How can any of this story be true? And yet, it is. The story of Virginia Hall likely goes down as one of the most incredible stories of a woman from the World War II era that I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading about. Not only did her actions help save countless lives during the five years she spent in France, but her determination and selfless attitude are truly the stuff of legend. In addition, the fact that France isn’t even her home nation makes the story that much more incredible and will likely make readers wonder at times whether parts of her story are fiction or not.

The story is written like a thriller novel, as most spy stories tend to be, and soon enough you’ll be flying through the pages to learn what other crazy thing Virginia will think of next. It is clearly to the author’s credit that she spent so much time digging through and finding the information required to write an entire book about Virginia’s secretive life during her time working for Britain’s OSS and later at the CIA. It’s a shame that we have to learn how she was treated during those times—not only before her heroic deeds in France, but also afterward when she returned to the United States as a veteran field intelligence officer. While it’s difficult to read about, it is actually what makes her story that much more astonishing and unbelievable.

Virginia’s story encompasses almost everything one could think of when it comes to courage, determination, and the absolute will to keep pushing yourself and prove to others that you have what it takes to win back the freedom of a country you love. Personally, I think the most amazing part is when she actually requests to return to France after narrowly escaping the Gestapo as one of the most wanted spies and criminals in the country. After climbing snowy mountains to escape and managing to get out of prison in Spain, one would think she would have stopped there and counted her blessings. But to re-enter the war zone and perform even more dangerous yet heroic deeds while being the most wanted person is just astounding.

I hope everyone who is interested in World War II history gets a chance to read this story—not just about Virginia Hall, but about all the other heroes as well who fought evil and won freedom not just for one country, but for the entire world. I’ve read many nonfiction books on this subject, and each one obviously has its own jaw-dropping moments of unbelievability. However, I think the story of Virginia Hall is the most ridiculous of them all, in a positive way, of course. The fact that she did not put money and/or prestige at the forefront as motivation for what she did is something most people will have a hard time understanding and that makes her story that much more required reading for all.