In this Book
- Born Under an Assumed Name: The Memoir of a Cold War Spy's Daughter
- Book
- 2012
- Published by: University of Nebraska Press
summary
From literary journalist Sara Mansfield Taber comes a deep and wondrous memoir of her exotic childhood as the daughter of a covert CIA operative. Born under an Assumed Name portrays the thrilling and confusing life of a girl growing up abroad in a world of secrecy and diplomacy—and the heavy toll it takes on her and her father. As Taber leads us on a tour through the alluring countries to which her father is assigned, we track two parallel stories—those of young Sara and her Cold War spy father. Sara struggles for normalcy as the family is relocated to cities in North America, Europe, and Asia, and the constant upheaval eventually exacts its price. Only after a psychiatric hospitalization at age sixteen in a U.S. Air Force hospital with shell-shocked Vietnam War veterans does she come to a clear sense of who she is. Meanwhile, Sara's sweet-natured, philosophical father becomes increasingly disillusioned with his work, his agency, and his country. This is the question at the heart of this elegant and sophisticated work: what does it mean to be an American? In this fascinating, painful, and ultimately exhilarating coming-of-age story, young Sara confronts generosity, greatness, and tragedy—all that America heaps on the world.
Table of Contents
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- Acknowledgments
- pp. xi-xiv
- Part I. The Sea
- 1 the wall
- pp. 3-16
- 2 the chicken village
- pp. 17-26
- 3 whispers
- pp. 27-45
- 4 night soil
- pp. 46-57
- 5 cross my heart
- pp. 59-69
- 7 the tomb
- pp. 79-89
- 10 dutchies
- pp. 116-129
- 11 my father’s bath
- pp. 130-146
- 12 the pistol
- pp. 147-161
- Part II. The Shore
- 15 america the ugly
- pp. 189-205
- 17 raspberries
- pp. 217-235
- 18 the secret
- pp. 236-249
- 19 colonial
- pp. 251-274
- 21 tachikawa
- pp. 299-322
- 22 tea and bean cakes
- pp. 323-339
- 23 the emissary
- pp. 340-350
- 24 my america
- pp. 351-360
- about the author
- pp. 363-364
Additional Information
ISBN
9781597978279
Related ISBN(s)
9781597976985
MARC Record
OCLC
966841503
Pages
396
Launched on MUSE
2017-01-01
Language
English
Open Access
No