All We Say by Ben Rhodes

ALL WE SAY by Ben Rhodes, a New York Times best-selling author, highlights “The Battle for American Identity: A History in 15 Speeches.” He divides the book into three chronological parts: from the Revolution to Civil War; from Reconstruction to the 1940s and beginning of the Superpower era; and from Civil Rights to MAGA. The speakers and their topics are sometimes well-known (e.g., Benjamin Franklin, Frederick Douglass, Louis Brandeis, or FDR’s “Four Freedoms”), but Rhodes has included a variety of speakers who were well-known in their own time like Red Jacket’s “We Have Always Lived Here,” delivered in 1805, or Mary Lease speaking about how “Wall Street Owns This Country” in 1891. Speeches from several other female activists (Maria Stewart, Anna Dickinson, and Dolores Huerta) are presented.  Plus, Rhodes deftly contrasts the oratorial might of Confederate Alexander Stephens and Abraham Lincoln and later Martin Luther King, Jr. and John F. Kennedy. More modern-day speeches by Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump are also provided. In each chapter, Rhodes supplies some background and historical context as well as the experiences that shaped the speakers; gives the text of the speech itself; and then additional analysis. He is not a neutral observer by any means and chose these speeches to illustrate a 250-year argument about what it means to be American, contrasting “a story that views the nation as inherently right from the beginning” with one that “views the nation as engaged in a struggle to live up to that founding promise in the Declaration of Independence: a multiracial democracy founded upon the idea of human equality.” It is interesting, too, to reflect upon the ways that technological change has impacted both the audiences (size, attention span, common access) and delivery. Be forewarned that the text is rather dense although avid readers will appreciate the Selected Bibliography and Notes (roughly fifteen percent of the text). Much to ponder here.

The Sisterhood by Liza Mundy

THE SISTERHOOD by Liza Mundy is subtitled “The Secret History of Women at the CIA” and Mundy writes that “this book tells the story of one of the biggest transformations in CIA culture, from a male dominated institution where women were seen as typists and sexual playthings to one where women propelled some of the agencies most important successes.” Mundy, a bestselling author and an award-winning journalist, has written previously about the contributions of women in unusual, potentially dangerous occupations (Code Girls). This lengthy tome (480 pages) is also thoroughly researched; at least fifteen percent is devoted to detailed notes and an extensive bibliography. Plus, over 100 interviews were conducted. Those stories are what really capture the readers’ attention. They are split into three parts: The Assessment of Men; Ladies Doing Analysis; and Getting Their Guys, each of which has multiple chapters. As just one example, Mundy chronicles the career of Lisa Manfull, a diplomat’s daughter who spoke numerous languages and was recruited after graduation from Brown in 1966, hired at a GS level below her male counterparts, and faced significant resistance and discrimination, even from other women at the agency. Her “housewife cover” offers a fascinating look at operations in Europe and Africa during the Cold War as well as her own struggles to establish a career in balance with her marriage. THE SISTERHOOD received starred reviews from Booklist (“every page is electric with revelations”) and Kirkus (“a vivid, compelling, and important book”).