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Sarah Rose

Sarah Rose is an journalist and bestselling author renowned for her historical works that illuminate lesser-known aspects of global history. Her debut book, For All the in : How Stole the World's Favorite Drink and Changed History (2010), recounts the and surrounding the Empire's acquisition of tea plants from in the 19th century, blending meticulous research with narrative flair to reveal its economic and cultural impacts. This was followed by D-Day Girls: The Spies Who Armed the Resistance, Sabotaged the Nazis, and Helped Win (2019), which details the daring exploits of female agents in Winston Churchill's during , highlighting their roles in sabotage and intelligence that contributed to the Allied invasion of . As a professional , Rose serves as a contributor to Buy Side from WSJ at , where she previously held the position of Dynasties columnist, covering topics on wealth, legacy, and family enterprises. Her features have appeared in prominent publications such as Outside, Men’s Journal, and Departures, showcasing her versatility in long-form storytelling. A graduate of and the , Rose lives in .

Early life and education

Early life

Sarah Rose was born in 1974 in , . She grew up in Chicago's South Shore neighborhood and attended the from nursery school, graduating in 1992. The school's progressive environment, which she later described as an "intellectual " that encouraged curiosity and self-directed learning, played a key role in her formative years. Books were central to her family life during childhood, with her parents reading to her after dinner and before bed each evening. She particularly enjoyed stories, which she read repeatedly for several years. Her teachers at the Laboratory Schools recognized her writing talent early on, even before she was aware of it herself, nurturing interests that would influence her future career in and authorship. Following high school, Rose pursued higher education at .

Education

Sarah Rose completed her undergraduate studies at , earning a degree in English and graduating cum laude. She subsequently pursued graduate studies at the , where she obtained a degree in .

Journalism

Wall Street Journal contributions

Sarah Rose served as the Dynasties columnist for The Wall Street Journal's section from 2013 to 2016, where she wrote bi-weekly features exploring the legacies of prominent family es, with a particular emphasis on New York's dynasties. Her columns delved into intergenerational , strategies, and personal dynamics within these families, highlighting how they sustained empires across generations. For instance, in a 2014 piece, she profiled the Rudin family, detailing how their holdings, spanning over a century, were managed through collaborative decision-making among siblings and cousins. Rose's series also featured in-depth profiles of other influential clans, such as the Zeckendorf brothers, whose luxury developments near the marked a return to their family's historical roots in Manhattan . Another notable article examined the role of daughters in perpetuating these dynasties, showcasing women like those in the Resnick and Milstein families who were groomed for leadership roles amid traditionally male-dominated industries. These pieces often blended with narrative storytelling, illustrating challenges like intra-family rivalries and adaptation to market shifts. In addition to her column, Rose contributed travel and lifestyle features to the Journal's Off Duty section, covering topics such as river cruises in and culinary challenges in summer rentals. Since concluding her column, Rose has continued contributing to as a writer for , focusing on , consumer products, and lifestyle advice. In 2014, during her tenure at the Journal, she received a Lowell Thomas Prize in the Adventure Travel category from the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation for her travel writing.

Other publications

Sarah Rose has contributed freelance features to a variety of prominent magazines and newspapers, including The Washington Post, Outside, The Saturday Evening Post, Men's Journal, Travel + Leisure, Departures, The New York Post, and Bon Appétit. Her articles often explore themes of travel, history, and culture, blending narrative storytelling with in-depth reporting. For instance, in Outside magazine, she wrote "Escaping the Recession by Boat," a 2013 piece examining adventure travel amid economic hardship through the lens of a family's sailing journey across the Pacific. Similarly, her contributions to The Washington Post Magazine have delved into historical topics, such as women's roles in wartime, as seen in her 2019 article on female spies in World War II France. In Departures, she covered luxury cultural experiences like Monaco's high-society events, highlighting the intersection of travel and elite lifestyles. Rose's freelance work has earned her significant recognition, including the North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) Grand Prize in Writing for her travel journalism. She also received a grant from the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) to support her independent reporting projects.

Books

For All the Tea in China

For All the Tea in China: How England Stole the World's Favorite Drink and Changed History is a historical nonfiction book written by Sarah Rose and published in 2009 by Hutchinson in the , with the U.S. edition released in 2010 by Viking, an imprint of . The book chronicles the 19th-century espionage mission of Scottish botanist , commissioned by the British in 1848 to penetrate forbidden regions of and steal the secrets of production. Disguised as a merchant, navigated dangerous terrains, evaded pirates and bandits, and smuggled out plants, seeds, and manufacturing techniques from the Wu Yi Shan hills, the heart of 's industry during the late . Rose weaves this narrative with broader historical context, including the that weakened 's trade monopoly, the economic imperatives driving British imperialism, and the profound impacts on global commerce, as became a staple in British culture and plantations in and Ceylon shifted production away from . Rose's research drew heavily from Fortune's own journals and letters, supplemented by archival materials from British institutions detailing the East India Company's operations. To immerse herself in the subject, she traveled to , visiting contemporary tea plantations in regions Fortune explored and consulting local experts on traditional processing methods. This firsthand experience, combined with her background in , allowed Rose to vividly reconstruct the botanical and cultural intricacies of cultivation, emphasizing Fortune's innovations like the use of Wardian cases to transport live plants across oceans. The book received widespread critical acclaim for its engaging blend of adventure, history, and science, earning praise as a "rousing Victorian adventure story" from The New York Times and a "wonderful combination of scholarship and storytelling" from NPR. It was selected as one of the Best Business Books of 2010 by Strategy+Business and featured as BBC Radio's Book of the Week, highlighting its accessibility and impact on understanding colonial trade dynamics. Reviews in The Washington Post and The Financial Times commended Rose's narrative drive, which transformed arcane botanical espionage into a compelling tale of empire-building.

D-Day Girls

D-Day Girls: The Spies Who Armed the Resistance, Sabotaged the Nazis, and Helped Win World War II is a 2019 historical nonfiction book by Sarah Rose, published by Crown, an imprint of Penguin Random House. The work chronicles the efforts of 39 women recruited by Britain's Special Operations Executive (SOE) to operate as spies and saboteurs in Nazi-occupied France in the lead-up to the D-Day invasion of Normandy in 1944. Rose centers the narrative on key figures such as Odette Sansom, a determined housewife turned wireless operator; Lise de Baissac, an aristocratic leader who organized resistance networks; and Andrée Borrel, a resourceful courier who facilitated arms drops and intelligence gathering. These women conducted sabotage operations against German infrastructure, trained local resistance fighters, and relayed critical intelligence to Allied forces, often at great personal risk—half were captured, and a third did not survive the war. To reconstruct these stories, Rose drew on a range of primary sources, including recently declassified SOE files from archives, diaries of the agents, and oral histories from survivors and their families. She also conducted interviews with descendants and experts, and immersed herself in the agents' experiences through site visits to France, where she retraced their paths, participated in boot camps, built radios, and even took parachuting lessons to understand the physical and technical demands of their missions. This hands-on approach lent authenticity to the book's vivid depictions of covert operations, such as de Baissac's establishment of safe houses in and Borrel's perilous journeys across occupied territory. The book received widespread acclaim for illuminating the overlooked contributions of women to the Allied victory, earning starred reviews from and for its rigorous research and gripping storytelling. It became a national bestseller and was praised by historians and authors like Erik Larson for humanizing the that paved the way for D-Day. Media coverage, including features in and mentions in , highlighted its role in amplifying narratives of female agency in . Echoing themes of audacious from Rose's earlier work on 19th-century tea smuggling, D-Day Girls underscores the enduring impact of covert operations driven by individual courage.

Media appearances

Television roles

Sarah Rose gained early visibility in television through her co-starring role in the Sundance Channel reality series Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys, which aired from 2010 to 2011. The show followed four straight women and their gay male best friends navigating life, relationships, and personal challenges in , emphasizing platonic bonds with a focus on themes of , , and self-discovery rather than contrived drama. Produced by World of Wonder, the series premiered on December 7, 2010, and ran for one season of eight episodes, offering an unscripted glimpse into modern queer-straight dynamics without relying on outdated stereotypes like "fag hag." In the series, Rose was paired with her close friend, author , portraying a single Jewish freelance writer in her mid-30s on a quest for romantic fulfillment. Her storyline highlighted personal vulnerabilities, including jealousy over Derfner's impending marriage and her own dating struggles, which were amplified through editing to underscore emotional depth, though Rose later described the portrayal as somewhat exaggerated for narrative effect. As a cast member, she appeared in all eight episodes, contributing to the show's authentic exploration of intergenerational friendships and urban singledom. This role marked Rose's primary foray into performative television, distinct from her later analytical appearances in news media.

News commentary

Sarah Rose has established herself as a frequent commentator on national television, radio, and online news platforms, leveraging her expertise in history and to provide insights on topics such as , women's roles in historical events, and global trade dynamics. Her appearances often draw from her books, including discussions on the female spies featured in D-Day Girls and the imperial intrigue in For All the Tea in . For instance, in a 2019 segment on MSNBC's , Rose elaborated on how three British women conducted sabotage operations in Nazi-occupied , highlighting their contributions to the Allied invasion. Similarly, she addressed the tactics of these agents during a 2021 C-SPAN interview, emphasizing declassified documents that reveal their strategic impact. Rose's media engagements have included radio discussions on , where she explored the historical theft of tea cultivation secrets by British agents in , connecting it to broader themes of economic and colonial trade. She has also appeared on programs and C-SPAN's Washington Journal, offering commentary on wartime resistance and gender dynamics in intelligence work. These outlets have featured her as an expert voice, with examples including a 2019 C-SPAN event where she detailed the sabotage efforts of female operatives ahead of D-Day, underscoring their overlooked heroism. Online news platforms have similarly hosted her analyses, often tying historical lessons to contemporary issues like international security and women's agency in global affairs. Since 2021, Rose's presence has evolved to include more panel discussions and podcasts, reflecting sustained interest in her work amid renewed focus on WWII narratives and female contributions to history. This trajectory builds on her early exposure via , which served as an initial entry point into public-facing roles.

References

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