I am in the middle of reading "Fair Game" by Valerie Plame Wilson. I assume most know who Valerie Wilson is, but in case you are a busy working parent who has missed the news in the past few years, Ms. Wilson is the former undercover CIA agent who had her identity exposed in what appears to have been a case of political revenge (learn more about the case here).
It is a fascinating read, giving a you a window into the life of a covert CIA agent. But, even more interesting to me is that in addition to her life as a CIA agent, Valerie Wilson is also a working mom. In fact, her twins were just toddlers as she lived through this very public scandal.
In addition to the typical working mom worries of finding suitable childcare and keeping your life in balance, can you imagine adding international undercover travel to your worries? Or threats to your life or the safety of your home because of a political scandal?
Ms. Wilson became a mom after almost 20 years in the CIA. She chose to continue her career after an extra long maternity leave (it isn't exact in her book- many parts of her book relative to dates were blacked out by the CIA- but it looks like she took about a year). Further, she was able to negotiate a part-time arrangement so that she could continue her career without the extensive travel and long work hours she had prior to becoming a mom.
I find her story engaging and inspiring so far....will let you know as I read further.
