In True Face cover art

In True Face

A Woman's Life in the CIA, Unmasked

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In True Face

By: Jonna Mendez
Narrated by: Barbara Benjamin-Creel
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About this listen

The bestselling coauthor of The Moscow Rules and Argo tells her riveting, courageous story of being a female spy at the height of the Cold War

Jonna Hiestand Mendez began her CIA career as a “contract wife” performing secretarial duties for the CIA as a convenience to her husband, a young officer stationed in Europe. She needed his permission to open a bank account or shut off the gas to their apartment. Yet Mendez had a talent for espionage, too, and she soon took on bigger and more significant roles at the Agency. She parlayed her interest in photography into an operational role overseas, an unlikely area for a woman in the CIA. Often underestimated, occasionally undermined, she lived under cover and served tours of duty all over the globe, rising first to become an international spy and ultimately to Chief of Disguise at CIA’s Office of Technical Service.

In True Face recounts not only the drama of Mendez’s high-stakes work—how this savvy operator parlayed her “everywoman” appeal into incredible subterfuge—but also the grit and good fortune it took for her to navigate a misogynistic world. This is the story of an incredible spy career and what it took to achieve it.

©2024 Jonna Mendez (P)2024 PublicAffairs Espionage Politics & Government True Crime Women Women in Politics Marriage Exciting

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Critic reviews

“Mendez details her fascinating career in this gripping memoir… an entertaining and enlightening glimpse inside the opaque world of spycraft.” —Publishers Weekly

“Fans of true espionage will enjoy Mendez’s stories of a formative era in intelligence history.” —Kirkus
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I like books about the lives of strong, interesting, accomplished women and this didn’t disappoint. I’ve heard stories of the author on podcasts before and always wanted to know more - so was thrilled when I saw this was just out and in audio. The narrator (a role that can make or break a book) was great - clear and somehow comforting. A quick listen over a couple of days but well worth a credit.

Loved it

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I was hoping for some stories of intelligence gathering. Instead, it’s more about the author’s life and how she made her career in the sometimes hostile mostly male environment of the CIA. A bit bland, in all.

Not what I expected

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