Sarah Flannery

Sarah Flannery was inspired by her mathematician father to enter the local (County Cork, Ireland, home of the Blarney Stone) science fair with a project on cryptography. She got rather obsessed, segued into a internship where her task was a computer program implementing a new algorithm, and developed the project to a sophisticated level that won a national award and generated lots of buzz for its potential in the real world. The book is nicely arranged with the story, infused with humor and show more fun family dynamics, separated from the math, chattily conveyed; so it’s possible to read without pause, and/or to take out a pad of paper and play with number theory. I did both, though my understanding of the math remains cursory. show less

I have to confess that I lost interest in the math, though I did learn a little about the one-way functions that make public-key cryptography work, which had formerly puzzled me. I found Sarah's personal experiences with the science contests more interesting, and I'd highly recommend this book to any young person with an aptitude in math or science.

I found this book to be both enjoyable and educational. I learned about some interesting existing encryption methods, the math that supports them, and ultimately how they might be compromised. She has done an excellent job and i certainly hope this is more than just a 15sec of fame for her.

A brilliant first by a brilliant Irish kid who shows the stuff top mathematicians are made of. Written for the non-specialist humbly and engagingly. She went on to win prestigious awards in international competition and patent encryption methods.