Langston-George, Rebecca. Deep Cover Spies and Double Crossers of the Cold War.

Langston-George, Rebecca. Deep Cover Spies and Double Crossers of the Cold War. Capstone Publishers  2017  64p  $33.99  ISBN 978-0-7565-5497-2  elem/ms  E-BN         

Throughout the Cold War, spies played a key role in the "sharing" of classified information between the two sides, East and West. The exploits and lives of six of the key spies is explored: Francis Gary Powers, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, George Blaker, Janet Chisholm, and Pham Xuan An.

     

From the black-framed pages and the redacted table of contents, to the font and information related, this book is an engaging read about a topic little explored at the upper-elementary and middle-school levels. While many of us remember the Cold War, students today are less than aware of it. Readers will learn not just about the spies, but, just as importantly, about the that time in history. The cover image is sure to grab middle-school readers or frankly, readers of any age. All of the photos in the book are in shades of black, white and sepia, further enhancing the secretive and sinister aspects of spying. Sidebars throughout the book explain spying techniques, and “Did you know?” concepts such as wire-tapping (page 36) and the KGB (page 9). The book concludes with a timeline, glossary, a list of additional resources (print and web), a list of critical thinking/common core resources, source notes, a bibliography, and an index.  

This series entitled Spies! is complete in four titles that cover spies during specific periods of time: World War I, World War II, the Cold War, and modern times. This is a most fascinating set of books.   

Summary: Throughout the Cold War, spies played a key role in the "sharing" of classified information between the two sides, East and West. The exploits and lives of six of the key spies is explored.

Cold War(1945-1989)                                               --Lynn Fisher