The Woman Who Fought an Empire - by Gregory J Wallance

About the Book

The Woman Who Fought an Empire recounts the improbable but true odyssey of a bold young woman--the daughter of Romanian-born Jewish settlers in Palestine--and how she became the daring leader of a Middle East spy ring.

Book Synopsis

Finalist for the 2018 National Jewish Book Award in Biography

Though she only lived to be twenty-seven, Sarah Aaronsohn led a remarkable life. The Woman Who Fought an Empire tells the improbable but true odyssey of a bold young woman--the daughter of Romanian-born Jewish settlers in Palestine--who became the daring leader of a Middle East spy ring.

Amid the outbreak of World War I, Aaronsohn learned that her brother Aaron had formed Nili, an anti-Turkish spy ring, to aid the British in their war against the Ottomans. Aaronsohn, who had witnessed the atrocities of the Armenian genocide by the Turks, believed that only the defeat of the Ottoman Empire could save the Palestinian Jews from a similar fate. She joined Nili, eventually rising to become the organization's leader, and she and her spies furnished vital information to British intelligence in Cairo about the Turkish military forces until she was caught and tortured by the Turks in the fall of 1917. The Woman Who Fought an Empire, set at the birth of the modern Middle East, is an espionage thriller that rebukes the Hollywood stereotype of women spies as femmes fatales.

Review Quotes

"Wallance's narrative shifts artfully between the macrocosmic events swirling around the world between 1915 and 1917 and the microcosmic struggles of the Nili spy ring to gain traction. . . . This is a book written with a great deal of nuance, refreshingly avoiding all hyperbole, sensationalism, and mythmaking about both Sarah and Nili."--Joseph Lowin, Hadassah Magazine

"A remarkable story, well told."--A. A. Nofi, Strategy Page-- (8/15/2018 12:00:00 AM)

"A solid, well-researched biography of a remarkable woman."--Ronald Florence, author of Lawrence and Aaronsohn: T. E. Lawrence, Aaron Aaronsohn, and the Seeds of the Arab-Israeli Conflict-- (9/18/2017 12:00:00 AM)

"Gregory J. Wallance's beautifully written and meticulously researched account of Sarah Aaronsohn's leadership of the Nili spy network during World War I casts a long overdue spotlight on one of the most fascinating personalities of the early Zionist era and should be required reading for anyone interested in modern Jewish history."--Ronald S. Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress-- (9/18/2017 12:00:00 AM)

"The story of how a multilingual Sarah presided over a circle of information gatherers and provided information to the English intelligence service that resulted in the defeat of the Turks is a riveting narrative."--Aron Row, Seattle Book Review

"Wallance also reminds the reader that these were not just spies, but bright, ambitious twenty-somethings with their own desires, both personal and professional. The dynamics of the group provide a fascinating undercurrent to the plot. It was a tight group, but certainly not without its drama, romantic and otherwise."--Amy Oringel, Jewish Book Council

"Wallance vividly conveys the logistical challenges and daily intrigue of operating a spy ring in that time and place."--Jeff Fleischer, Foreword

"Wallance's narrative allows Sarah to step out of the shadow of her famous brother and her headstrong colleagues, showcasing her intense focus and sense of duty to her fellow Jews."--Amy Newman Smith, Jewish Review of Books

"Wallance's saga is a fascinating, entirely readable entry into the history of the Nili spy ring, a group of Jews who spied for the British in hopes of aiding in the overthrow of the Ottoman Empire in Palestine. Aaronsohn, the leader of the operation, was motivated by witnessing the Armenian genocide on her way from Constantinople to her hometown of Zichron Ya'acov. She feared a similar fate would befall Jews under the Ottomans, and set out to do her part to influence regime change. . . . Wallance leaves readers marveling at her accomplishments and wondering, intentionally or not, what more she could have accomplished with colleagues more like herself."--Ariane Mandell, Jerusalem Post-- (5/3/2018 12:00:00 AM)

About the Author

Gregory J. Wallance is a lawyer and writer in New York City, a former federal prosecutor, and a longtime human rights activist. He is the author of America's Soul in the Balance: The Holocaust, FDR's State Department, and the Moral Disgrace of an American Aristocracy and Into Siberia: George Kennan's Epic Journey Through the Brutal, Frozen Heart of Russia. Wallance has written op-eds for the New York Times, USA Today, and the Wall Street Journal and is a contributor for The Hill.