New Dark Age. Technology and the End of the Future. James Bridle. 2019. ISBN 139781786635488. The author is a British technology artist and commentator. His thesis is that the more information, data, networks and visibility we have , the less the society acts on it.  Whether it is declining scientific rigor, populist journalism, conspiracy theories, Creepy YouTube videos directed at children, NSA type spying worldwide, fake news, disinformation he feels that technology is not a panacea to ills that plague us.  Each chapter is an unique topic and could stand alone.  Its dystopian , dark  and filled with foreboding.  Yet I felt that his point of view was worthwhile and illustrative of valid points. I recommend this book to educators, parents and educated people as a counterpoint to populism.

The Secrets We Kept. Lara Prescott. 2019. ISBN9780525656166.  So what did happen to the brave women of the OSS ( predator of the CIA) who worked for Wild Bill Donovan in Europe? After years in WW II going behind enemy lines, running Resistance forces and all sorts of daring operations, they return to the US and the CIA offices. There they were relegated to the typing pool while their male colleagues became their bosses.  This book chronicles the life and times of several of these ladies as well as what happened to Boris Pastenak ( Dr Zhivago) after the CIA published his book and displeased the Soviet higher ups.  An excellent follower to Spymistress as some of the same people are in both.  Good gripping read.

Spymistress. William Stevenson. 2011. ISBN 9781611452310.  The story of Vera Atkins the person who ran multiple agents for the British SOE prior to , during and after WW II.  It reads like a thriller , but its all real. You will despair at the utter incompetence of the individuals in charge of Britain at this time, chosen because of the old school tie affiliations rather than any talent. Rampant antisemitism ran through much of this group and the Royals. You learn the real effects of the Soviet penetration of the British secret agencies and how Stalin plotted  to extend the war to allow his armies to lock up much of Eastern and Central Europe. The old boy network went to freat lengths to tie up much of this material until the 2000s. So many familiar names in this book of real heroes who went on to continue to do great things as well as other heroes who often were left to be executed in Europe through machinations by the British Central Office and the OSS. Great read.