First published 2007
Antonio Mendez opens his toolbox of deception in the sterile rooms where America's spies learn to disappear. As the CIA's master of disguise, Mendez transforms ordinary people into walking lies. He crafts new faces from latex and spirit gum, teaches agents to change their gait and voice, and builds entire fictional identities from scratch. The work demands precision because a single flaw means death or capture in hostile territory. Mendez guides readers through actual operations where split-second transformations saved lives and missions. He shows how a businessman becomes a janitor, how an American melts into a Moscow crowd, and how the right wig can fool trained surveillance teams. The stakes climb higher with each assignment as Mendez pushes the boundaries of what human transformation can achieve. This is the hidden world where theater meets espionage, where makeup artists double as lifesavers, and where the most dangerous performance is the one that looks completely ordinary.
Genres: biography, memoir, non-fiction, espionage
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: transformation, undercover
32 pages · Paperback · SCHOLASTIC