"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...finally gives due to the courageous women who worked in the wartime intelligence community."—Smithsonian.com
"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 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
"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
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 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
"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)
"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'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
"Fascinating.... Addictively readable.... [Mundy] displays a gift for creating both human portraits and intensely satisfying scenes."—Boston Globe
"Like Hidden Figures, this well-crafted book reveals a remarkable slice of unacknowledged U.S. history.... Captivating."—The Christian Science Monitor
"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
"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)
"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
"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
"Mundy unveils the untold story of a very important part of American History that otherwise would have been kept secret."—Miami Herald
"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-)
"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
★ 2017-07-03
A previously untold history of the American women who served as codebreakers during World War II.When Hidden Figures—both the book and the movie it inspired—reached popular audiences, many Americans were surprised to learn that women played an instrumental role at NASA in the 1960s. That women have long been excluded from professional and intellectual life is well-known. That women have, during times of national crisis or fervor, bypassed that exclusion has not been so well-known. During the war, writes former Washington Post reporter Mundy (The Richer Sex: How the New Majority of Female Breadwinners Is Transforming Sex, Love and Family, 2012, etc.), some 11,000 women served the war effort by working as codebreakers. Almost 70 percent of the Army's codebreaking force was female, and at least 80 percent of the Navy's. In addition to breaking enemy codes, they also tested American codes, ran complicated office machines, built libraries of intelligence, and worked as translators. At first, the military recruited only college-educated women strong in science, math, or languages; later, as the field rapidly expanded, many thousands more women were welcomed. Their jobs were intensely difficult, stimulating, and vital to the war effort. Because of the sensitive nature of their work, they told anyone who asked (including their own families) that they were doing low-level office tasks. Mundy is a fine storyteller, effectively shaping a massive amount of raw research into a sleek, compelling narrative. She had access to boxes of Army and Navy memos, reports, and internal histories, and she also interviewed some of the women who served as codebreakers. Unfortunately, she only briefly touches on the African-American women who worked on codes and never mentions the Navajo Code Talkers who served the same effort. Despite those omissions and the occasional cliché, 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.
