In her new book, New York Times bestselling author Sonia Purnell celebrates Virginia Hall, considered by some historians to be one of the most important World War II American spies. Purnell’s book, A Woman of No Importance, The Untold Story of the Spy Who helped Win WWII, sheds light on a remarkable but mostly unremembered Virginia Hall, now more than 70 years after her wartime exploits in France. Purnell says, “Through a lot of her life, she was constantly rejected and belittled. She was constantly just being dismissed as someone not very important or of no importance.” After the war, President Harry Truman wanted to honor Hall at a public White House ceremony. Hall declined, saying she wanted to remain undercover. Hall received the Distinguished Service Cross — making her the only civilian woman to receive one in World War II. Join WNDC in exploring the story of this forgotten spy!Purnell is an author, journalist and broadcaster. Her first book, Just Boris, was longlisted for the Orwell Prize; her second, First Lady, was shortlisted for the Plutarch Prize. A Woman of No Importance, her third book was a NYT bestseller and won the Plutarch Prize for Biography. Sonia writes for several newspapers and is a popular broadcaster in Britain.
