National Bestseller
NPR Best Book of the Year
“Not all superheroes wear capes, and Elizebeth Smith Friedman should be the subject of a future Wonder Woman movie.” —The New York Times
Joining the ranks of Hidden Figures and In the Garden of Beasts, the incredible true story of the greatest codebreaking duo that ever lived, an American woman and her husband who invented the modern science of … codebreaking duo that ever lived, an American woman and her husband who invented the modern science of cryptology together and used it to confront the evils of their time, solving puzzles that unmasked Nazi spies and helped win World War II.
In 1916, at the height of World War I, brilliant Shakespeare expert Elizebeth Smith went to work for an eccentric tycoon on his estate outside Chicago. The tycoon had close ties to the U.S. government, and he soon asked Elizebeth to apply her language skills to an exciting new venture: code-breaking. There she met the man who would become her husband, groundbreaking cryptologist William Friedman. Though she and Friedman are in many ways the “Adam and Eve” of the NSA, Elizebeth’s story, incredibly, has never been told.
In The Woman Who Smashed Codes, Jason Fagone chronicles the life of this extraordinary woman, who played an integral role in our nation’s history for forty years. After World War I, Smith used her talents to catch gangsters and smugglers during Prohibition, then accepted a covert mission to discover and expose Nazi spy rings that were spreading like wildfire across South America, advancing ever closer to the United States. As World War II raged, Elizebeth fought a highly classified battle of wits against Hitler’s Reich, cracking multiple versions of the Enigma machine used by German spies. Meanwhile, inside an Army vault in Washington, William worked furiously to break Purple, the Japanese version of Enigma—and eventually succeeded, at a terrible cost to his personal life.
Fagone unveils America’s code-breaking history through the prism of Smith’s life, bringing into focus the unforgettable events and colorful personalities that would help shape modern intelligence. Blending the lively pace and compelling detail that are the hallmarks of Erik Larson’s bestsellers with the atmosphere and intensity of The Imitation Game, The Woman Who Smashed Codes is page-turning popular history at its finest.
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This true story has it all — an amazing marriage of two codebreaker geniuses raised up by another genius, but this one a madman, and in time to play pivotal roles in codebreaking during WW2. It gives a deep inside look at the rise of the NSA and what J. Edgar Hoover really did with the FBI. I couldn’t put it down. Beautifully researched with a deep inside look at various codes.
This rates a 3-star review because it is such an interesting real story and seems to be well researched. However it would be a 4 or 5 if the writing were better. I had to work my way through reading a lot of it – not that it was dull, just difficult to parse out what the author was trying to say. Maybe that’s how a book about the mother of cryptanalysis should be, but I don’t think so.
I found his book to be very slow. It was interesting and what fantastic people we had working for us but I think the author could have condensed to book.
This was a great interesting read could not put it down.
Very good historical novel about a woman that didn’t get the credit she deserved. Hoover was an egotistical tyrant, taken credit for every important event disclosed by the cryptologist.
Wonderful narrative history that reads like a novel. Glad to have an increasing recognition of women’s contributions to math and science.
Very enjoyable. Couldn’t put it down.
could not keep my interest
Bought it for my daughters after I read it.
Fascinating look at the woman who helped win 2 world wars and found the code-breaking arm of our national defense.
Very informing. Great historical novel shows change in women’s progress
The Woman Who Smashed Codes……by Jason Fagone
What an informative read! Elizebeth had an amazing mind and used it to support her country in many ways. Code breaking seems complicated, but Fagone made it feel simpler to understand. The sheer amount of facts did slow the pace on occasion— but it is well worth it to see this story on through to its end.
Interesting book but strangle written
Told me about an important person in our country’s history. Glad she is finally getting the recognition she deserved.
Great (true) story of how two people made such a difference!
I wish they had gotten more credit during their lifetimes. Well worth reading!
Almost beyond belief. This is a classic tragic love story set in the world of cryptology. So many twists and turns. What a debt America owes to this couple.
I absolutely loved this book. I have talked about it for more than a year to my friends and family. I especially love that it is about forgotten heroes (husband and wife) in history. We rarely give women the credit they deserve for their accomplishments.
What an amazing couple, she was so humble, very enlightening.
I loved learning about this fascinating woman and her husband. In a time where most women were expected to be the meek and supportive housewife, Elizabeth Friedman showed she could be more. Not only that but her husband was fully supportive of her and proud of her accomplishments for her sake not his. This is the type of history they need to teach in schools, not just a dry recitation of facts that loses the people, especially women behind the story.
This book, “The Woman Who Smashed Codes” is written in an accessible way that draws one in. The author describes characters and settings so that the reader can build a mind-picture of what is going on. The story itself, of a woman learning to break codes in a most unusual way at the start, is fascinating.