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A review by bahbadook
Spies! Sneaks, Snoops, and Saboteurs Who Shaped the World by Scott McCormick
adventurous
funny
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
5.0
First audiobook of the school year: done.
I must say that I absolutely love the humor in these books. That, as much as learning about history, is what makes these particularly valuable to me.
So we have HERCULES MULLIGAN, Chevalier d'Eon, Elizabeth Van Lew, and Josephine Baker. I've heard and know a little bit about three of the four, which isn't bad considering that I've never had a huge focus on the spies in history. Assassins, yes. Spies, not so much.
Hercules Mulligan, of Hamilton fame, was apparently Irish. Heck yeah. Fight the Brits! So that was really cool getting to learn about his early childhood and his actual role of being a spy. And, bruh. Step aside, Hamilton. We've got Charisma aplenty over here. The man kept getting arrested for being a spy and kept getting released. He's cool. Also, this pretty much outright says that George Washington was the reason for the Revolutionary War and the French Revolution and I cannot argue with their argument.
Chevalier d'Eon... Okay, so what was so funny about this one was that a) I knew about this person from a game that we aren't going to mention and b) I knew about all of the events pretty much that ended up being discussed but I had no idea Chevalier d'Eon was involved in any of them. Empress Elizabeth showed up! I had to restrain the hiss because I love my girl Catherine and Elizabeth was the reason that Peter (Elizabeth's son, not her husband) did what he did and THAT was the reason Tsar Nicholas II was dethroned and executed. See, this is why I love history. Chaos and everything is interconnected. Also, gender plays a huge role in this one.
Elizabeth Van Lew was a rebel. I mean, obviously, because she was a spy. But she had a massive spy network that I am absolutely going to be taking another look at because that is some inspiration right here. And I know that it's reality and not fiction. But come on! The trope of the powerful lady using her influence to get around the law? I mean, we see it in Cersei Lannister and Olenna Tyrell and...I can't remember any others right now but I know there are more. And instead of only using those abilities for good of the self or the family, Elizabeth Van Lew used them for the good of the country. (Also, we get to learn about a psychopath I have some respect for now.)
And then Josephine Baker. Phew. She had a fun life. Like I'm all about Vaudeville. And she just up and moves to Paris. And I'm like "You go, girl!" Also, she's got the same vibes as my great-grandmother, so obviously I have to love her. And she...well, she was just fabulous. Good stuff. And like, Mata Hari gets brought up. And this is a WWII story. And I love those stories. And she is just really cool.
AND THERE ARE SONGS
I must say that I absolutely love the humor in these books. That, as much as learning about history, is what makes these particularly valuable to me.
So we have HERCULES MULLIGAN, Chevalier d'Eon, Elizabeth Van Lew, and Josephine Baker. I've heard and know a little bit about three of the four, which isn't bad considering that I've never had a huge focus on the spies in history. Assassins, yes. Spies, not so much.
Hercules Mulligan, of Hamilton fame, was apparently Irish. Heck yeah. Fight the Brits! So that was really cool getting to learn about his early childhood and his actual role of being a spy. And, bruh. Step aside, Hamilton. We've got Charisma aplenty over here. The man kept getting arrested for being a spy and kept getting released. He's cool. Also, this pretty much outright says that George Washington was the reason for the Revolutionary War and the French Revolution and I cannot argue with their argument.
Chevalier d'Eon... Okay, so what was so funny about this one was that a) I knew about this person from a game that we aren't going to mention and b) I knew about all of the events pretty much that ended up being discussed but I had no idea Chevalier d'Eon was involved in any of them. Empress Elizabeth showed up! I had to restrain the hiss because I love my girl Catherine and Elizabeth was the reason that Peter (Elizabeth's son, not her husband) did what he did and THAT was the reason Tsar Nicholas II was dethroned and executed. See, this is why I love history. Chaos and everything is interconnected. Also, gender plays a huge role in this one.
Elizabeth Van Lew was a rebel. I mean, obviously, because she was a spy. But she had a massive spy network that I am absolutely going to be taking another look at because that is some inspiration right here. And I know that it's reality and not fiction. But come on! The trope of the powerful lady using her influence to get around the law? I mean, we see it in Cersei Lannister and Olenna Tyrell and...I can't remember any others right now but I know there are more. And instead of only using those abilities for good of the self or the family, Elizabeth Van Lew used them for the good of the country. (Also, we get to learn about a psychopath I have some respect for now.)
And then Josephine Baker. Phew. She had a fun life. Like I'm all about Vaudeville. And she just up and moves to Paris. And I'm like "You go, girl!" Also, she's got the same vibes as my great-grandmother, so obviously I have to love her. And she...well, she was just fabulous. Good stuff. And like, Mata Hari gets brought up. And this is a WWII story. And I love those stories. And she is just really cool.
AND THERE ARE SONGS