Community Read continues with look at history of prosthetics

February 5, 2025
Cover of A Woman of No Importance
Cover of A Woman of No Importance

Fitchburg State University’s Community Read of A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II (2020) by bestselling author and journalist Sonia Purnell continues this month with a look at the history of prosthetics.

A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II tells the story of Virginia Hall, a Baltimore socialite who talked her way into Special Operations Executive, the spy organization dubbed Winston Churchill’s “Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.” She became the first Allied woman deployed behind enemy lines and–despite her prosthetic leg–helped to light the flame of the French Resistance, revolutionizing secret warfare as we know it. In 1942, the Gestapo sent out an urgent transmission: “She is the most dangerous of all Allied spies. We must find and destroy her.” 

Hall’s leg, amputated after a hunting accident, was replaced with a wooden prosthesis, which she nicknamed "Cuthbert." Later, during her career as a secret agent, she was known to the Germans as "The Limping Lady." Undeniably a significant part of gender and military history, Hall is also a part of a long heritage of people with disabilities, including the development of prosthetics.

Fitchburg State will host a hybrid talk on “The Epic History of Prosthetics” at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11 in the Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio Library. From ancient Egyptians to medieval knights to modern Paralympic athletes, humans have been innovating ways to manage disabilities for centuries. Through archaeological, literary, and medical evidence, both local and global, learn about the epic story of prosthetics. 

The event will start at 3:30 p.m. with an interactive demonstration of prosthetic technology by Hanger Clinic, a leading local provider of orthotic and prosthetic care, followed at 4 p.m. by a presentation and discussion led by Fitchburg State Professor Kisha Tracy of the English Studies Department. Those wishing to view online may participate at https://meet.google.com/rdp-npmp-ora. Admission is free and open to the public.

Programming continues at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18 at the Fitchburg Art Museum, 185 North St., with a screening of the film “A Call to Spy,” sponsored by the Fitchburg Public Library. This feature film is based on the life of Virginia Hall and other women working for the British Intelligence Service. Admission is free and open to the public.

Learn more about the book and keep up to date on planned events by visiting fitchburgcommunityread.com.