⇒ Descargar Free American Spy A Novel Lauren Wilkinson Books

American Spy A Novel Lauren Wilkinson Books

Download As PDF : American Spy A Novel Lauren Wilkinson Books

American Spy A Novel Lauren Wilkinson Books

It is unclear to me if this is a true story or not. If it is true, that's extra crazy. If not, no matter it's still an excellent story with lots of twists and turns.

The story centers on FBI agent Marie Mitchell, an African American woman. The story jumps around in time. It starts in the early 90s when someone breaks into her home and tries to kill her (quite a way to start a book. Certainly drew me in quickly!) Then it alternates between her childhood in the 1960s with her FBI agent father and sister after her mother leaves, to the late 1980s where she is stuck in her FBI job and is recruited for a mission in West Africa by the CIA (supposedly), again to the early 90s where she is attacked and then deals with the ramifications of that.

The narrative is written as a letter to her sons, so while it's generally in the first person, it occasionally addresses the reader, saying "you" often, though she is clearly talking to her sons ("Then you, William, walked over..." etc.) At first I found the second person addresses distracting, but grew to appreciate that as a structural choice. It's one you don't see often and it allows the character of Marie to reveal more about herself directly (lamenting her difficulty to trust, directly stating her desire and determination to be a good mother.) The children aren't born until later in the book, so it's basically the main character reflecting on her past life.

I don't want to give away too much of the plot, because it is a thriller of sorts. There is a family story (Marie to her sister, her father, her mother, her sons) which was well done and gave the reader a reason to care about our protagonist. There is, also, a historical fiction aspect to the novel as Marie ends up in Burkina Faso entangled with Thomas Sankara, the one time president (some say dictator) of the country once called Upper Volta (which I did not know.) I really liked this aspect of the book, as I really didn't know much of anything about post-colonial Africa (or pre-colonial or, frankly, colonial Africa for that matter). I had to take a wikipedia break when "Upper Volta" was first mentioned and ended up looking up, Thomas Sankara as well, since I had never heard of him. (I would recommend not doing that as it pretty much becomes a spoiler.)

There is clearly a critique from Wilkinson on America's foreign policy interventions, particularly CIA meddling in other countries. She also, through Marie, critiques FBI policy of domestic surveillance/spying on groups critical of the US or sympathetic to communism. Some readers might take umbrage with the political message, but I thought it was well done. Not too preachy, but can show the brutality of these behind the scene machinations.

A lot of reviews mention this books commentary on race. That's definitely there and a part of it, but I don't find it overwhelming. Wilkinson is not hitting you over the with a "Look at all this racism!" It's there, but it's a pretty subtle line running through they story, apart from the occasional explicit comment on race from Marie (remember she is writing to her sons, so it doesn't come out of left field or seem to preachy.)

Overall, a very well done debut novel. I finished it a few days ago and am still thinking about it.


Tags : Amazon.com: American Spy: A Novel (9780812998955): Lauren Wilkinson: Books,Lauren Wilkinson,American Spy: A Novel,Random House,0812998952,African American women,African American women;Fiction.,Burkina Faso - History - Coup d'aetat, 1987,Burkina Faso;History;Coup d'âetat, 1987;Fiction.,Historical fiction,Intelligence officers,Intelligence officers;Fiction.,Sankara, Thomas,Spy fiction,Spy stories,AFRICAN AMERICAN NOVEL AND SHORT STORY,AMERICAN MYSTERY & SUSPENSE FICTION,FICTION African American Historical,FICTION Literary,FICTION Thrillers Espionage,Fiction,Fiction-Espionage,FictionAfrican American - Historical,FictionThrillers - Espionage,GENERAL,General Adult,United States,West Africa,Women's Studies,spy novels;literary fiction;mysteries;historical novels;black women;historical fiction;African American books;crime;mystery books;mystery;proxy war;communism;Harlem;assassination;Quantico;treason;international crime;KGB;counterintelligence;undercover;CIA;woman of color;black woman;secrets;Thomas Sankara;female spy;love;race;coup;espionage thrillers;thriller books;politics;Burkina Faso;Africa;1980s;Cold War;female protagonist;FBI;spies;espionage;thrillers;African American;historical;literary,crime; mystery books; mystery; proxy war; communism; Harlem; assassination; Quantico; treason; international crime; KGB; counterintelligence; undercover; CIA; woman of color; black woman; secrets; Thomas Sankara; female spy; love; race; coup; espionage thrillers; thriller books; politics; Burkina Faso; Africa; 1980s; Cold War; female protagonist; FBI; spies; espionage; thrillers; African American; historical; literary; literary fiction; mysteries; historical novels; black women; historical fiction; African American books; spy novels,FICTION African American Historical,FICTION Literary,FICTION Thrillers Espionage,FictionAfrican American - Historical,FictionThrillers - Espionage

American Spy A Novel Lauren Wilkinson Books Reviews

American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson is a novel taking place in the last half of the 20th Century, following an African-American FBI officer, recruited by the CIA to undermine an African leader. This is Ms. Wilkinson’s first novel.

Marie Mitchell works as an FBI intelligence officer, but cannot break into the old boys club being an African-American woman. An opportunity to live the drudge of office paperwork behind falls in Marie’s lap when she joins a task force to undermine Thomas Sankara, president of Burkina Faso. Sankara’s communistic leanings have made him a target.

I enjoyed American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson very much, as it is a thought provoking book, which even though I might not agree with (based on my experiences), I can certainly understand the viewpoints presented. Ms. Wilkinson writing is fresh and elegant, easy to follow and tells a good story.

I’ve read many spy books before, the Cold War is of course a setting to many of them because it provides such a rich background. This novel does take place during that era, but doesn’t take place in the Eastern bloc, but instead in Africa.

The protagonist, Marie Mitchell, is a complex character which finds herself in the unenviable position of fighting for something she doesn’t really believe in. She is a strong woman, flawed, analytical, smart, who thinks for herself and doesn’t buy every story someone is trying to sell her.

As any good spy novel, it mixes espionage with politics, complex characters, and a healthy dose of “based on true events’ in the storyline. This is an excellent novel, debut or not, which makes you think even though I didn’t agree completely with Marie’s philosophy I, at least, understood where she came from.
this brilliant character study in three interwoven parts is not a fast-paced novel, it often gets bogged down into too many domestic interactions, but for lauren wilkerson, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. there’s the occasional spot on detail of an era, like when in 1987 the spy, marie mitchell, is at an airport with her mother who is dressed up and marie notes her mother’s wardrobe as from a time people used to dress up to fly, or when her father shares the memory of when he was a boy he swam nude at his local ymca, a practice also in several high schools, the reason being that swimming trunks were wool and the fibers would clog the pool filters.

in 1960s, the talk between her father and his fbi friend is of the murder of fred hampton and the funeral detail of malcolm x, while the spy novels by ian fleming and john le carre marie and her sister will read are being written.

the details comprise how marie mitchell was destinied to become a spy for the fbi, through her back story of a family history of spies, law enforcement agents, and a woman who used deception to blend into mainstream society by passing for white before disappearing—readers waiting for the release of the film adaptation of nella larsen’s PASSING, should appreciate how larsen’s novel serves as conversation piece between marie and a friend of a cia agent introduced to her. it’s the agent who wants marie’s help to interfere in setting up a popular political candidate to lose the 1987 election in the african country, burkina faso. marie mitchell becomes involved in the actual events surrounding thomas sankara and blaise compaore’s assuming the presidency.

lauren wilkerson’s blending of fiction with fact is what makes her entry as a first-time novelist refreshing, and a delight in finding an author exploring new topics, stepping away from the easy themes of slavery and urban romance.
It is unclear to me if this is a true story or not. If it is true, that's extra crazy. If not, no matter it's still an excellent story with lots of twists and turns.

The story centers on FBI agent Marie Mitchell, an African American woman. The story jumps around in time. It starts in the early 90s when someone breaks into her home and tries to kill her (quite a way to start a book. Certainly drew me in quickly!) Then it alternates between her childhood in the 1960s with her FBI agent father and sister after her mother leaves, to the late 1980s where she is stuck in her FBI job and is recruited for a mission in West Africa by the CIA (supposedly), again to the early 90s where she is attacked and then deals with the ramifications of that.

The narrative is written as a letter to her sons, so while it's generally in the first person, it occasionally addresses the reader, saying "you" often, though she is clearly talking to her sons ("Then you, William, walked over..." etc.) At first I found the second person addresses distracting, but grew to appreciate that as a structural choice. It's one you don't see often and it allows the character of Marie to reveal more about herself directly (lamenting her difficulty to trust, directly stating her desire and determination to be a good mother.) The children aren't born until later in the book, so it's basically the main character reflecting on her past life.

I don't want to give away too much of the plot, because it is a thriller of sorts. There is a family story (Marie to her sister, her father, her mother, her sons) which was well done and gave the reader a reason to care about our protagonist. There is, also, a historical fiction aspect to the novel as Marie ends up in Burkina Faso entangled with Thomas Sankara, the one time president (some say dictator) of the country once called Upper Volta (which I did not know.) I really liked this aspect of the book, as I really didn't know much of anything about post-colonial Africa (or pre-colonial or, frankly, colonial Africa for that matter). I had to take a wikipedia break when "Upper Volta" was first mentioned and ended up looking up, Thomas Sankara as well, since I had never heard of him. (I would recommend not doing that as it pretty much becomes a spoiler.)

There is clearly a critique from Wilkinson on America's foreign policy interventions, particularly CIA meddling in other countries. She also, through Marie, critiques FBI policy of domestic surveillance/spying on groups critical of the US or sympathetic to communism. Some readers might take umbrage with the political message, but I thought it was well done. Not too preachy, but can show the brutality of these behind the scene machinations.

A lot of reviews mention this books commentary on race. That's definitely there and a part of it, but I don't find it overwhelming. Wilkinson is not hitting you over the with a "Look at all this racism!" It's there, but it's a pretty subtle line running through they story, apart from the occasional explicit comment on race from Marie (remember she is writing to her sons, so it doesn't come out of left field or seem to preachy.)

Overall, a very well done debut novel. I finished it a few days ago and am still thinking about it.