Reviews: 'American Spy,' by Lauren Wilkinson, and 'Roar,' by Cecelia Ahern

"American Spy" opens in 1992 with a heart-racing scene in which Marie is forced to repel a home invader who intends to kill her and her two sons, William and Tommy. After she goes into hiding at her mother's house in Martinique, Marie begins to write a journal of the incidents leading to this moment, a journal intended for her sons if she should die. She had been one of the FBI's first black agents, and soon, she is recruited by the CIA for a top-secret mission to Burkina Faso.

Foreign policy under the Reagan administration was designed to protect the U.S. from communism, and Thomas Sankara, Burkina Faso's revolutionary and charismatic president, is of particular concern. Marie will match her fierce intelligence against his while she also tries to understand what her real purpose in Burkina Faso is supposed to be, something no one will tell her. The truth will put her in mortal danger.

LORRAINE BERRY

Irish novelist Cecelia Ahern offers bedtime stories for feminists in "Roar," each featuring a protagonist referred to as "the woman." The 30 allegorical tales, with such titles as "The Woman Who Slowly Disappeared" and "The Woman Who Unraveled," offer inspiration in dealing with such travails as getting older in a sexist, ageist society or trying to juggle way too many responsibilities.

The stories, perhaps best read in small doses, contain wisdom, humor and warning. "The Woman Who Thought Her Mirror Was Broken" comes to terms with a divorce and other midlife changes. "The Woman Who Was Swallowed Up by the Floor and Who Met Lots of Other Women Down There Too" finds herself in Cringeville after she wishes to escape an embarrassing moment during a work presentation. A teenage social media influencer turns into "The Woman Who Blew Away" after she thinks of nothing but herself.

"Roar" offers respite for the woman who was stressed by modern life.

MARCI SCHMITT