Making Memoirs: The CIA Agent, The Addict, And The Gardener
“The Unexpected Spy”
By Tracy Walder with Jessica Anya Blau
$27.99
We last wrote about Tracy Walder for the February 2019 issues, putting her photograph on the cover of Park Cities People.
Back then, the Hockaday history and foreign affairs teacher from Highland Park was still working on her memoir, tentatively titled, The Sorority Girl Who Saved Your Life.
The book was released in late February of this year with a new title that details more of the plot: The Unexpected Spy: From the CIA to the FBI, My Secret Life Taking Down Some of the World’s Most Notorious Terrorists.
Zac Crain, who profiled her for the February 2020 issue of our sister publication D Magazine, found the book “extremely interesting” and its stories told with drama.
“It’s an important book for any young women thinking about foreign service, and that perfectly dovetails with Tracy’s efforts to encourage that, both at Hockaday and with the nonprofit Girl Security,” he said.
Crain also reported that Calamity Jane, the production company of Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo, still is developing Walder’s story as a series for ABC.
“No More Dodging Bullets”
By Amy Herrig
$16.87
This memoir from another Park Cities mother tells how personal struggles can yield new perspective and deepened faith.
“All the bullets I’ve dodged and all the things that have happened made me realize how lucky I am to be alive,” she said.
Herrig recounts her teenage addiction to heroin and her adult addiction to money. As owners of successful businesses, she and her father raked in profits and enjoyed all that money could buy until a federal lawsuit threatened their fortunes and freedom. During that four-year legal battle arrived a life-altering diagnosis: She had breast cancer.
“One Hundred Daffodils”
By Rebecca Winn
$27
The former Park Cities resident, an award-winning landscape designer and creator of the inspirational blog, Whimsical Gardens, explores nature’s ability to heal in this memoir scheduled for release on March 24.
In One Hundred Daffodils: Finding Beauty, Grace, and Meaning When Things Fall Apart, Winn explores her search for meaning, identity, and purpose after learning her husband of 25 years wanted a divorce.
By turning to her garden for guidance, sanctuary, and inspiration, she discovered what is possible when looking at our unvarnished selves with an open mind and seeing others with an open heart.
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