Scan barcode
A review by marilynw
Code Name Blue Wren: The True Story of America's Most Dangerous Female Spy—and the Sister She Betrayed by Jim Popkin
4.0
Code Name Blue Wren: The True Story of America's Most Dangerous Female Spy—and the Sister She Betrayed
Jim Popkin (Author/Narrator)
At first I was struck by the dryness of this true account of Ana Montes's betrayal of her family, country, co-workers, and friends but when the account got to the work several individuals did to unearth and fight to expose the actions of this female spy, things got interesting for me. I admire the dogged determination of individuals who risked their careers to expose the betrayal when doors were slammed in their faces and the easy thing would have been to give up and forget what they had uncovered. There is a counterperson to Ana Monte and it's the woman who was instrumental in helping to bring her to justice.
I won't go into most of what I learned in this book. Ana Montes does not regret anything that she did other than the part about getting caught. We learn about her upbringing, which wasn't pretty when it comes to her treatment by her father who was quick to anger and was willing to hit, just as his father and grandfather had done before him. There are times when it seems excuses are made for why Ana did what she did but I don't buy them. She seems to feel no accountability for her actions which likely led to the deaths of countless people.
This story is disturbing in many ways but I'm glad this part of our history has been brought to my attention. It amazes me how clear many things must be to the people who worked with or had anything to do with Ana, after the fact. There is so much about Ana that it seems should have been a red flag about her personality and demeanor in hindsight but there are no do overs for any of us. Also, so many agencies/people had a chance to put the brakes on Ana's ability to pass vital information but it seems mistakes built upon mistakes to put her where she could do the most damage. I liked Jim Popkin's narration of his own book. It's straightforward and easy to hear.
Pub Jan 3, 2023
Jim Popkin (Author/Narrator)
At first I was struck by the dryness of this true account of Ana Montes's betrayal of her family, country, co-workers, and friends but when the account got to the work several individuals did to unearth and fight to expose the actions of this female spy, things got interesting for me. I admire the dogged determination of individuals who risked their careers to expose the betrayal when doors were slammed in their faces and the easy thing would have been to give up and forget what they had uncovered. There is a counterperson to Ana Monte and it's the woman who was instrumental in helping to bring her to justice.
I won't go into most of what I learned in this book. Ana Montes does not regret anything that she did other than the part about getting caught. We learn about her upbringing, which wasn't pretty when it comes to her treatment by her father who was quick to anger and was willing to hit, just as his father and grandfather had done before him. There are times when it seems excuses are made for why Ana did what she did but I don't buy them. She seems to feel no accountability for her actions which likely led to the deaths of countless people.
This story is disturbing in many ways but I'm glad this part of our history has been brought to my attention. It amazes me how clear many things must be to the people who worked with or had anything to do with Ana, after the fact. There is so much about Ana that it seems should have been a red flag about her personality and demeanor in hindsight but there are no do overs for any of us. Also, so many agencies/people had a chance to put the brakes on Ana's ability to pass vital information but it seems mistakes built upon mistakes to put her where she could do the most damage. I liked Jim Popkin's narration of his own book. It's straightforward and easy to hear.
Pub Jan 3, 2023