The Formative Years African American Spy
Metaphors come and go with the times and for our era the word "journey" has taken its place as one of the most overworked. Still, no other term better captures the extraordinary trajectory of Odell Lee whose story deserves reading aloud for its uplifting message: no barrier can stop a good man who knows he can succeed.
"The Formative Years of an African-American Spy" is more than a memoir. Lee writes a case officer's prose, that of a CIA professional spy trained to find what others want to keep hidden and record its details clearly and accurately as matters of fact. Like the work of a spy when done well, his autobiography speaks for itself.
But readers of Lee's story--particularly Americans who lived through the civil rights era, the turmoil of Vietnam, the Cold War and the challenges of its aftermath--will find something more in his straightforward style. Its power resides in what we know his often plainly stated facts mean: that in an American society where historical barriers and racism as well as reform and opportunity co-exist, if you are black it takes a special character and courage to persevere, kindnesses and friendships along the way notwithstanding.
In other words, even for an African-American of character and intellect, you need guts as well exceptional hard work to win. Odell-Lee is a man who has both. From the hardscrabble family origins of Louisiana to the Technicolor society of southern California to sojourns in the Pacific courtesy of the United States Navy, Lee's chronicle weaves a nearly unbelievable tale of struggle and success.
All broken families are stories of love and hate but in black society the world helps weave in unique tragedies. Lee's facts speak volumes about his personal qualities and those of the people he meets and loves along the way. From caring for brothers and sisters as a child himself to learning the bonds of sailors at sea, he adapts, launching himself to the finest schools, a PhD, and a career in a clandestine intelligence service that values his combination of street smarts and scholarly savvy.
For those who will read this book as the unusual story of a black case officer who not only survived, but also thrived in an often-byzantine agency and profession, they will not be disappointed. In Asia, Africa, and Europe as well as in the hallways of CIA's headquarters, Lee won well-deserved accolades. As someone with experience in Lee's world of intelligence, I can attest to his unique role and success. But note takers should raise their pencils to underline his prose chronicling why that was so--as his title clearly states, the story of his "formative years."
This most fascinating, heartwarming and uplifting story is also the most improbable: that against the odds and carrying the burdens that were put on his shoulders, Lee not only did what was right by those who loved him but also succeeded superbly as an intellectual, a cold warrior and a spy but most important as a husband, a father and a good man.
"The Formative Years of an African American Spy" belongs on everyone's bookshelves. It's a superb memoir with a message that can be summed up in a familiar--and highly appropriate--phrase: yes we can.
Get your
The Formative Years African American Spy Now!
