Agent Zo: The Untold Story of Fearless WW2 Resistance Fighter Elzbieta Zawacka by Clare Mulley
Reviewed by: Melissa Friedlund, Adult Services Specialist
Genre: Nonfiction, WWII History
Suggested Age: Adult
What is the book about? In 1951, a woman was imprisoned in Soviet Poland for treason and espionage. Her story was nearly forgotten, until now. Elzbieta Zawacka, known as Agent Zo, was resistance fighter, a secret agent, and a formidable woman whose efforts to free her beloved Poland during WWII were nothing short of amazing. This is her incredible story brought together by painstaking research and previously undocumented accounts from those who knew her.
My Review: I listened to the audiobook and was captivated by the story immediately. If you have seen the movie, The Pianist, you may remember the scene of the Warsaw Uprising where Wladyslaw Szpliman played a long-abandoned piano during the fighting. Agent Zo was there in Warsaw and heard the piano being played. It is truly a disservice for Agent Zo’s story to have gone so long without wider recognition. There are so many stories of fortitude and courage that took decades to be told after WWII, I am truly glad this one finally has been.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Riveting, Extraordinary, Awe-inspiring
Give This a Try if You Like…Paris Undercover by Matthew Goodman, The Last Secret Agent: My Life as a Spy Behind Nazi Lines by Pippa Latour & Jude Dobson, or The Woman Who Saved the Children: A Biography of Eglantyne Jebb by Clare Mulley
Rating: 5/5
