‘Book and Dagger’: How Academia Helped Win WWII

The most unlikely of characters were tapped to serve the Allied cause, as portrayed in Elyse Graham’s book.
‘Book and Dagger’: How Academia Helped Win WWII
Librarians, researchers, and archivists take center stage in Elyse Graham's "Book and Dagger."
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The attack on Pearl Harbor was due to a serious lack of military intelligence, says historian and professor Elyse Graham in her book, “Book and Dagger: How Scholars and Librarians Became the Unlikely Spies of World War II.”

At the time, the United States was far behind in their intelligence-gathering efforts, while Europe had been in the business for decades. In this richly researched and one of the unlikeliest of stories to emerge from World War II, Professor Graham recounts the inspiring true story of how librarians, researchers, and those whose hands would more likely hold a book than a weapon, became spies for the Allies and played an immense part in the winning of WWII. This book, she writes, is “a lesson in the ability of ordinary people to make great changes. Even to help win wars.”

MJ Hanley-Goff
MJ Hanley-Goff
Author
MJ Hanley-Goff has written for Long Island’s daily paper, Newsday, the Times Herald-Record, Orange Magazine, and Hudson Valley magazine. She did a stint as editor for the Hudson Valley Parent magazine, and contributed stories to AAA’s Car & Travel, and Tri-County Woman. After completing a novel and a self-help book, she now offers writing workshops and book coaching to first time authors, and essay coaching to high school students.