Lisa Rogak, author of Propaganda Girls
Join New York Times bestselling author Lisa Rogak for a presentation on Propaganda Girls: the incredible untold story of four remarkable women who waged a covert psychological war against the Axis during WWII.
Betty MacDonald was a 28-year-old reporter from Hawaii. Zuzka Lauwers grew up in a tiny Czechoslovakian village and knew five languages by the time she was 21. Jane Smith-Hutton was the wife of a naval attaché living in Tokyo. Marlene Dietrich, the German-American actress and singer, was of course one of the biggest stars of the 20th century. These four women, each fascinating in her their own right, together carried out one of the most secret and successful military campaigns in WWII.
Members of the OSS, their task was to create a secret brand of propaganda produced with the sole aim of breaking the morale of Axis soldiers. Working in the European theater, across enemy lines in occupied China, and in Washington, D.C., Betty, Zuzka, Jane, and Marlene forged letters and “official” military orders, wrote and produced entire newspapers, scripted radio broadcasts and songs, and even developed rumors for undercover spies and double agents to spread to the enemy. And outside of a small group of spies, no one knew they existed. Until now.
SPEAKER BIO
Lisa Rogak is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 40 books published in over two dozen languages. Her books Barack Obama: In His Own Words, and Angry Optimist: The Life & Times of Jon Stewart, hit the New York Times bestseller lists. Haunted Heart: The Life & Times of Stephen King was nominated for both the Edgar and Anthony Awards.
Her books have been reviewed and otherwise mentioned in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, and hundreds of other publications. She appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show as the featured guest in a show about small towns to promote her book, Moving to the Country Once and For All.
She lives in New Hampshire and is currently at work on a memoir.
Join us on Zoom for this special presentation. RSVP link coming soon.