Spies, Black Ties & Mango Pies: Stones and Recipes from CIA Families All Over the World

Loved this book. I know one of the contributors. Fascinating stories. Purchased several to give as gifts. Fun, informative and quirky all at the same time.

I had not realized that Julia Child had served in the Office of Strategic Services (the CIA) during WWII. In fact, there is much that I had not realized prior to reading this fascinating book. But wait! It's also a cookbook! The authors were often challenged with new and foreign ingredients and their collection of recipes from around the world is excellent. It seems that our intelligence officers and their families like to eat, and well! Highly recommended.

I have never even had a passport, but for 2 years I have edited some stories and completed all of the nutritional analysis for the recipes in this book. I cried when I read the piece titled "Raincheck", (and I didn't recommend changing a word). There were other stories that needed a little grammatical clean up, but the goal for all of those involved in this project was to maintain the voice of the original author. Some stories are scary, some are hilarious, and all are compelling. The recipes were used mostly for entertaining, so this is NOT a diet cookbook. If you can occasionally part ways with the American Heart Association, you will find most of the recipes tasty, although a few require a sense of adventure. I've tested several recipes myself. Ladda's Yellow Curry is now a staple in my home, and several of the desserts would be if I allowed dessert in the house. I make the desserts to carry to other people's houses. The drawbacks are minor, but annoying. The book is small (so is the type), and there isn't a blank page in the front of the book to prevent the titled page from sticking to the cover. This book is worth reading though. It allows those of us who stay safely in the U.S. to share in the experiences of being a CIA agent's spouse overseas. All of the profits will fund scholarships for CIA dependants. Neither myself, or any of the authors, were paid for their work on this piece. Now that the book is out I am immensely proud it, and of the CIA spouses who made it possible.