Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II
by Liza Mundy
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The award-winning New York Times bestseller about the American women who secretly served as codebreakers during World War II—a "prodigiously researched and engrossing" (New York Times) book that "shines a light on a hidden chapter of American history" (Denver Post).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 show more 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. show less
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Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly
themulhern Similar stories about overlooked and discriminated against mathematicians and computers.
Member Reviews
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, show more 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 show less
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, show more 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 show less
Liza Mundy tells the story of the American women who worked as code-breakers during WWII, selected for their education and intelligence to serve their country and whose contributions were hidden from the public for many years.
I feel like most people at this point have heard of Bletchley Park and the many British women who worked in that top-secret facility, but I had no idea that there were American women doing the same thing during WWII and I very much enjoyed this overview of their lives and work. Mundy does a very good job interweaving the various stories and branches (several branches of the military started recruiting women to do this work around the same time and of course they didn't cooperate) into a cohesive, compelling show more narrative. 4 stars. show less
I feel like most people at this point have heard of Bletchley Park and the many British women who worked in that top-secret facility, but I had no idea that there were American women doing the same thing during WWII and I very much enjoyed this overview of their lives and work. Mundy does a very good job interweaving the various stories and branches (several branches of the military started recruiting women to do this work around the same time and of course they didn't cooperate) into a cohesive, compelling show more narrative. 4 stars. show less
This was an interesting look at the process by which women were recruited, trained and sent to work in code-breaking facilities for the American military during World War Two. I’ve been enjoying some of these untold slices of history, and this was another really cool one, following young girls, mostly right out of college with few prospects other than teaching school (and making up for there being teacher shortages by covering classes for multiple missing teachers in oversized classrooms).
The book was very technical, but also had interesting personal stories scattered throughout. I found the stories illustrating the blatant sexism of the time particularly interesting, as well as the resentments nursed between military men, civilian show more men working for the military as codebreakers, civilian women working for the military… there was a lot of tension! Anyway, a fascinating read.
Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader. show less
The book was very technical, but also had interesting personal stories scattered throughout. I found the stories illustrating the blatant sexism of the time particularly interesting, as well as the resentments nursed between military men, civilian show more men working for the military as codebreakers, civilian women working for the military… there was a lot of tension! Anyway, a fascinating read.
Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader. show less
This is a completely riveting book about a part of WWII history that, for a long time, went undiscussed. Liza Mundy does a fantastic job in conveying the skill and the integrity in the women who held these extremely important jobs. She also does a great job in showing us the lives of these women before, during, and after the war, and how policies of the time robbed them of the recognition they deserved--and often, kept them from pursuing careers using the skills they developed in the war.
Liza Mundy also managed to do something really impressive, in that she had me on the edge of my seat, absolutely riveted, at events that I know extremely well. I am a WWII historian, so the "how this happened" stuff is old hat to me. Yet by shedding show more light on the behind-the-scenes efforts that went on to break ciphers and codes that were integral to the war, she has added an entirely new perspective on the war effort during events like D-Day, the Battle of the Bulge, and the dropping of atomic bombs on Japan. It's thoroughly fascinating material. show less
Liza Mundy also managed to do something really impressive, in that she had me on the edge of my seat, absolutely riveted, at events that I know extremely well. I am a WWII historian, so the "how this happened" stuff is old hat to me. Yet by shedding show more light on the behind-the-scenes efforts that went on to break ciphers and codes that were integral to the war, she has added an entirely new perspective on the war effort during events like D-Day, the Battle of the Bulge, and the dropping of atomic bombs on Japan. It's thoroughly fascinating material. show less
I made a bad choice and decided that I'd start 2019 with a reading unit! I'd read books on real life stories of female spies! It'd be all of my favorite things: underappreciated historic women, cryptography and espionage. The downside is that even the coolest topics get repetitive after awhile, especially if you include a compendium like Code Girls.
Look, there's nothing wrong with Code Girls, but similar to other historic compedia (e.g. Radium Girls), it struggles for want of a focus, jumping among characters that it doesn't do enough to differentiate. Juxtaposed with the overlapping The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine who Outwitted America's Enemies, the shallowness of its approach became show more readily apparent. This was also very true in its treatment of cryptography -- mathy readers be forewarned.
I think it's a great intro to the topic, but it didn't hold my interest as someone who already had a strong background in WWII cryptanalysis. show less
Look, there's nothing wrong with Code Girls, but similar to other historic compedia (e.g. Radium Girls), it struggles for want of a focus, jumping among characters that it doesn't do enough to differentiate. Juxtaposed with the overlapping The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine who Outwitted America's Enemies, the shallowness of its approach became show more readily apparent. This was also very true in its treatment of cryptography -- mathy readers be forewarned.
I think it's a great intro to the topic, but it didn't hold my interest as someone who already had a strong background in WWII cryptanalysis. show less
*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
Code Girls is far and away the BEST non-fiction I’ve read this year, if not in the past five years. Following the style of Hidden Figures in showing just how much work women have done to make our country what it is today, Liza Mundy reveals the women behind the code-breaking operation during World War II. During her research, she asked for documents to be declassified (some successfully, some not), giving us access to a whole new world of information about the lives of women during the war that they were never allowed to talk about.
What struck me most about this book is how well the author formats the narrative; she gives plenty show more of background information in the field of cryptanalysis, the context of what was happening during World War II at various times, and the context of just what the military was doing in order to combat the Axis nations. Within that, she follows the lives of a few women who left their normal lives to work for the government and help the war effort by joining a super secret project that broke codes for the military. Because of the way it’s written, you get both the full context of what’s happening and what the work the women are doing means, but you also get the human element of being able to relate to specific women who served as codebreakers, which is such a great balance to have in a non-fiction. It really helps it to become a page-turner and I was enthralled.
I never realized how much I didn’t know about the US World War II effort; I would poke at my husband throughout the day to share the most interesting tidbits and tell him about what I was learning; it almost made me feel like a little kid again, discovering information that fascinated and enthralled me. And, of course, it’s so great to hear the stories of women who were rock stars but never able to tell anyone about their accomplishments; it’s humbling to read about how much work they did and the sort of conditions they put up with in order to simply help us win the war.
This book is everything — heartbreaking, inspiring, emotional, and intelligently researched. I’m going to be buying copies of this for friends for Christmas this year, because this is a story that people need to know.
Also posted on Purple People Readers. show less
Code Girls is far and away the BEST non-fiction I’ve read this year, if not in the past five years. Following the style of Hidden Figures in showing just how much work women have done to make our country what it is today, Liza Mundy reveals the women behind the code-breaking operation during World War II. During her research, she asked for documents to be declassified (some successfully, some not), giving us access to a whole new world of information about the lives of women during the war that they were never allowed to talk about.
What struck me most about this book is how well the author formats the narrative; she gives plenty show more of background information in the field of cryptanalysis, the context of what was happening during World War II at various times, and the context of just what the military was doing in order to combat the Axis nations. Within that, she follows the lives of a few women who left their normal lives to work for the government and help the war effort by joining a super secret project that broke codes for the military. Because of the way it’s written, you get both the full context of what’s happening and what the work the women are doing means, but you also get the human element of being able to relate to specific women who served as codebreakers, which is such a great balance to have in a non-fiction. It really helps it to become a page-turner and I was enthralled.
I never realized how much I didn’t know about the US World War II effort; I would poke at my husband throughout the day to share the most interesting tidbits and tell him about what I was learning; it almost made me feel like a little kid again, discovering information that fascinated and enthralled me. And, of course, it’s so great to hear the stories of women who were rock stars but never able to tell anyone about their accomplishments; it’s humbling to read about how much work they did and the sort of conditions they put up with in order to simply help us win the war.
This book is everything — heartbreaking, inspiring, emotional, and intelligently researched. I’m going to be buying copies of this for friends for Christmas this year, because this is a story that people need to know.
Also posted on Purple People Readers. show less
Liza Mundy's "Code Girls" is a splendid, well-researched work of non-fiction that sheds light on the contribution of highly educated women who were plucked from their hometowns and colleges to serve their country during the Second World War. What they had in common was an aptitude for breaking the enemies' complex codes. After being vetted and tested by government officials, the recruits were trained in the top-secret science of cryptanalysis.
The author conducted interviews, consulted oral histories and other primary sources, and studied declassified documents stored "at the national Archives and Record Administration II in College Park, MD." These files "had sat gathering dust for over seventy years." We now know that the U. S. Army show more and Navy created a program that taught thousands of women to closely examine and decrypt German and Japanese message systems. Gleaning facts about the enemies' casualties, troop movements, supply convoys, and planned attacks gave our military leaders the information that they needed to make strategic decisions. There is no question that the code breakers' work saved countless American lives.
Mundy provides an overview of the attack on Pearl Harbor; America's shift from isolationism to a war footing; the shortage of men to fill jobs on the home front; and the horrible toll that the Second World War took on American troops and their loved ones. However, it is her focus on particular women that creates a vivid picture of who the code girls were, where they came from, how they handled their demanding jobs, and what effect their clandestine activities had on their personal lives.
Code breaking was a painstaking task that required skilled workers who were patient, highly motivated, and intuitive. The most successful among them had excellent memories and the ability to see both the forest AND the trees. "Code Girls" is an entertaining, enlightening, and riveting account of a turning point in American history. Liz Mundy's beautifully crafted prose flows effortlessly. She brilliantly portrays the personalities, successes and failures, and personal sacrifices of the female code breakers who, without fanfare, played a key role in helping the Allied forces defeat Germany and Japan. show less
The author conducted interviews, consulted oral histories and other primary sources, and studied declassified documents stored "at the national Archives and Record Administration II in College Park, MD." These files "had sat gathering dust for over seventy years." We now know that the U. S. Army show more and Navy created a program that taught thousands of women to closely examine and decrypt German and Japanese message systems. Gleaning facts about the enemies' casualties, troop movements, supply convoys, and planned attacks gave our military leaders the information that they needed to make strategic decisions. There is no question that the code breakers' work saved countless American lives.
Mundy provides an overview of the attack on Pearl Harbor; America's shift from isolationism to a war footing; the shortage of men to fill jobs on the home front; and the horrible toll that the Second World War took on American troops and their loved ones. However, it is her focus on particular women that creates a vivid picture of who the code girls were, where they came from, how they handled their demanding jobs, and what effect their clandestine activities had on their personal lives.
Code breaking was a painstaking task that required skilled workers who were patient, highly motivated, and intuitive. The most successful among them had excellent memories and the ability to see both the forest AND the trees. "Code Girls" is an entertaining, enlightening, and riveting account of a turning point in American history. Liz Mundy's beautifully crafted prose flows effortlessly. She brilliantly portrays the personalities, successes and failures, and personal sacrifices of the female code breakers who, without fanfare, played a key role in helping the Allied forces defeat Germany and Japan. show less
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Author Information
8+ Works 2,656 Members
Liza Mundy is the bestselling author of Michelle: A Biography and Everything Conceivable. A longtime award-winning reporter for The Washington Post, she is currently a fellow at the New America Foundation. She lives in Arlington, Virginia.
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- Canonical title
- Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II
- Original title
- Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II
- Original publication date
- 2017
- People/Characters
- Dorothy "Dot" Braden; George Fabyan; Elizebeth Smith Friedman; William F. Friedman; Agnes Meyer Driscoll; Anne White
- Important places
- Arlington Hall, Arlington, Virginia, USA
- Important events
- Pearl Harbor Attack; World War II; D-Day, Normandy, France 1944
- Epigraph
- I'm in some kind of hush, hush business. Somewhere in Wash. D.C. If I say anything I'll get hung for sure. I guess I signed my life away. But I don't mind it.
- Jaenn Magdalene Coz, writing to her mother in 194... (show all)5 - Dedication
- To all these women, and to Margaret Talbot
- First words
- The planes looked like distant pinpoints at first, and few who saw them took them seriously even up to the moment they dropped theirs payloads.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)That day of commitment to democracy remained sacred to her.
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)(Epilogue) It feels as if an enemy might still be at the window, listening in. - Blurbers
- Abbott, Karen; Holt, Nathalia; Frankel, Glenn; Povich, Lynn; Lemmon, Gayle Tzemach
- Original language
- English
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- 940.54867309252
- Canonical LCC
- D810.C88
Classifications
- Genres
- History, General Nonfiction, Technology, Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 940.54867309252 — History & geography History of Europe History of Europe 1918- Military history of World War II Other Topics Unconventional warfare of Allies
- LCC
- D810 .C88 — History of Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania History (General) World War II (1939-1945)
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 1,907
- Popularity
- 11,271
- Reviews
- 58
- Rating
- (4.07)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 27
- ASINs
- 4