A memoir with the exciting elements of an espionage thriller. . . . This work of anthropological intrigue shows the author's academic coming-of-age. -- Karl Helicher * Foreword Reviews *
Fascinating, thoughtful and occasionally riveting. -- James Ryerson * New York Times Book Review *
Coming from such a distinguished academic, Verdery's brutally honest description of herself, including as a naive and careless young scholar, is stunning. Few books reflect so frankly and so powerfully on the nature and complications of an academic career. * Foreign Affairs *
This book raises provocative points about the effect of surveillance that will appeal to most readers. -- Laurie Unger Skinner * Library Journal *
To read one's police file is-suddenly-to have the curtain pulled open. The self you think you know becomes a mask, concealing a devious somebody else whose relationships are mere espionage fakes. . . . [An] unforgettable book. -- Neal Ascherson * London Review of Books *
This book constitutes an excellent, detailed foray into the workings of a surveillance state in the Soviet bloc. But ultimately, this book's strength emerges from its transparency concerning anthropological methodologies, an openness that comprises a foundational read for not only anthropology students but also for any social scientist working in post-socialist states. -- Sabrina Papazian * EuropeNow *
Surely one of the finest and most thoughtful accounts of modern surveillance that we possess. -- Mark Mazower * TLS *
Joining a growing body of literature based on secret police archival documents, Verdery's book stands out as she deploys her craft of anthropologist to examine the unexpected material. . . . By investigating one of its most elusive yet powerful apparatuses, the Securitate, Verdery creates an enthralling ethnography of the Communist state. . . . My Life as a Spy will teach anthropology, sociology, and history students much about methodology, and it is exemplary in exposing the dilemmas inherent in that methodology. -- Irina Culic * American Ethnologist *
My Life as a Spy is Verdery's masterpiece. . . . This is a book that should be read by all anthropologists and taught across the globe - a beautifully written, deeply engaged and engaging text that shows just what a wonderful and revelatory discipline anthropology can be when in the hands of committed and resourceful scholars. -- Michael Stewart * Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute *
This captivating memoir is like none I have read before. . . . A masterpiece. -- Kate Brown * Slavic Review *
Every anthropologist should read this book. -- Steven Sampson * PoLAR *
