NATIONAL BESTSELLER “Prodigiously researched and engrossing.”—New York Times Book Review “Fascinating…. Addictively readable.”—Boston Globe “Code Girls reveals a hidden army of female cryptographers, whose work played a crucial role in ending World War II…. Mundy has rescued a piece of forgotten history, and given these American heroes the recognition they deserve.”—Nathalia Holt, … given these American heroes the recognition they deserve.”—Nathalia Holt, bestselling author of Rise of the Rocket Girls
Recruited by the U.S. Army and Navy from small towns and elite colleges, more than ten thousand women served as codebreakers during World War II. While their brothers and boyfriends took up arms, these women moved to Washington and learned the meticulous work of code-breaking. Their efforts shortened the war, saved countless lives, and gave them access to careers previously denied to them. A strict vow of secrecy nearly erased their efforts from history; now, through dazzling research and interviews with surviving code girls, bestselling author Liza Mundy brings to life this riveting and vital story of American courage, service, and scientific accomplishment.more
An in-depth look at the gathering together of women at the start of WW2 to try to break the German and Japanese coded messages in an effort to shorten the war.
Had no idea that these women were such an integral part of war effort.
Wonderful, inspirational, informative reporting of real people during the depression era contributing to the resolution of WWII.
Loved it!
This is a well-written and well-researched book about the role of women in WWII. The author writes about the typical jobs of women in that era and how the skills that teachers, librarians, secretaries acquired in civilian life prepared them in surprising ways for success in code breaking. The author touches on the string differences between the Army and the Navy and the intense competition between them. Lots of great stories of individual women who found success and satisfaction in their war-time jobs (even if they couldn’t tell anyone during or after the war.) It is a great read and yes, a page-turner.
I chose to read this story because my parents recommended it, and because my maternal great-aunt was a Code Girl for the Navy.
As a public historian currently working in an archives, I thoroughly appreciated the oral histories, archival research, and primary resources employed to write this history. The women Mundy chose to portray led interesting lives. Mundy’s thorough discussion of how they were recruited, their backgrounds, and their post-war lives needed a better copy editor. Granted, due to the fact that some of the Code Girls are still living, some gave multiple oral histories, primary sources were more readily obtained from The Girls or their heirs, Mundy’s depth of detail for some is extensive, while others’ life histories is not as detailed. That is to be understood; however, it is Mundy’s treatment of the information and lack of a good editorial staff that causes the story to lose its way, at times, for example, the story becomes more a biography on Dot and he relationship with Jim Bruce. I also found poor sentence structure—ending sentences with prepositions, beginning sentences with conjunctions, and uses of today’s catch phrases when referencing a thesaurus would have been most beneficial.
Aside from the Code Girls’ story, this book opens many other avenues of study, such as: WWII relationships created with pen pals boosting soldier morale; relationship advantages women enjoyed that men did not; when post-war attitudes changed regarding mothers in the work place; and how Soviet philosophies shaped American attitudes, to name a few.
Mundy treated this aspect of WWII service with care and respect, and conducted in-depth material reference which makes it a worthwhile read. Hopefully, her publisher will assign a better editorial staff to help her craft a more-polished writing style with her next work.
I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway.
The women who were recruited to do cryptanalysis during World War II were a group who were intellectual, committed to the war effort, and able to take the lead and break codes of the German and Japanese armed forces. This was a awesome true story. I loved reading about these women. I would highly recommend this book for anybody who likes to read stuff based on real life events.
Good book to tell about these brave women who broke code, saved lives and then couldn’t talk about it to anyone for many years. I read it because my mother-in-law did this and I felt that I wanted to understand more about her life! Good but a bit hard to read at times!
Very interesting and the women’s accomplishments were impressive. I really had no idea that all this went on behind the scenes. Kudos to all the ladies who stepped in and stepped up!
Another great book about the code breaking woman who quietly helped the war effort with their intelligence and determination … great non-fiction storytelling … great narration (I listen to audiobooks almost exclusively) … women I would have liked to have known … I’m going to tell my grandchildren about these brave pioneering women as they grow up … Great book – don’t miss it!