Amaryllis Fox served in the Central Intelligence Agency for eight years when she was in her 20s, and that experience is the impetus for her memoir, Life Undercover: Coming of Age in the CIA. But its contents are both broader and deeper, beginning with uncertainties encountered in childhood: when a grade school friend is killed by a terrorist's bomb, Fox's father offers her an education in current events, to understand what took her friend away. An insightful, curious child, the young Fox makes early observations about her parents' hidden or inner lives.
These trends persist from high school to college: before starting at Oxford, Fox poses as an acquaintance's wife, slipping into Burma to record and sneak out a historic interview with an imprisoned democratic leader. Early in her Georgetown master's program in conflict and terrorism, this high-achieving, daring young woman with international interests attracts the interest of the CIA (not the first intelligence agency to approach her, but the first to appeal). Fox continues to impress in her training within the agency, often winning coveted, extra-dangerous spots ahead of standard career trajectories. She recounts the challenges, from her analyst work through her field work in 16 countries, with absorbing anecdotes.
One expects a CIA memoir to be thrilling; this one is positively riveting. In addition, Fox's writing is lovely, with lines often ringing like poetry. Life Undercover is an astonishing book. Her subtle, lyric prose elevates this memoir beyond its action-packed subject matter, highlighting instead its true focus: the breadth and beauty of humanity. --Julia Kastner, librarian and blogger at pagesofjulia