.

Walder does a great job describing the highs and the lows of her travels and assignments, and it is easy to get swept up in the emotions she describes, whether that is excitement or disappointment, anticipation or anger. While not her entire career played out as she had envisioned, it's still nice to see how she took it upon herself to do her best to change the future for the rising generation of women.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Tracy Walder writes of her experiences in the CIA and FBI. She encounters action and adventure but also faces adversity because she is female. She is a strong and interesting woman and hopefully her story will help and inspire other women.

The Unexpected Spy by Tracy Walder and Jessica Anya Blau was my cautios adventure back into the world of non-fiction. I typically read fiction and if non-fiction is on my list, it is typically in either the spiritual or self-help genre. The synopsis really caught my eye and from the beginning the book is an adventure.

More than anything I think this shows the loyalty and patriotic heart of Tracy Walder...as well as the discrimination and bias against women in the FBI, CIA and other agencies It is also a sneak peek into how life can really be working within these agencies.

Some of the material is redacted by the CIA and Walder chose to include that material in the book. So these sections are more of a mystery to read before and after the blacked out part to see if I can figure out what is missing. I get the challenge- how to you show the reader what it was like as a woman to work in the FBI And CIA without revealing classified information. Still, it was at times intriguing to have these sections redacted and more often for this reader, an exercise in frustration.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tracy Walder and Jessica Anya Blau, and St. Martin's Press for this temporary digital advance review copy for me to read and enjoy. As always, my opinions are my own. #netgalley

Tracy Walder could be any of my daughter's friends. Her story is incredible and quite frankly, more informative than I would have thought the censors would have allowed. Walder's story and grit make this autobiography a quick and thoughtful read.

I received an ARC of this one through NetGalley, provided by the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:
A highly entertaining account of a young woman who went straight from her college sorority to the CIA, where she hunted terrorists and WMDs

When Tracy Walder enrolled at the University of Southern California, she never thought that one day she would offer her pink beanbag chair in the Delta Gamma house to a CIA recruiter, or that she'd fly to the Middle East under an alias identity.

The Unexpected Spy is the riveting story of Walder's tenure in the CIA and, later, the FBI. In high-security, steel-walled rooms in Virginia, Walder watched al-Qaeda members with drones as President Bush looked over her shoulder and CIA Director George Tenet brought her donuts. She tracked chemical terrorists and searched the world for Weapons of Mass Destruction. She created a chemical terror chart that someone in the White House altered to convey information she did not have or believe, leading to the Iraq invasion. Driven to stop terrorism, Walder debriefed terrorists--men who swore they'd never speak to a woman--until they gave her leads. She followed trails through North Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, shutting down multiple chemical attacks.

Then Walder moved to the FBI, where she worked in counterintelligence. In a single year, she helped take down one of the most notorious foreign spies ever caught on American soil. Catching the bad guys wasn't a problem in the FBI, but rampant sexism was. Walder left the FBI to teach young women, encouraging them to find a place in the FBI, CIA, State Department or the Senate--and thus change the world.

Review:
Post 9/11, Tracy Walder tells tales of her experiences with the CIA and FBI. All names are change in this story but she tells of her background, being called "Malibu Barbie", and all the sexism she endured. Topics that happen ten years post that time period were still happening. Biographies and memoirs are some of my favorites to read. I wasn't expecting to like this one as much. However, this was exceptional. I loved reading about her story. I loved reading how she overcame her obstacles. I had to work, otherwise, I would have read this one all in one sitting. It was fascinating to read and the element of humor made it so much better. I definitely recommend this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the digital ARC of The Unexpected Spy, by Tracy Walder: Jessica Anya Blau. This story was amazing, informative, entertaining, and inspiring. Tracy, who is currently a teacher in a private Dallas, TX school, started her life as a baby who wasn’t suppose to have use of her muscles and possibly not able to learn. Not so! She began her life as a determined baby, with a mother who believed Tracy was able to succeed at whatever she decided to do. With that encouragement and leadership in her young life, she defied all odds, and despite being bullied at a young age, became a dancer, sorority girl, college graduate, and accepted into the CIA and later, the FBI. Being a female in predominantly male organizations was not always easy, but that didn’t stop her from caring more about protecting her country from terrorist activities than the male criticism of females in their organization, The students in her classroom are truly blessed to have Tracy as their teacher and role model. This was an unforgettable book.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review of the story.

I don't usually read non fiction but the description of this book had me immediately.

A woman joins the FBI, the CIA and succeeds. You don't hear that every day.

The story of this woman's experience is colorful, full of details and emotional. I feel as if I have sat down and had a glass of wine with Tracy Walder and spent an evening reminiscing with a friend.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in moving beyond how our nation's security is portrayed on film - educational, absorbing and insightful.

This is the true story of a college educated woman who is bitten hard by the patriotic bug when 9/11 hits and decides to apply for a job with the CIA straight from college. To her surprise, she is hired and begins a career on the inside of stories that make the front page, giving us a glimpse of a world we can only speculate about. Much of her experiences are redacted due to the highly secretive nature of her work while at the CIA, but it is fascinating to read about how our government is able to gather information and track down the “bad guys.” Hats off to the people in our clandestine services who do this work.

Working for the CIA
What an amazing memoir Tracy Walder has written! From being a Delta Gamma girl at USC to a counter-intelligence officer in the CIA during 911 and its aftermath, to joining the FBI,Tracy takes the reader to the rooms where it happened. The reader will find parts redacted by the CIA while reading this book. It is amazing how such a young woman instantly earned respect and had the confidence of the CIA at the highest levels. Many times she made this reader feel like I was right there where Tracy Walder was. I especially enjoyed the epilogue to see how she is using her experiences today. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I imagined little dark offices with stiffened necks and growing alertness before I came across this read. Meticulous wording and phrasing in this book did not make this biography seem inferior to the beauty of the truth - of what really happened. Here you have friends, brothers, daughters, mothers and fathers - but at times you really have no one but yourself - Hadi Atallah, author of 'Rosemary Bluebell.'

The Unexpected Spy is an engaging, serious and good read.
Fine! It is about spying, tracking terrorists who would like to commit massive attacks and many other topics about security matters. It is also about secrets services CIA and FBI.

Besides that, there is also a real story. The story of a woman, Tracy Shandler, which makes the Gordian knot of the book.Tracy is a young and very ambitious woman full of good will and who wants to protect her country and the world from terrorism. She was conscientious and very serious in her work. However, she suffered from sexisme and the misogyny from her colleagues and the system put in place which did not allow her to fully express her talents. She also faced the misappropriation of her work and its faking by politicians. Despite all that, she never gave up.

Something not usual and in certain way really weird. The text of the book has been reviewed and some aspects of the story have been reformulated or cut by the CIA, what the author has reported in her introduction. She decided then to keep blank the cut parts of the text and not rewrite them. Despite that "control" measures, the text remains good and pleasant to read.

I highly recommend this book.

CIA spy, FBI agent, history teacher/influencer. This is the story of Tracy Walder, born with floppy baby syndrome and the target of childhood bullying that stays with her all her life, despite her professional success. It is also the story of the mysogyny rampant in government agencies and one woman’s desire to educate girls to change that environment. It is a fascinating, engrossing read.

Quite a bit is redacted (the reader is warned about this in the beginning). In most places, it doesn’t interfere. In fact, I found myself playing a form of Mad Libs, making up my own terms for the missing words. However, in some instances, there were full paragraphs redacted and that made me very curious about what I was missing!

This is a most interesting and compelling telling of one person’s journey from being a wallflower as a child through sorority years, training and overseas work for the CIA, a change of speeds and countries by going through FBI training and finally currently teaching you girls at an all girls school. This peek inside her life is at once exhilarating and incredible.
This is an easy read and should be on your reading list.
I was provided a copy of this for review purposes by the publisher and NetGalley.

I enjoyed Tracy Walder’s personal inside look at the CIA and the FBI, although I suspect there’s more to the story that she told us in her book, “The Unepected Spy.”
I say that because there’s no shortage to the redacted sections in her narrative, some of which, based on the surrounding information that wasn’t erased, seemed totally irrelevant. But, whatever, what remained was handled in a straightforward narrative that was newsy and easy to follow.

What seemed strange to me was the dearth of training she received, or at least that she reported. She seemed to jump from being a sorority sister at USC to a frontline assignment with the CIA, moving to the FBI where, without much additional training, she uncovered some major terrorist activity that received much attention until her dislike for the sexism she experienced in the FBI led to her resignation and a job teaching other women how to become federal agents, something I didn’t notice she had much experience in.

Nonetheless, her story was interesting and informational and well presented. So my pessimism will continue and, if I take her story to be factual, and I have no valid reason to not believe it, I found it quite readable and engaging. I have no qualms about recommending it for a read, suggesting that if you choose to do so, look hard at the training issue and determine if you think she was trained and qualified to do the jobs she was assigned to.

I absolutely loved this book. Tracy Walder's story telling ability is phenomenal, even with the redacted parts. While I knew I was missing "juicy details," the redacted parts did not detract from the overall readability of the story. You were given enough before to understand what was probably being said in those crossed out bits, and when the tale picked back up it was not mid-sentence that left you going "wait, what?" The differences in her careers with the CIA and the FBI were astounding. While both are predominately male arenas - her struggles with male dominance at the FBI was especially saddening. Her dedication now to empowering young girls to be "that girl" that she was, unapologetic in her abilities and skills, is simply fantastic. I loved every part of this story. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book prior it's publication!

There are lots of helpful reviews by smarter people out there, so I'll just recommend this to spy memoir fans. Recommended.

I really appreciate the review copy!!

A fascinating read that makes you see a behind-the-scene of FBI/CIA.
I liked the style of writing and the storytelling.
It was a good read, gripping and entertaining.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Actual rating 3.5 ⭐

The Unexpected Spy by Tracy Walder

Such an interesting book, and there are so many facets to it as well. On one hand you have the story about being in the CIA and FBI. Then you add in the fact that she is a woman in the CIA and FBI and then you sprinkle in the history lessons that come with her time in both of those jobs and you have yourself a great book!

I enjoyed reading this from her point of view. Being a woman in both of these agencies is tough enough, but adding on the places where had to go and the people she had to work with and that job becomes tougher.

I knew going into this book, that there would be parts that were redacted because of who she worked for. I know those agencies don't like their stories being told, and though it made it hard at times, I think it kind of added to the story.

As a woman, she made me proud... And as an American, I was even more proud. Thank you for your service to our country and thank you always for your part in protecting us!

I received this digital review copy from Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for my honest review.

I enjoyed this book immensely. Not sure what I expected, mostly I was just curious to read a spy memoir of a woman who was in the CIA fairly recently. It did not disappoint. It was a fairly easy, fast read although early on I was annoyed by the redacted sections. Despite my annoyance I did think it added to the storytelling by gesturing towards stories that still can't be shared. It was an interesting memoir that provided very human insights into the CIA (and also the FBI) rather than providing lots of intrigue. I appreciated that about the book.

The Unexpected Spy: From the CIA to the FBI, My Secret Life Taking Down Some of the World's Most Notorious Terrorists is a fascinating five star read. I enjoyed it.

The Unexpected Spy by Tracy Walder tells of a USC sorority girl's first job out of college with the CIA and later with the FBI. It is a fast-moving, riveting memoir giving some behind the scenes glimpses into two of our most famous security agencies. The redacted sections were not disruptive, though I'm most curious about what was redacted in the section just after her fight about USC with a colleague overseas!

It was very frustrating to hear of Ms. Walder's treatment during her time at the FBI; I can't even imagine how awful it would have been to actually live it. It is a shame that neither agency could offer Ms. Walder a way to continue to use her valuable skills and analytical mind while offering a little more stability state-side. However, her post-agency life teaching young women about global politics and foreign affairs sounds equally fascinating. I hope that this book helps push forward those efforts and I wish Ms. Walder a lot of success. Perhaps a partnership with Girl Scouts, too, on foreign affairs?

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

The Unexpected Spy - Tracy Walder and Jessica Anya Blau
St Martin's Press - February 2020


This is a relatively short book of about 200 pages. It is an easy read, much like having a chat with your sister or favorite cousin after she has been on a long exciting world excursion.

This is Tracy Walder's story of her years in the CIA and then the FBI. Immediately after graduation from the University of Southern California, she started her training at the CIA. The selection process had started in her junior year. On September 11, 2001, she was working in the mapping department at Langley when the planes started hitting the towers. During the days immediately following 9/11, there were increased visits to their department by George Tenet, their director, as well cabinet members Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell and others, and George H. Bush himself. So impressed with Bush's intense interest and his ability to make others completely comfortable in his presence, Ms. Walder, a registered Democrat, vowed to vote for his re-election in 2004. (That opinion changed later after he started the war in Iraq.)

She greatly respected the people of the CIA and their mission and much of the book covers her few years at that agency. There are some very graphic descriptions in that part of the book, so be forewarned. One thing she wanted to make clear is the misrepresentation of the CIA's role in some events, where officeholders gave them "credit" for information and decisions that were not the agency's and never acknowledged the countless successes they had at preventing terrorist attacks.

After a particularly grueling experience on overseas assignment, Tracy decided to apply to the FBI in order to be closer to home - her family still lived in California - and to have a more stable life herself. Her FBI training was quite an education - in the misogyny that still exists in today's world even in the first decade of the 21st Century when she was at Quantico. There are several detailed chapters about the training itself and then what she saw as the continued "coddling" of her as a female and underutilization of her skills and knowledge. After 15 months, she had enough and chose to pursue her first career choice - teaching history.

She left the FBI and we next see that she is teaching at an all-girls school, has a husband and pre-K daughter, and classes of motivated girls eager to learn and to change the world through their hard work and commitment. One can only hope that they retain their ideals and desire to reshape the world when they land out in the adult world.

The Unexpected Spy is well written and very engaging in its style. She certainly had great adventures to share. I gave it a 4.5 stars for its easy reading style and engrossing content. Be aware that the names and places have been disguised and some parts of the book were redacted by the federal agencies, so there will be occasional lines of squiggles in their place. Definitely time well spent and do recommend this for anyone who is interested in how our CIA and FBI work. It was a nice refresher in the events of 9/11 and its aftermath as well.

I would like to thank the publisher, St. Martin's Press, for allowing me to read an e-galley of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

What a great read! The flow of the story was very good keeping me engaged wanting to see what happened next. The way you chose to keep the redacted sections did not distract from the overall story. Thank you for sharing your experiences while at the CIA and the FBI. I really enjoyed your book.

This book gives you an eye opening experience of what happens in the CIA and FBI, recruited in college Walder gives us an inside look of some situations of being an agent. This book has the "can't put down" feel to it because you want learn more!

Very interesting book.
From college to the CIA to the FBI and then family and teaching about terrorism, Ms. Waller does a great job of describing her work, her feelings and the scenarios she participated in.
Enjoyed it very much.

For someone barely north of 40, Tracy Walder has had an interesting and eventful life. While I knew that working for the CIA and FBI would be different experiences, I was surprised by how drastically different the experiences were for the author. Mrs. Walder (Ms. Schandler at the time) did mention some less than stellar coworkers at the CIA, but overall her description of her time as a counterterrorism operative indicated that the CIA was a good place to work -- hard-working, dedicated employees; pride in the job they were doing; meritocratic; strong camaraderie; effective utilization of skills and opportunities to enhance existing skills and learn new skills. As she was in war zones at times and she was tracking down terrorists, there was certainly plenty of risk and danger, but also support from fellow CIA operatives, US military personnel when in war zones, and, at times, foreign intelligence operatives. She left the CIA because it was a highly stressful job and she wanted a more stable lifestyle.

In contrast, Mrs. Walder's experience with the FBI appears to have been overall negative. During her training at Quantico, she dealt with multiple trainers who were sexist and/or engaged in discriminatory and unprofessional behavior. In the office where she was assigned, her skills and talents were underutilized or ignored. For example, she was involved in a case involving a Chinese immigrant who had been in the US for decades and was spying for China, providing them with classified Navy documents. Mrs. Walder minored in Chinese history in college and was the most knowledgeable employee in the office regarding Chinese history and politics, but yet her job was to sort the weekly trash produced by the suspect and his wife. Someone has to do that job and I certainly do not think the author believed the work was beneath her, but she certainly could have been given more responsibility and greater involvement.

The portions of her memoir that deal with her time in the CIA were reviewed by the CIA. Even though she was deliberately vague about the nature of her work at times and she changed names and sometimes personal details about people with whom she worked, the CIA required her to redact certain information that it deemed threats to national security. Instead of rewriting those portions, Mrs. Walder chose to leave the redactions in place, represented as black lines. At times, this makes it somewhat disjointed to read; but I understand and respect her reasons for not removing the evidence of redactions or rewriting portions to eliminate the need for redactions.

While the various work she did, the different types of training she received, the executive branch officials she interacted with at times (including President George W. Bush) when they stopped by the office of her CIA team for updates or information on the search for particular terrorists, and her experience in war zones was quite interesting, I think one of the more valuable aspects of the memoir is Mrs. Walder's observations or thoughts regarding CIA actions such as enhanced interrogation techniques, the decision to invade Iraq and overthrow Saddam Hussein, the cooperation or lack thereof of foreign intelligence agencies, and other insights that only an insider could provide. Mrs. Walder stated she was absolutely opposed to torture as a means to gather information and, in her experience, did not think it was an effective way to gather information, but she defended the use of enhance interrogation techniques (EIT) post 9-11, noting that obtaining information from high-level detainees was a matter of life or death, use of EIT was a last resort (and only used on a small number of detainees), and the goal was always to save lives. She discussed how CIA Director Tenet, prior to 9-11, had tried to get the Bush Administration to understand that Al-Qaeda planned to attack America directly and that more proactive steps to defend the country were needed, even though the nature and location of any planned attack was unknown. She explained why the effort to capture Bin Laden at Tora Bora failed. She explained how certain officials in the Bush Administration misrepresented CIA intelligence information to support the invasion of Iraq and she discussed how the CIA had the opportunity to capture the terrorist Abu Masub al-Zarqawi and take out Ansar al-Islam chemical weapons labs, but was denied approval, leaving al-Zarqawi free to continue his reign of terror.

In addition to missed opportunities to capture terrorists due to flawed policy choices by the US government, one of the most disheartening things Mrs. Walder describes in her memoir is missed opportunities to detain suspected or known terrorists and disrupt plots in the earlier stages because intelligence agencies in various unnamed European countries refused to proactively respond to actionable intelligence above terrorists or suspected terrorists in their countries or, at times, refused to assist the CIA with keeping track of suspected or known terrorists who were entering or passing through their countries because it was Sunday and nobody was in the office on Sunday; preventing terrorism should be 24/7/365. However, Mrs. Walder also described numerous occasions where the CIA and foreign intelligence agencies worked quite well together, sharing intelligence, stopping terrorist plots, etc.

"The Unexpected Spy" is well worth reading. I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to preview this book and provide feedback. Overall, I enjoyed the book and am glad for having read it. Even though I watched the towers go down on that fateful day and sat glued to the TV that day and for days after, I felt that I learned more about the 9-11 time period and some of the behind the scenes work that was being done. I was inspired by the author's tenacity and ability to learn and grow from each phase of her journey. In some ways though, it felt disjointed The foundation/background of the author's early years was well represented as were the CIA years; however, in my opinion, the FBI experience, teaching, marriage, and motherhood experiences seemed rushed and could have been more fleshed out to bring more balance to the overall book. I am glad to know there are people like this author out there who have worked so hard to protect us (and continue to do so) and are helping to get the message out there as to empower women to be their best selves.

First, you have to know that I love the spy world....smart spy novels and tv shows/movies are favorites of mine. I wish I was cool enough to be a spy!! So when I read the description of this book...I could not wait to read it. It did not disappoint. I LOVED reading about Tracy Walder’s time in the CIA and FBI (I could have read another 100 pages about it.) I really enjoyed just finding out how she got the job, her everyday routine at various times, her thoughts on the process of how it all worked, and how she viewed her position within these roles. I also appreciated that she spoke of the inequality for women in these male dominated work places. And finally, in her current position, she encourages bright, young girls to be involved and understand the world around them. This was a fantastic nonfiction read for me and I highly recommend it. Posted on Instagram @carolinehoppereads and goodreads.

Tracy’s childhood was less than ideal. By eleven years old she had grown to her full height of 5′ ll”. And before she had braces put on there was a gap between her teeth. So not only was she tall, her teeth weren’t perfect and she wasn’t what was thought to be perfectly slim. Also, like many teenagers, she suffered from years of severe acne. Now, none of this is life-shattering unless, of course, you’re around thoughtless kids.

And let’s face it, kids can be horribly cruel. But as bad as it sounds, the continual bullying caused Tracy to become a much stronger individual. And she would need these traits in the future more than she or anyone else might imagine.

Like most women and their careers that I’ve read about, most recently Jet Girl by Caroline Johnson, Tracy faced gender discrimination. In fact, she faced it to such a degree in the FBI that . . . well, you just have to read it to believe it.

But I can guarantee that what she experienced in the FBI, and how she handled it, will cause you to be extremely proud of her.

Both books, Jet Girl and The Unexpected Spy are memoirs that are sure to inspire women for generations to come.

My thanks to #Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of #TheUnexpectedSpy. This #bookreview is the result of my thoughts.


What Concerned Me
While totally understandable, the redacted areas might be a slight concern for some readers.

What I Like Most
I loved reading some of the experiences involved with being in the CIA and FBI. I think many of us are not aware of how many people are working to keep us safe, and what they are sacrificing.

An interesting book about Tracy Walder's life as a CIA and then a FBI agent. I received an advance copy from NetGalley for my honest review.

I wasn't sure about reading an autobiography, but this was good. Of course this author is an over-achiever. I found it especially interesting to see the other side of the coin - what info is fed to polititions and how the polititions will change that info to suit their own needs. It is a real shame that women are treated the way some treat them, but I don't see things changing anytime soon. Look at how actresses say they have been treated by men in the industry. Outside of all that, a well-written, interesting life story.

Tracy Walder’s The Unexpected Spy is her memoir of her years as a counterterrorism officer in the CIA and a special agent in the FBI in the post-911 world. She makes it clear in the beginning that she wouldn’t reveal any classified information, so I was prepared for the redacted lines. She overcomes childhood obstacles (she had floppy baby syndrome and was expected to be mentally retarded) and eventually heads to a California university and pledges a sorority. At a job fair, she meets a CIA recruiter and thus begins her journey into the world of international spies with both the CIA and FBI. A strong woman, she cares deeply about America and about people and who maintains a global rather than an America-first attitude. Throughout her adventures, she juggles being “womanly” (caring about her hairstyle and wearing lipstick) with her job in a largely male-oriented world. She becomes an avowed feminist as she battles daily with overt sexism in both organizations as men call her,"Malibu Barbie,” because of her California origins and her blonde hair.

This is a eye-opening glimpse into the attitudes of American governmental agencies, and it’s harrowing that they can treat women in such a nasty misogynist manner. She switched from the CIA to the FBI and was treated horribly there. When the sexism grew too much, she armed the next revolution by teaching girls how to negotiate their way through such hostilities and how to seek out the truth.

Walder’s account was highly personal and humorous at times. An exceptional read and highly recommended.

A fascinating glimpse into the life of a CIA and FBI agent. It was thought provoking, suspenseful, and full of grit and determination.

"I'm a Delta Gamma girl who joined the CIA, hunted down terrorists, and stopped WMD plots before they could kill. I am a California girl who joined the FBI and helped catch foreign spies on American soil. I am a teacher at an all-girls school who is daring to try to change the world."

The largest portion of the book explores Walder's work in counterterrorism as a CIA operative immediately following September 11th. Her insights into the Bush administration and Weapons of Mass Destruction were fascinating. Her allegations of sexism and harassment inside the FBI were incredibly frustrating. Her work teaching and inspiring young girls is so admirable.

This book shares the bird's eye view of some remarkable opportunities Walder has experienced in her career. It doesn't reveal a lot of specifics (and some portions are redacted) but it was an intriguing read nonetheless. So glad I had the chance to read this one!

I was provided an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to #NetGalley and the author and publisher for this opportunity. #TheUnexpectedSpy

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advance reading copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed and learned from this memoir more than I expected to. Tracy Walder’s account of many of her experiences in counterintelligence for the CIA amazed me. Being recruited from UCLA to track terrorists seems extremely rare. Certainly she was a highly intelligent student— she does proclaim herself a history and political science nerd—and yet her first assignments in tracking extremist cells abroad sounded extremely challenging.

The book in many places read like an adventure novel; it was that engaging and exceedingly well written. The dangers she faced are described straightforwardly, indicating her courage and dedication. The blatant discrimination and sexism she faced both in training at Quantico and in her assignment in the FBI are heartbreaking, but including these details enhances her story. In all, this was a worthwhile and well developed book.

Grateful to the author for allowing me to read a copy of this book. have always been fascinated by spies, whether it is books or tv shows. It is one of my favorite genres. This is a true life story and it is extremely interesting.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC of this book.
The author takes us from her days as a sorority girl at USC to her years with the CIA and then the FBI and finally teaching young girls in such a way as to give them a sense of confidence and worth with the hope that they can make a difference in the way women are regarded.
Her story and experiences are fascinating and informative. The misogyny and mistreatment in these two branches of govenment was astounding because I honestly believed we were past a lot of that.

Thanks to the ARC folks at Net Galley

I liked it, I didn't think I would at first. I thought it was another #me tough life a sans but she moves past it as any real p[problem solver does. There is some Bush hate there but he earned it but she seems dead on with the FBI.

Doesn't go too political and stays with the important things, I think you will enjoy.