Hello! I am an award-winning author and translator whose work has been praised for its honesty, vulnerability, and the way it challenges received notions of race and identity in society. A former Lannan Fellow, I find inspiration in bringing forgotten stories to light.

Sarah Valentine, PhD

Books by Sarah

Liza Mundy, author of Code of Girls and The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA

“I am excited about this project. It is long overdue.”

TOP SECRET tells the shocking true story of two segregated codebreaking units in the Army’s intelligence agencies during World War II and the Cold War.

The result of a racial hiring quota, the Commercial Code unit freed the US from relying on British intelligence on the Axis powers’ trade relations.

The Army’s Top Secret


“A masterful explication on the nature of self and identity.”

―NPR Review

A Stunning and provocative coming-of-age story.

Valentine grew up believing that she was white like the rest of her family, but at 27, she discovered her family’s secret.

Growing up in Pittsburgh, PA, Valentine describes an ordinary childhood in a loving family of Italian and Irish descent.

When I Was White