Overview

"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 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."

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9780316352543

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Reviews

A splendid writer and an impressive scholar, Mundy tracked down and interviewed more than twenty surviving 'code girls, ' trawled hundreds of boxes containing archival documents, and successfully petitioned for the declassification of more than a dozen oral histories. Out of these puzzle pieces she constructs a masterly portrait of the brilliant, unheralded women--women with names like Blanche and Edith and Dot--who were recruited into lives they never could have imagined, lives believed to have saved incalculable other lives by bringing the war to a sooner end.... A thoroughly wonderful read. --Maria Popova, Brain Pickings Liza Mundy tells these remarkable women's individual stories, intertwined with the broad historical narrative of how military intelligence evolved during this time. In a clear, braided narrative, she reveals how these codebreakers broke both codes and new ground--and why it's high time they were recognized for their achievements. --Smithsonian.com Code Girls is about giving the code breakers the glory and gratitude to which they are entitled. Telling their individual narratives and their story as a whole, in all its tragedy, heartbreak, jubilation, and success, is Mundy's way of thanking them for their service.... Because of Mundy's unearthing of their stories, they are getting more appreciation than they ever got at the time --Washington City Paper Women who helped bring victory achieve visibility, at last, in this history. --Military Times The book not only shines a light on a hidden chapter of American history, it also tells the kind of story of courage and determination that makes you want to work harder and be better. --Denver Post Fans of Hidden Figures .... will love this true story of the women who cracked German and Japanese military code during World War II. --Entertainment Weekly (Grade: A-) Mundy unveils the untold story of a very important part of American History that otherwise would have been kept secret. --Miami Herald Astonishing.... Mundy, who mined US National Security Agency archives and interviewed survivors for the book, joins authors such as Margot Lee Shetterly and Nathalia Holt in giving the women behind great twentieth-century scientific endeavors their due. --Nature An absorbing portrait of not only these marvelous, brilliant, hard-working women, but of the era just before, during, and after WWII in the United States. It was intriguing to read an account of what it was like to live in the country during a time when every citizen contributed to the war effort in very tangible ways. --Book Browse Salvaging this essential piece of American military history from certain obscurity, Mundy's painstaking and dedicated research produces an eye-opening glimpse into a crucial aspect of U.S. military operations and pays overdue homage to neglected heroines of WWII. Fans of Hidden Figures (2016) and its expose of unsung talent will revel in Mundy's equally captivating portraits of women of sacrifice, initiative, and dedication. --Booklist (starred review) Extraordinary.... Mundy's book is expansive and precise. It's anecdotal enough to make it an entertaining read for the layperson, and there's plenty of technical detail to interest the crypto-nerd. --Houston Chronicle Like Hidden Figures, this well-crafted book reveals a remarkable slice of unacknowledged U.S. history.... Captivating. --The Christian Science Monitor Fascinating.... Addictively readable.... [Mundy] displays a gift for creating both human portraits and intensely satisfying scenes. --Boston Globe Mundy's fascinating book suggests that [the Code Girls'] influence did play a role in defining modern Washington and challenging gender roles--changes that still matter 75 years later. --Washingtonian Similar to Nathalia Holt's The Rise of the Rocket Girls and Margot Lee Shetterly's Hidden Figures, this is indispensable and fascinating history. Highly recommended for all readers. --Library Journal (starred review) Mundy is a fine storyteller.... A sleek, compelling narrative.... The book is a winner. Her descriptions of codes and ciphers, how they worked and how they were broken, are remarkably clear and accessible. A well-researched, compellingly written, crucial addition to the literature of American involvement in World War II. --Kirkus (starred review) Code Girls is not just a great slice of history--one that would have been lost to us without Liza's storytelling and the work of some heroic archivists--but a story relevant to every discussion we have now about America's security agencies and how they came to be. I am delighted readers will finally know about these pioneering women and their incredible contributions to America. --Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and New York Times bestselling author of The Dressmaker of Khair Khana and Ashley's War Code Girls reveals a hidden army of female cryptographers, whose work played a crucial role in ending World War II. With clarity and insight, Mundy exposes the intertwined narratives of the women who broke codes and the burgeoning field of military intelligence in the 1940s. I cannot overstate the importance of this book; Mundy has rescued a piece of forgotten history, and given these American heroes the recognition they deserve. --Nathalia Holt, New York Times bestselling author of Rise of the Rocket Girls Code Girls is an extraordinary book by an extraordinary author. Liza Mundy's portraits of World War II codebreakers are so skillfully and vividly drawn that I felt as if I were right there with them--mastering ciphers, outwitting the Japanese army, sinking ships, breaking hearts, and even accidentally insulting Eleanor Roosevelt. I am an evangelist for this book: You must read it. --Karen Abbott, New York Times bestselling author of Sin in the Second City and Liar, Temptress, Solider, Spy Code Girls is a riveting account of the thousands of young coeds who flooded into Washington to help America win World War II. Liza Mundy has written a thrilling page-turner that illuminates the patriotism, rivalry, and sexism of the code-breakers' world. --Lynn Povich, author of The Good Girls Revolt Liza Mundy's Code Girls reveals one of World War II's last remaining secrets: the true tale of the young American women who helped shorten the war and saved thousands of lives by breaking the codes of the German and Japanese armed forces. But it's also a superbly researched and stirringly written social history of a pivotal chapter in the struggle for women's rights, told through the powerful and poignant stories of the individuals involved. In exploring the vast, obscure, and makeshift offices of wartime Washington where these women performed seemingly impossible deeds, Mundy has discovered a birthplace of modern America. --Glenn Frankel, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of High Noon Code Girls...finally gives due to the courageous women who worked in the wartime intelligence community. --Smithsonian.com Irresistible.... We owe Mundy gratitude for rescuing these hidden figures from obscurity. Even more valuable is her challenge to the myth of the eccentric, inspired, solitary male genius, like Alan Turing. --Elaine Showalter, Washington Post

Salvaging this essential piece of American military history from certain obscurity, Mundy's painstaking and dedicated research produces an eye-opening glimpse into a crucial aspect of U.S. military operations and pays overdue homage to neglected heroines of WWII. Fans of Hidden Figures (2016) and its expos� of unsung talent will revel in Mundy's equally captivating portraits of women of sacrifice, initiative, and dedication. --Booklist (starred review) A splendid writer and an impressive scholar, Mundy tracked down and interviewed more than twenty surviving 'code girls, ' trawled hundreds of boxes containing archival documents, and successfully petitioned for the declassification of more than a dozen oral histories. Out of these puzzle pieces she constructs a masterly portrait of the brilliant, unheralded women--women with names like Blanche and Edith and Dot--who were recruited into lives they never could have imagined, lives believed to have saved incalculable other lives by bringing the war to a sooner end.... A thoroughly wonderful read. --Maria Popova, Brain Pickings Liza Mundy tells these remarkable women's individual stories, intertwined with the broad historical narrative of how military intelligence evolved during this time. In a clear, braided narrative, she reveals how these codebreakers broke both codes and new ground--and why it's high time they were recognized for their achievements. --Smithsonian.com Code Girls is about giving the code breakers the glory and gratitude to which they are entitled. Telling their individual narratives and their story as a whole, in all its tragedy, heartbreak, jubilation, and success, is Mundy's way of thanking them for their service.... Because of Mundy's unearthing of their stories, they are getting more appreciation than they ever got at the time --Washington City Paper Women who helped bring victory achieve visibility, at last, in this history. --Military Times The book not only shines a light on a hidden chapter of American history, it also tells the kind of story of courage and determination that makes you want to work harder and be better. --Denver Post Fans of Hidden Figures .... will love this true story of the women who cracked German and Japanese military code during World War II. --Entertainment Weekly (Grade: A-) Mundy unveils the untold story of a very important part of American History that otherwise would have been kept secret. --Miami Herald Astonishing.... Mundy, who mined US National Security Agency archives and interviewed survivors for the book, joins authors such as Margot Lee Shetterly and Nathalia Holt in giving the women behind great twentieth-century scientific endeavors their due. --Nature An absorbing portrait of not only these marvelous, brilliant, hard-working women, but of the era just before, during, and after WWII in the United States. It was intriguing to read an account of what it was like to live in the country during a time when every citizen contributed to the war effort in very tangible ways. --Book Browse Extraordinary.... Mundy's book is expansive and precise. It's anecdotal enough to make it an entertaining read for the layperson, and there's plenty of technical detail to interest the crypto-nerd. --Houston Chronicle Like Hidden Figures, this well-crafted book reveals a remarkable slice of unacknowledged U.S. history.... Captivating. --The Christian Science Monitor Fascinating.... Addictively readable.... [Mundy] displays a gift for creating both human portraits and intensely satisfying scenes. --Boston Globe Mundy's fascinating book suggests that [the Code Girls'] influence did play a role in defining modern Washington and challenging gender roles--changes that still matter 75 years later. --Washingtonian Similar to Nathalia Holt's The Rise of the Rocket Girls and Margot Lee Shetterly's Hidden Figures, this is indispensable and fascinating history. Highly recommended for all readers. --Library Journal (starred review) Mundy is a fine storyteller.... A sleek, compelling narrative.... The book is a winner. Her descriptions of codes and ciphers, how they worked and how they were broken, are remarkably clear and accessible. A well-researched, compellingly written, crucial addition to the literature of American involvement in World War II. --Kirkus (starred review) Code Girls is not just a great slice of history--one that would have been lost to us without Liza's storytelling and the work of some heroic archivists--but a story relevant to every discussion we have now about America's security agencies and how they came to be. I am delighted readers will finally know about these pioneering women and their incredible contributions to America. --Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and New York Times bestselling author of The Dressmaker of Khair Khana and Ashley's War Code Girls reveals a hidden army of female cryptographers, whose work played a crucial role in ending World War II. With clarity and insight, Mundy exposes the intertwined narratives of the women who broke codes and the burgeoning field of military intelligence in the 1940s. I cannot overstate the importance of this book; Mundy has rescued a piece of forgotten history, and given these American heroes the recognition they deserve. --Nathalia Holt, New York Times bestselling author of Rise of the Rocket Girls Code Girls is an extraordinary book by an extraordinary author. Liza Mundy's portraits of World War II codebreakers are so skillfully and vividly drawn that I felt as if I were right there with them--mastering ciphers, outwitting the Japanese army, sinking ships, breaking hearts, and even accidentally insulting Eleanor Roosevelt. I am an evangelist for this book: You must read it. --Karen Abbott, New York Times bestselling author of Sin in the Second City and Liar, Temptress, Solider, Spy Code Girls is a riveting account of the thousands of young coeds who flooded into Washington to help America win World War II. Liza Mundy has written a thrilling page-turner that illuminates the patriotism, rivalry, and sexism of the code-breakers' world. --Lynn Povich, author of The Good Girls Revolt Liza Mundy's Code Girls reveals one of World War II's last remaining secrets: the true tale of the young American women who helped shorten the war and saved thousands of lives by breaking the codes of the German and Japanese armed forces. But it's also a superbly researched and stirringly written social history of a pivotal chapter in the struggle for women's rights, told through the powerful and poignant stories of the individuals involved. In exploring the vast, obscure, and makeshift offices of wartime Washington where these women performed seemingly impossible deeds, Mundy has discovered a birthplace of modern America. --Glenn Frankel, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of High Noon Code Girls...finally gives due to the courageous women who worked in the wartime intelligence community. --Smithsonian.com Irresistible.... We owe Mundy gratitude for rescuing these hidden figures from obscurity. Even more valuable is her challenge to the myth of the eccentric, inspired, solitary male genius, like Alan Turing. --Elaine Showalter, Washington Post

"""Code Girls is a riveting account of the thousands of young coeds who flooded into Washington to help America win World War II. Liza Mundy has written a thrilling page-turner that illuminates the patriotism, rivalry, and sexism of the code-breakers' world.""--Lynn Povich, authorof The Good Girls Revolt ""Code Girls is an extraordinary book by an extraordinary author. Liza Mundy's portraits of World War II codebreakers are so skillfully and vividly drawn that I felt as if I were right there with them--mastering ciphers, outwitting the Japanese army, sinking ships, breaking hearts, and even accidentally insulting Eleanor Roosevelt. I am an evangelist for this book: You must read it.""--Karen Abbott, NewYork Times bestselling author of Sin in the Second City and Liar, Temptress, Solider, Spy ""Code Girls reveals a hidden army of female cryptographers, whose work played a crucial role in ending World War II. With clarity and insight, Mundy exposes the intertwined narratives of the women who broke codes and the burgeoning field of military intelligence in the 1940s. I cannot overstate the importance of this book; Mundy has rescued a piece of forgotten history, and given these American heroes the recognition they deserve.""--Nathalia Holt, NewYork Times bestselling author of Rise of the Rocket Girls ""Code Girls...finally gives due to the courageous women who worked in the wartime intelligence community.""--Smithsonian.com ""Astonishing.... Mundy, who mined US National Security Agency archives and interviewed survivors for the book, joins authors such as Margot Lee Shetterly and Nathalia Holt in giving the women behind great twentieth-century scientific endeavors their due.""--Nature ""Enlightening... riveting and engaging...Liza Mundy's richly detailed account of their experiences will, hopefully, help give these dedicated and patriotic women the long overdue recognition they deserve."" --Finger Lakes Times ""Extraordinary.... Mundy's book is expansive and precise. It's anecdotal enough to make it an entertaining read for the layperson, and there's plenty of technical detail to interest the crypto-nerd.""--Houston Chronicle ""Fans of Hidden Figures .... will love this true story of the women who cracked German and Japanese military code during World War II.""--Entertainment Weekly (Grade: A-) ""Fascinating.... Addictively readable.... [Mundy] displays a gift for creating both human portraits and intensely satisfying scenes.""--Boston Globe ""Irresistible.... We owe Mundy gratitude for rescuing these hidden figures from obscurity. Even more valuable is her challenge to the myth of the eccentric, inspired, solitary male genius, like Alan Turing.""--Elaine Showalter, Washington Post ""Like Hidden Figures, this well-crafted book reveals a remarkable slice of unacknowledged U.S. history.... Captivating.""--The Christian Science Monitor ""Mundy is a fine storyteller.... A sleek, compelling narrative.... The book is a winner. Her descriptions of codes and ciphers, how they worked and how they were broken, are remarkably clear and accessible. A well-researched, compellingly written, crucial addition to the literature of American involvement in World War II.""--Kirkus (starred review) ""Mundy unveils the untold story of a very important part of American History that otherwise would have been kept secret.""--Miami Herald ""Mundy's fascinating book suggests that [the Code Girls'] influence did play a role in defining modern Washington and challenging gender roles--changes that still matter 75 years later.""--Washingtonian ""Salvaging this essential piece of American military history from certain obscurity, Mundy's painstaking and dedicated research produces an eye-opening glimpse into a crucial aspect of U.S. military operations and pays overdue homage to neglected heroines of WWII. Fans of Hidden Figures (2016) and its exposé of unsung talent will revel in Mundy's equally captivating portraits of women of sacrifice, initiative, and dedication.""--Booklist (starred review) ""Similar to Nathalia Holt's The Rise of the Rocket Girls and Margot Lee Shetterly's Hidden Figures, this is indispensable and fascinating history. Highly recommended for all readers.""--LibraryJournal (starred review) ""The book not only shines a light on a hidden chapter of American history, it also tells the kind of story of courage and determination that makes you want to work harder and be better.""--Denver Post ""Women who helped bring victory achieve visibility, at last, in this history.""--Military Times"

Salvaging this essential piece of American military history from certain obscurity, Mundy's painstaking and dedicated research produces an eye-opening glimpse into a crucial aspect of U.S. military operations and pays overdue homage to neglected heroines of WWII. Fans of Hidden Figures (2016) and its expos of unsung talent will revel in Mundy's equally captivating portraits of women of sacrifice, initiative, and dedication. --Booklist (starred review) Liza Mundy tells these remarkable women's individual stories, intertwined with the broad historical narrative of how military intelligence evolved during this time. In a clear, braided narrative, she reveals how these codebreakers broke both codes and new ground--and why it's high time they were recognized for their achievements. --Smithsonian.com Women who helped bring victory achieve visibility, at last, in this history. --Military Times Fans of Hidden Figures .... will love this true story of the women who cracked German and Japanese military code during World War II. --Entertainment Weekly (Grade: A-) Astonishing.... Mundy, who mined US National Security Agency archives and interviewed survivors for the book, joins authors such as Margot Lee Shetterly and Nathalia Holt in giving the women behind great twentieth-century scientific endeavors their due. --Nature An absorbing portrait of not only these marvelous, brilliant, hard-working women, but of the era just before, during, and after WWII in the United States. It was intriguing to read an account of what it was like to live in the country during a time when every citizen contributed to the war effort in very tangible ways. --Book Browse Like Hidden Figures, this well-crafted book reveals a remarkable slice of unacknowledged U.S. history.... Captivating. --The Christian Science Monitor Mundy's fascinating book suggests that [the Code Girls'] influence did play a role in defining modern Washington and challenging gender roles--changes that still matter 75 years later. --Washingtonian Mundy is a fine storyteller.... A sleek, compelling narrative.... The book is a winner. Her descriptions of codes and ciphers, how they worked and how they were broken, are remarkably clear and accessible. A well-researched, compellingly written, crucial addition to the literature of American involvement in World War II. --Kirkus (starred review) Code Girls...finally gives due to the courageous women who worked in the wartime intelligence community. --Smithsonian.com A splendid writer and an impressive scholar, Mundy tracked down and interviewed more than twenty surviving 'code girls, ' trawled hundreds of boxes containing archival documents, and successfully petitioned for the declassification of more than a dozen oral histories. Out of these puzzle pieces she constructs a masterly portrait of the brilliant, unheralded women--women with names like Blanche and Edith and Dot--who were recruited into lives they never could have imagined, lives believed to have saved incalculable other lives by bringing the war to a sooner end.... A thoroughly wonderful read. --Maria Popova, Brain Pickings Code Girls is about giving the code breakers the glory and gratitude to which they are entitled. Telling their individual narratives and their story as a whole, in all its tragedy, heartbreak, jubilation, and success, is Mundy's way of thanking them for their service.... Because of Mundy's unearthing of their stories, they are getting more appreciation than they ever got at the time --Washington City Paper The book not only shines a light on a hidden chapter of American history, it also tells the kind of story of courage and determination that makes you want to work harder and be better. --Denver Post Mundy unveils the untold story of a very important part of American History that otherwise would have been kept secret. --Miami Herald Extraordinary.... Mundy's book is expansive and precise. It's anecdotal enough to make it an entertaining read for the layperson, and there's plenty of technical detail to interest the crypto-nerd. --Houston Chronicle Fascinating.... Addictively readable.... [Mundy] displays a gift for creating both human portraits and intensely satisfying scenes. --Boston Globe Similar to Nathalia Holt's The Rise of the Rocket Girls and Margot Lee Shetterly's Hidden Figures, this is indispensable and fascinating history. Highly recommended for all readers. --Library Journal (starred review) Code Girls is not just a great slice of history--one that would have been lost to us without Liza's storytelling and the work of some heroic archivists--but a story relevant to every discussion we have now about America's security agencies and how they came to be. I am delighted readers will finally know about these pioneering women and their incredible contributions to America. --Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and New York Times bestselling author of The Dressmaker of Khair Khana and Ashley's War Code Girls reveals a hidden army of female cryptographers, whose work played a crucial role in ending World War II. With clarity and insight, Mundy exposes the intertwined narratives of the women who broke codes and the burgeoning field of military intelligence in the 1940s. I cannot overstate the importance of this book; Mundy has rescued a piece of forgotten history, and given these American heroes the recognition they deserve. --Nathalia Holt, New York Times bestselling author of Rise of the Rocket Girls Code Girls is an extraordinary book by an extraordinary author. Liza Mundy's portraits of World War II codebreakers are so skillfully and vividly drawn that I felt as if I were right there with them--mastering ciphers, outwitting the Japanese army, sinking ships, breaking hearts, and even accidentally insulting Eleanor Roosevelt. I am an evangelist for this book: You must read it. --Karen Abbott, New York Times bestselling author of Sin in the Second City and Liar, Temptress, Solider, Spy Code Girls is a riveting account of the thousands of young coeds who flooded into Washington to help America win World War II. Liza Mundy has written a thrilling page-turner that illuminates the patriotism, rivalry, and sexism of the code-breakers' world. --Lynn Povich, author of The Good Girls Revolt Liza Mundy's Code Girls reveals one of World War II's last remaining secrets: the true tale of the young American women who helped shorten the war and saved thousands of lives by breaking the codes of the German and Japanese armed forces. But it's also a superbly researched and stirringly written social history of a pivotal chapter in the struggle for women's rights, told through the powerful and poignant stories of the individuals involved. In exploring the vast, obscure, and makeshift offices of wartime Washington where these women performed seemingly impossible deeds, Mundy has discovered a birthplace of modern America. --Glenn Frankel, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of High Noon Irresistible.... We owe Mundy gratitude for rescuing these hidden figures from obscurity. Even more valuable is her challenge to the myth of the eccentric, inspired, solitary male genius, like Alan Turing. --Elaine Showalter, Washington Post

Author Information

New York Times bestselling author Liza Mundy is a former reporter at the Washington Post and contributes to numerous publications including the Atlantic, TIME, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, Mother Jones, Spectator (UK), and the Guardian. She is a frequent commentator on countless prominent national television, radio, and online news outlets.

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