New Release Notes 07/12/22: Agent Josephine - American Beauty, French Hero, British Spy by Damien Lewis

Agent Josephine: American Beauty, French Hero, British Spy by Damien Lewis

“Rather than crafting a conventional biography, Lewis concentrates on the wartime years, creating a heroic portrait of the selfless, brave, somewhat reckless, pioneering, unswervingly patriotic spy for the Allies…A complex, entertaining story of intrigue and sangfroid involving a beloved, courageous hero.”—Kirkus

“A thrilling espionage story.”—Publishers Weekly, *starred review*

Josephine Baker was a badass. Full stop. Hailing from St. Louis before traveling the world and living in France, Baker became a beacon of hope and strength during the darkest years of the 20th Century. Beautiful dancer, incredible spy, stunning human being, this book full encapsulates what she was and what she became when the world needed her most.

Prior to World War II, Josephine Baker was a music-hall diva renowned for her singing and dancing, her beauty and sexuality; she was the highest-paid female performer in Europe. When the Nazis seized her adopted city, Paris, she was banned from the stage, along with all “negroes and Jews.” Yet instead of returning to America, she vowed to stay and to fight the Nazi evil. Overnight, she went from performer to Resistance spy.

In Agent Josephine, bestselling author Damien Lewis uncovers this little-known history of the famous singer’s life. During the war years, as a member of the French Nurse paratroopers—a cover for her spying work—Baker participated in numerous clandestine activities and emerged as a formidable spy. In turn, she was a hero of the three countries in whose name she served—the US, France, and Britain.

Drawing on a plethora of new historical material and rigorous research, including previously undisclosed letters and journals, Lewis upends the conventional story of Josephine Baker, explaining why she fully deserves her unique place in the French Panthéon.