Spies' Wives is a collection of stories written by the families of CIA employees about life overseas while living under cover. The authors have drawn on the experiences of their own lives as well as those of other women and children. The stories cover real life situations from dealing with local customs and traditions to evacuations, agent meetings, passionate love affairs - all of which offer a different side to the usual book about spies.
These were ordinary women and children who had to live under extraordinary circumstances driven by the need for secrecy and loyalty to their country.
"We had geese in the yard to keep the snakes under control so we brought in the geese to get the cobra. The geese were hissing, the children were screaming, the snake was slithering around the room, and the guests were arriving. All ended successfully when the gardener appeared with a bamboo pole, caught the cobra, and brought it into the yard. We made martinis and remarked on the hazards of living in Southeast Asia. Another normal day."
Review: "Culture shock, cover jobs, hardships, espionage, embassy attacks, evacuations, typhoons, secret love affairs and drunken parties... Particularly poignant are tales of teens suddenly suprised when told the truth by their CIA dads..."
-Publishers Weekly
"In a revealing new book...the spouses of former CIA agents say their lives were hardly about skimpy bikinis, posh digs, and daredevil escapes. They tell of subpar living conditions, frightening encounters in Third World nations and heated arguments with their husbands over work-related secrets."
-New York Post
Bio: KAREN L. CHIAO grew up in the Midwest and developed wanderlust after reading about Boris, a White Russian who lived in Nepal. She never met Boris, but did once have a drink at his bar, The Yak and the Yeti.
MARIELLEN B. O'BRIEN was raised in a small town in Connecticut, and has traveled and worked with the CIA in Washington, Austria, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Denmark.
