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
The untold story of the women code breakers of WWI and WWII. Amazing and inspiring.
I found Code Girls to be an excellent read with lots of interesting information about the history of women in World War II. It explains a lot about women entering the workplace. If you like puzzles than this also teaches you some of the various skills required to solve them. Great read.
As a child during WWII, I knew about WACS and WAVES but not about how and why they were formed. This book was an eye-opener and was fascinating! It also showed the world that women were important and capable, and how much they contributed to the conclusion of the war. The author did a marvelous job of the research to bring this book to conclusion. I heartily recommend it to everyone.
Lindas Book Obsession Reviews “Code Girls The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War 11” by Liza Mundy, Hachette Books
Kudos to Liza Mundy, Author of “Code Girls The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War 11” for the Historical research and vivid descriptions of the unsung heroines that provided much valued information used in our winning World War Two. The Genres for this book are History and Non-Fiction. This is an intriguing and intense accounting of how both the Army and Navy during World War Two recruited women to be responsible for code-breaking. The Navy wanted women that were of top intelligence, excellent mathematicians, and that could meet certain personal criteria. They were extremely selective in choosing. The Army resorted to recruiting teachers and women from different areas.
The women who were chosen for the Army were hired as civilians, and had to sign documents regarding national security, and had to promise their silence. The women working for the Navy also had to sign documents, and promise silence, and were more in a civilian capacity and certainly didn’t get the privileges that the men did. There was competition between the two services of government.
The women taking these positions, allowed more men at the front, and sent to fight. Unfortunately many men died, but the women hoped by breaking codes, they could save their lives. Men made much more money than the females did,when they had held these positions. There were some men that still were Code-breakers.
Code-breaking was tedious, and took hours and weeks of intricate work, finding patterns. The women were sworn to silence and couldn’t even discuss their frustrations or break-throughs with friends or family. At times, it was extremely tense, and several people had a nervous collapse. I would recommend this interesting book for those who enjoy reading about World War Two.
Beginning in 1941 secret letters were sent across the country to women attending college requesting their service for the war effort. Tens of thousands of women from prestigious northeastern colleges, southern teaching schools, and many other walks of life answered the calls of the U.S Navy and Army to serve as code breakers during World War II.
These unsung heroes left their small-towns, big cities, and families behind to work on their secret mission – one which would help win the war. Sworn to secrecy, many never divulged their wartime efforts. This tale of history, science, and patriotism follows the personal and professional lives of these women. Rich in detail and highly researched, Code Girls gives everyone a deep look into the secret work of code breaking during the second great war.
Liza Mundy is the bestselling author of The Richer Sex and Michelle: A Biography and a former reporter for the Washington Post. Mundy delivers inspiring accounts of the women involved in the uncelebrated effort of code breaking, which saved countless American lives. Vivid details of these women’s lives makes this a touching and interesting read.
Wow, wow, wow!!!
This book was an incredible story, told lovingly by Liza Mundy. I loved the way Ms. Mundy wrote about each of the code girls, including their back story, and the toll working a secret operation took on their lives. I also loved learning about the way the girls were recruited, how they lived and worked together, and especially, how their contributions helped the Allied war effort.
This book could have been very dry, but Ms. Mundy anecdotes about each of these women brought the story to life. I was familiar with Alan Turing and his work, but I was not familiar with the work done by these women during and after WWII.
I also really enjoyed learning some local history. Living in Baltimore, I am familiar with Goucher College, but not its participation in the war effort. I also wasn’t aware of its earlier location. I also enjoyed hearing about Arlington Hall, and the other locations around the DC metro area.
I especially was thrilled to read about these smart women. Women who have brains and used them to their best capacity. However, I was saddened to read about the sexism and the inequity of pay, as well as the stigma of pregnancy. I was inspired to read how the ambition of these women to do more with their lives, use their education, and to better themselves and their family was woven in their character.
These women are heroes. I thank Liza Mundy for bringing their stories to life.
FANTASTIC!!
#CodeGirls #LizaMundy
This is a great book about some amazing women. I knew women did a lot for the war effort but these ladies were just amazing. They never received all the credit they deserved but they did what they did to help preserve Democracy.
Code Girls is a very informative and interesting read. A very important part of history that intelligent and strong women played a pivotal role and was never taught in the history books in school. Such a loss. How best to teach young girls and women that they can do anything and be whatever they want to be and make important and life altering changes and impacts on history and lives!
This is an illuminating book telling the story of the young ladies who traveled from small towns across the nation to help crack the WW2 codes.
One of the best books I read last year.
A great untold story that deserves to be told.
Full of endearing young ladies growing and laughing and working so hard.
This book demonstrates the important roles women played in World War II just like my book, Dear Hubby of Mine.
I love reading about World War II and this was a very interesting book about the work these women did during that war.
This was an interesting book, delving into the efforts to decipher enemy communications during World War II. The women decoding the messages were a diverse and interesting group, brought together by a very unusual set of circumstances. Their accomplishments were impressive.
Several decades after the end of World War II, access to an incredible story has been allowed, in which a group of recently graduated American women and teachers were recruited to carry out a secret mission of the greatest importance: to break the codes used by Axis countries.
This was a historic triumph for all women, as their value and ability to enter the world of Science and Mathematics had never been recognized to date. Despite the fact that, due to the type of work they carried out, their achievements were never publicly recognized, this group of women were the basis for the Allies’ triumph and, most importantly, to reduce the loss of life among the Allied troops.
For the perseverance, courage, intelligence and sacrifice of these women, the world will always be indebted to the
A wonderfully written history of the thousands of women who worked for the US Navy and Army as code breakers during WW II. Follows a number of women from their recruitment while still in college through the war and after. Fascinating.
If you enjoy reading about real-life patriots during WWII, this book is for you, especially if you want to learn about the unsung female heros during WWII. It is a nonfiction detailing how well-educated and brilliant young women from all over America during the 1940’s chose to leave the safety of their homes to help win the war—and they did just that by helping to break the German and Japanese military codes to safe lives of Americans and our allies.
This book opened and entire chapter of hidden history to the world. I was thrilled to learn of these women and their contributions.
My love for this book has no bounds. It is the first book I have ever read about the crucial roles tens of thousands of women played in code breaking during WWII in Washington, D.C. I read everything I can find about Bletchley Park in the UK, but can this really be the first serious study of their American counterparts? If so, it is sorely overdue and Liz Mundy does a superlative job of researching and telling the page-turning story of these women who experienced intellectual fulfillment and meaningful employment at a time when these were extremely difficult for most to access. This is one of my best reads this year. Go get yourself a copy!
The subject matter of this book is fascinating, and it’s a great tribute to the women who secretly worked to break the intricate and ever-changing codes during WWII. It’s impossible to say how many American lives their keen minds, dedication, and secrecy saved during those war years. At the end of the book, I found it heart-warming to read about the children and grandchildren who had just discovered their mother’s and grandmother’s involvement in this highly secret endeavor. It was also gratifying that some of those code girls were able to finally reveal their true involvement in saving the free world and receive the recognition they deserved.
I didn’t care much for the writing style and I found that the way the story unfolded made it difficult to follow the people and their careers in the army and navy. Some anecdotes didn’t seem necessary and sometimes they were just odd.
However, if you like WWII history you’ll enjoy reading Code Girls.
The Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers by Liza Mundy
October 2017
Non-fiction
I received this digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review from NetGalley.
A remarkable true account of the many women who were instrumental in the WWII era. Their stories, not unlike many other women over the years, have gone unspoken due to the classified nature of their work.
The author thoroughly researched the women who were vital in the history of code breaking during WWII. She brings these women to life and provides a voice to those who are still alive. These well-educated women were vetted specifically for this complex task. Although they were unable to disclose the importance of their work, it is clear that the work provided tremendous pride and satisfaction.
The story was a little slow and dry at times but understandable given the attention to detail and accuracy. There are many memorable characters who played major roles in protecting our country with their unique ability to decipher complex codes from different countries.
It fascinates me how important women were to the national security of our country.
The young women who worked as code breakers during WW II contributed an astounding g amount of information from enemy communications that helped the Allies with. the war. These previously unsung heroes are brought :/ t to life in Liza Mundy’s book.