Reflections: A Woman of No Importance
Title: A Woman of No Importance
Author: Sonia Purnell
Medium: Audiobook
Motivation for reading: Recommendation from a dear family friend
Reflections & Takeaways:
This is a nonfiction book about an American woman who found personal fulfillment and purpose through her work as a spy in France during World War II.
Virginia Hall, born and raised among Baltimore’s social elite, was eager to take on the world but found herself unable to fit in with society. Moreover, she did not want to follow the expectations set for a young woman of her time and stature; she ultimately rejected the expectations set by the elite society of her birth but also faced rejection when she tried to get a job with the State Department. Virginia Hall was tenacious and continued to push for what she wanted, and eventually, the world stage changed and she sought out the opportunities where she thrived.
The book goes into detail about her various missions and accomplishments in the field, but I want to focus on what Virginia Hall represents to me.
Virginia Hall was a woman who pushed for what she wanted. Somewhat ironically, due to the suffering of everyone around her in the throes of war, she was able to create her own true happiness, purpose, self-worth, and strength in a tumultuous time. She was vital to building the French Resistance with the enemies at her heals, fearing for her life at every turn, and fighting for survival during every minute of every day. She thrived where others failed and outsmarted her enemies. She made herself indispensable for the fight against the Nazis.
The fact that she was a woman was actually to her benefit, and the benefit of the resistance, since the Germans didn’t think women were capable of participating in war activities. Her successes were also a result of her foresight, strategic planning, and stealth. She more than proved her valor in the field, but had to continuously to prove herself to her superiors since there was an unspoken doubt of her abilities because she was a woman but a handicapped woman at that! She had a wooden leg, but she never let that hold her back.
For lack of a better word, and because there is no other word that I can think of that better describes this incredible woman, she was a badass. I’m inspired by her persistence and living her life to the fullest but only to prove her worth to no one other than herself. During and even at the end of the war, she didn’t want to be recognized for her accomplishments. She did it to find a place in the world and WWII happened to be the stage that gave that to her — and she grabbed it.
She serves a good reminder that we can’t expect things to fall into our laps. We have more control of our lives than we think. Virginia Hall’s life story reminds us that we have to pursue what we want, that we will run into obstacles and people who will try to persuade us otherwise, but we can strive to get closer to our goals if we continue to push the rock up the mountain. There is definitely a little bit of luck involved, but the idea is to optimize being at the right place at the right time. We just don’t know when and where that will be. The primary lesson I got out of the book is to but push for what I want because I’m more likely get it by seeking it than just sitting and waiting for it to come to me. Virginia Hall was an independent woman and made small decisions throughout her life that slowly moved her to what where she ended up.
After the war, she worked for the CIA, but she was never taken seriously for her achievements her peers since that was all overshadowed by her womanhood. She was looked down upon and eventually pushed aside; a hero that was forgotten by a male dominated society that overcame America after the war. Women were pushed back into the home as men returned from the war. Unfortunately, the American post war attitude lost and closed the doors on thousands of women, and it’s a shame to think of all the potential that was lost as they returned to working in the home.
Virginia Hall reminds us — both men and women — to pursue what we know we want and that it will be hard, but do it for your personal job and fulfillment to succeed to your full potential. The world may only appreciate it after the fact, and to be honest, that doesn’t really matter.
Random books that I made connections with while reading this book:
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein– Fictional book but it came highly recommended by two different friends. It’s a great book about women who take part during WWII. Don’t be dissuaded to read by the fact that it is young adult fiction!
Code Girls by Liza Mundy — Nonfiction about the women who were recruited and hired by the American military to break codes during WWII while all the men were off at war. I enjoyed this book because a lot of it happened in and around Washington, DC and Arlington, VA, which is where I’ve been living for the past few years. These women had to keep their work secret during and after the war, and were hardly recognized for their contributions to the war effort until recently.
The Woman Who Smashed Codes by Jason Fagone — Nonfiction book about one of the leaders and pioneers of cryptanalysis named Elizabeth Smith Friedman. Her career started before WWII through some interesting circumstances, but her work led her to have an amazing career including leading the code breaking effort during WWII along side her husband. This is a great deep dive after reading Code Girls by Liza Mundy.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris — Nonfiction and the story of a Slovakian Jew name Lale Sokolo who was unsung hero during his time in the infamous concentration camp.
