LATEST NEWS

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January 4, 2010: A New Book on the Horizon

We’re built differently. We dress differently. We ARE different! The fact that women and men are different is not a news flash. But as amazing as it seems, that little factoid seems to be overlooked in far too many situations, including those defining courage. Enter Judy Pearson’s newest book project, A Different Kind of Courage.

Courage has long been measured by a male yardstick, with courageous acts seen as requiring great physical feats. Such feats are often physiologically impossible for women to accomplish, giving them the impression that courage must also be beyond their reach. We can’t point the finger of guilt to anyone in particular for this fault – it has been sculpted by society for centuries.

But ongoing research shows significant differences in men's and women's brains, with one focus being how each gender responds to stress and fear, the very emotions that summon courage. A Different Kind of Courage will pull together this research, distilling it into an easy-to-read segments and coupling it with stories of ordinary women in all facets of our society who exemplify courage. Chapters include women’s courage in leadership, education, business, medicine and on the front line. Woven throughout the book will also be results from the nationwide survey of women’s opinions of courage. (Click here to participate.) And each chapter will finish with practical information that will help readers find courage in their everyday lives.

If ever there was a time for a book like A Different Kind of Courage, this is it. At no time during the last 60 years, have women had to make so many courageous choices. As the country reels from one disaster after another – a crashing economy; the loss of jobs, homes and security; unwinnable wars; and uncertainties in healthcare – women are forced into making life-changing decisions about the very survival of their families. A Different Kind of Courage is not just a celebration of the courage that changed the lives of a few women. Rather, the book will be a powerful tool that will enable any woman to put into action her own courage.

September 30, 2008: Out of the Blue Entertainment Obtains the Option of Author Judith L. Pearson's Second Book

Out of the Blue Entertainment announced today that the company will develop a film project based on author Judith L. Pearson's second book, The Wolves at the Door: The True Story of America’s Greatest Female Spy. The book is based on the story of Virginia Hall, an American woman whose remarkable activities as a spy in World War II France had never been told.

Because of Virginia Hall's courage and tenacity in foiling the Nazi war machine, thousands of American lives were undoubtedly saved. Most remarkable of all, Hall carried out her underground work and eluded Nazi capture despite a debilitating handicap. Virginia Hall had an artificial left leg. To the Germans, she was "the lady with a limp;" to the Allies, she was a savior.
 
"We are looking forward to creating the film version of this amazing story of a courageous woman who fought hard to help bring down the evil of the Third Reich,” said Nancy Ganis of Out of the Blue Entertainment. “The odds were impossible. Her spirit was indomitable...."

December 12, 2006: Virginia Hall Honored by Three Nations

Tuesday, December 12, 2006, saw Virginia Hall finally receive the kind of public recognition she so richly deserved. French ambassador Jean-David Levitte and British ambassador Sir David Manning co-hosted a ceremony held at the French residence in Washington, where a privately commissioned painting of Hall in action was unveiled.

The painting, by artist Jeffrey W. Bass, shows Hall in radio contact with the Allies. The scene was taken from Wolves at the Door: an old French barn, complete with a barn cat napping and straw on the floor. Also with Hall is one of her captains, Edmund Lebrat, who is using a modified bicycle to generate electricity for the radio. The painting's title, "Les Marguerites Fleuriront Ce Soir" ("The Daisies Will Bloom Tonight"), refers to a code phrase for parachute drops.

At the ceremony, Ambassador Manning presented a certificate signed by King George VI to Hall's niece, Lorna Catling. Hall should have received the document in 1943, when she was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire. She was given the medal, but never the warrant, which has survived in a London vault all these years. Ambassador Levitee presented Ms. Catling with a letter from French president Jacques Chirac, commending Hall's bravery during the war. Also present was Baltimore mayor, and Maryland governor-elect, Richard O'Malley, who also heralded Baltimore's native daughter.

Erik Kirzinger of Madison, N.C., an advocate for greater recognition of the heroics of covert operatives, spearheaded the painting and the ceremony. Kirzinger previously commissioned a painting of CIA pilots flying provisions into a French post in Viet Nam in 1954. He secures donors to finance the paintings and donates them to the CIA's fine arts collection.

"If these folks were in the active military, there would be marching bands and mayors making speeches and stuff, but because they're in the clandestine service, their stories don't generally get told," Kirzinger said. A truer truth was never expressed.