A Junior Library Guild
Gold Standard Selection
Code Name Verity meets Inglourious Basterds in this riotous, spirited biography of the most dangerous of all Allied spies, courageous and kickass Virginia Hall.
When James Bond was still in diapers,
Virginia Hall was behind enemy lines, playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse with Hitler’s henchmen. Did this shero have second thoughts after a terrible accident left her needing a wooden leg? Please. Virginia Hall was the baddest broad in any room she walked into. When the State Department proved to be a sexist boy’s club that wouldn’t allow her in, she gave the finger to society’s expectations of women and became a spy for the British. This boss lady helped arm and train the French Resistance and organized sabotage missions. There was just one problem: the Butcher of Lyon, a notorious Gestapo commander, was after her. But, hey, Virginia’s classmates didn’t call her “the Fighting Blade” for nothing.
So how does a girl who was a pirate in the school play, spent her childhood summers milking goats, and rocked it on the hockey field end up becoming the Gestapo’s most wanted spy?
Audacious, irreverent, and fiercely feminist, Code Name Badass is for anyone who doesn’t take no for an answer.
“Demetrios tells this fascinating story in an uber-modern narrative voice that is snarky AF, LOL, with plenty of hits to the patriarchy and a glorious sense of celebrating Dindy’s badassery. It’s breezy and lighthearted in tone but meticulously well-researched, including interviews with Dindy’s surviving family. A remarkable telling of an extraordinary woman. ”
“Badass hardly seems adequate to describe Virginia Hall or this book! Heather Demetrios has found a tragically under-known World War II icon and not only brought her story to life, but done it in vivid, meticulous, fantastic detail. I devoured this book.”
The Virginia Hall section starts at 5:23 🕵️♀️
“A ripping spy story with a generous side of stand-up comedy - a fresh twist on history.”
Swag to stick it to the patriarchy.
A vinyl sticker, a bookmark (to hold your place while you take up space), and signed bookplate.
“...a conversational recounting of Hall’s heroism. Frequent first-person asides and ample pop culture references make even the more mundane details highly readable, while enabling Demetrios to call out the sexism and ableism Hall experienced both during the war and later at the CIA.
...Demetrios provides a thoroughly researched history of “La dame qui boite,” and those just discovering Dindy will be convinced that she was, in fact, a badass. ”
“Bringing together rigorous research and a vibrant writing style...With relevant references to today’s culture of espionage (clandestine operations, misinformation), the author does not hide her dissatisfaction with male-dominated politics, nor her endearing and genuine admiration for Hall.
She creates a solidarity rooted in feminism (“girls are pretty good at watching our backs”) and affectionately breaks the fourth wall (“Personally, I think Dindy would have enjoyed The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck”)...
It’s a creative liberty, reminiscent of Jason Reynolds’s Stamped. The flippant tone is a tribute to Hall’s unconventional life: it’s breezy but not shallow, informative but lighthearted.
This is a fun, illuminating read. VERDICT: A delightful account of an epic spy.”
Find badass Wherever books are sold
*** Signed & Personalized Copies From Subtext Books ****
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“I would give anything to lay my hands on that…bitch.”
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This is the audiobook you’ve been waiting for! So. Much. Fun.
““Demetrios shines a bright light on a spy whose heroic life has been in the shadows for far too long. Like Virginia, Code Name Badass is irreverent, brash, smart and true. It’s the real deal. Get it.”
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Photo courtesy of Lorna Catling
“😂 Replete with expletives…which might…turn off traditionalists…an enlightening account of a heroine worth knowing.
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