In True Face Audiobook By Jonna Mendez cover art

In True Face

A Woman's Life in the CIA, Unmasked

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In True Face

By: Jonna Mendez
Narrated by: Barbara Benjamin-Creel
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The bestselling coauthor of The Moscow Rules and Argo tells her riveting, courageous story of being a female spy at the height of the Cold War

Jonna Hiestand Mendez began her CIA career as a “contract wife” performing secretarial duties for the CIA as a convenience to her husband, a young officer stationed in Europe. She needed his permission to open a bank account or shut off the gas to their apartment. Yet Mendez had a talent for espionage, too, and she soon took on bigger and more significant roles at the Agency. She parlayed her interest in photography into an operational role overseas, an unlikely area for a woman in the CIA. Often underestimated, occasionally undermined, she lived under cover and served tours of duty all over the globe, rising first to become an international spy and ultimately to Chief of Disguise at CIA’s Office of Technical Service.

In True Face recounts not only the drama of Mendez’s high-stakes work—how this savvy operator parlayed her “everywoman” appeal into incredible subterfuge—but also the grit and good fortune it took for her to navigate a misogynistic world. This is the story of an incredible spy career and what it took to achieve it.

©2024 Jonna Mendez (P)2024 PublicAffairs Espionage Politics & Government True Crime Women Women in Politics Marriage Exciting

Critic reviews

“Mendez details her fascinating career in this gripping memoir… an entertaining and enlightening glimpse inside the opaque world of spycraft.” —Publishers Weekly

“Fans of true espionage will enjoy Mendez’s stories of a formative era in intelligence history.” —Kirkus
Inspiring Memoir • Exciting Spy Tales • Female Empowerment • Fascinating Career Journey • Romantic Subplot
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As a huge fan of Jonna Mendez‘s work, I very much enjoyed the introspection present in her memoir. I’m glad these experiences are documented as much as they can be. What an incredible life.

Masterpiece in authenticity

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Well written, well performed. I highly recommend this book to anyone curious about the CIA, particularly its female operatives.

Engaging and genuine

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Joanna Mendez is one of my idols and this book is not only about her life but about women in general rising the ranks. She is a beautiful person and I am so glad she shared her story. I only wish that I could hear her voice. But the voice actor did a very good job.

Get it get it get it you will not be sorry

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Jonna Mendez’s memoir is an exciting and inspiring tale of a life in the secret and all-consuming world of the CIA. But, even more powerful and important is a profoundly telling lesson on the sadly often misogynisticly ignored potential in half of the human race. Despite the disparaging and damaging words and actions directed toward women by the current executive branch, Jonna and Tony Mendez’s lives demonstrate the incredible strength and wisdom of those many women who walk beside us men as equal and sometimes superior partners.

The Power of Women

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Insights into CIA OP from woman’s perspective and experiences, including dealing with shedding light on and addressing misogyny

History inspiring inside Look

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Told with easy listening voice the struggles she was faced with. Felt strong as a woman🥰

The empowering of women

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Whoever wrote the glorified secretary review clearly didn't finish the book.

Ms. Mendez did start out shifting papers and taking dictation, but she went on to travel the world, protect the vulnerable, practice and teach mad photography skills, and become a master (and chief) of disguise. She also paved the way for the generations of women who came and will come after her.

There's a lot that she really couldn't reveal about her time in the CIA, but she did share quite a bit. It seems as if it was an exciting, but also isolated way to live. Even with a partner in the same business.

No spoilers from me. I recommend this read and/or listen.

Breaking the Glass Ceiling in the CIA

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As a female that enjoys non-fiction espionage books, I really loved this book!
I love traveling to the cities mentioned in this book and I occasionally work on movie sets so I’m familiar with disguises and reading the energy of the room in scenes, just like field agents do. It’s hard to believe the cia doesn’t employ more female agents as we can easily shift the energy of any room full of men, just like Jonna did when she was caught in the alley way with drug cartels and escaped effortlessly with her aura.
Thank you for sharing your stories, Jonna! I really enjoyed this book!

Fascinating & Enjoyable

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I loved the narration and the exciting life Jonna had. Best part was meeting with president Bush!

The romance between Jonna and Tony

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This book was not expected. I expected lots of spy stories but it was really more about the struggle of women to be see as equals and be given opportunities. Very enlightening

Honest view of a woman’s life on the CIA

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