Family of Spies is the story of how author Christine Kuehn uncovered a surprising and unsettling family history that involved spying for the enemy at Pearl Harbor during WWII.

Family of Spies by Christine Kuehn

Genre/Categories/Setting: Nonfiction, Author’s Family History, Family Secrets, WII, Espionage, Pearl Harbor (Hawaii), Germany

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My Summary:

Family of Spies is a story of the author’s discovery that members of her own family were spies operating in Hawaii during WW2 and providing intelligence to Germany and Japan. Her account explores the circumstances in Germany that led to the family’s involvement, recounts the time period in Hawaii as spies, and shares their capture and the consequences. The author also explains her shock at discovering this bit of family history and describes the decades-long research to uncover the facts.

My Thoughts:

Shocking Family History

Wow….how would you react if you discovered that some of your family were spies who aided Germany and Japan during WWII? The author is a journalist, so she knew how and where to research the FBI files and the validity of these accusations. She shares the evidence and how she came to her own conclusions. After her disbelief, shock, and research, she shares how she eventually connects with part of her European family that she had been estranged from, providing a heartwarming and hopeful ending to a painful and regrettable part of her family history.

One of the most poignant parts of this narrative is that the author’s father was young enough to not participate in the espionage with his parents and older sister (blissfully ignorant), but he was old enough to share the consequences and humiliation. In an act of self-preservation, he cut himself off from his family as soon as he was of age and lived with the secret until the end of his life. Eventually, the author realizes why she never knew her dad’s side of the family.

Backstory

I appreciate the author’s backstories that shed light on how poverty, despair, lack of opportunities, promises for a better future, and the influence of a charismatic leader can contribute to vulnerable individuals making unwise choices and becoming entangled with the wrong people at the wrong time. I’m sure that there are bad actors today who prey upon vulnerable people and recruit them to destructive causes.

Engaging Narrative Nonfiction

My favorite nonfiction is Narrative Nonfiction that reads like a story, and Family of Spies has the intrigue and page-turning aspects of a thriller. One thing that disturbed me is that the woman, who was obviously as guilty as the man, never received the punishment that the man received. I guess this was in an era of “women couldn’t possibly be smart enough” or “we can’t punish a woman with children.” In many ways, she was more cunning, greedy, and power hungry than her husband and deserved to suffer more severe consequences. I actually had more respect for the man who admitted his crimes and served his time than for the woman who never felt remorse or took responsibility.

Recommending Family of Spies:

Fans of WWII (Pear Harbor) and well-written and compelling narrative nonfiction with sides of thriller will appreciate this true story of a women’s discovery that her family was accused of espionage in Hawaii during WWII. If you are looking to add more nonfiction to your reading life, Family of Spies is TBR worthy!

Related: You might enjoy The Little Liar by Mitch Albom, a fiction story of a vulnerable person becoming entangled with the wrong people at the wrong time during WWII.

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

More Information Here

Meet the Author of Family of Spies, Christine Kuehn

Christine Kuehn was cocooned in the sanctity of a quiet suburban life when a letter from a historian in 1994 pierced that bubble, sending her on a thirty-year quest to discover the truth behind a horrendous family secret kept hidden for half a century. Following a career in journalism, public relations, and nonprofits, Christine now lives in Maryland with her husband, close to their three grown children.

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QOTD:

Do you enjoy narrative nonfiction?

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