This was the spy memoir I was looking for. The things Tracy Walder went through were fascinating. I found some of her "just to be clear" paragraphs unnecessary, and she sometimes made assumptions that seemed unfounded, but overall I enjoyed this read.

An interesting read - though I got bored sifting through all the stories that seemingly go nowhere. I most enjoyed the second-half of the book, when Walder discussed sexism and her experiences as a woman in the Bureau. Most of all, I loved the epilogue. What a great story - that needs to be told - but maybe could have used another co-author.

Went into this with zero expectations and came out loving every bit of it. I was concerned with the redactions from the CIA at first thinking it would affect the story, but quickly got over it. My attention isn’t usually held well with foreign affairs but this has me. “Stop bitching, start a revolution.”

I've read some great autobiographies written by spies -- and this wasn't it. The writing felt faraway and emotionally detached. I didn't gain any insights into the author that made me really feel for her, and the writing felt clinical and lacked creativity. Skip this and pick up another book about spies instead.

The Unexpected Spy is an interesting book about a young woman who is recruited by the CIA right out of college. Imagine a Southern California sorority girl, young, blond, and introverted working for the CIA - pretty unbelievable, but you need to believe it, because that is exactly what Tracy Schandler Walder did. Not only did she work for the CIA, but she did it masterfully, interrogating terrorists, mapping terrorist cells around the world, and protecting thousands of lives in the process. When the travelling challenged her desire to have a family, she left her beloved CIA for the FBI, where sadly, the experience of the treatment of women there was so bad that Tracy had to leave. Turning her sights to teaching young women and sharing her experiences with them was the next part of her career.
I enjoyed the way Tracy was portrayed in the book - at times, self-conscious and not sure of her herself, and at other times, strong and confident - usually in the performance of her duties. She also described herself as blond, liking lipstick, fashion, the color pink, and getting her hair highlighted. I think these descriptions made her more human and down-to-earth, letting us know that she still wanted normalcy in her life, in the midst of the hard war-torn world in which she operated. It made her real to me. Also, she was under 25 years old and facing some of the worst situations you could imagine, and facing it with professionalism.
There are parts of the book where we see Tracy having fun (during various training experiences), or walking / running alone in a foreign city. Again, these instances show us a different side of Tracy than what we might think of when we think of a CIA operative.
After reading this book, I was fortunate to hear Tracy and Jessica speak at The Ivy Bookshop in Baltimore. What an amazing experience hearing about their process in writing this story, and hearing Jessica discuss her next chapter in life. I am privileged that I was able to hear them discuss this book.
This book is not only about Tracy's life as a spy, but also about the empowerment of women - and how we still must fight to be accepted in certain areas where men still treat women as less than equal, as happened to Tracy at the FBI. I know I will be thinking about Tracy's bravery and her work to make us all safer for a long time.
All opinions are my own.
#TheUnexpectedSpy #TracyWalder #JessicaAnyaBlau #NetGalley #IvyBookshop #MacMillan #StMartinsPress

I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read and the story was really interesting. Tracy’s experiences in a male dominated workplace are very relatable even to “civilian” readers, and probably all women in general in some ways. I felt anger for her in the ways she was treated sometimes, but also excitement for the “wins” she experienced that may encourage other (especially young) female readers to go after whatever chosen career path they desire even if it seems unlikely or unexpected! Terrorism is still a big issue in our current times so reading about the work she was involved with was very interesting and eye opening. I’m glad she is teaching young women in the classroom now!

I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read and the story was really interesting. Tracy’s experiences in a male dominated workplace are very relatable even to “civilian” readers, and probably all women in general in some ways. I felt anger for her in the ways she was treated sometimes, but also excitement for the “wins” she experienced that may encourage other (especially young) female readers to go after whatever chosen career path they desire even if it seems unlikely or unexpected! Terrorism is still a big issue in our current times so reading about the work she was involved with was very interesting and eye opening. I’m glad she is teaching young women in the classroom now!