Code Girls (Young Readers Edition)

The True Story of the American Women Who Secretly Broke Codes in World War II

By: Liza Mundy

Narrated by: Christine Lakin

Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

National best-seller.

"Prodigiously researched and engrossing." (New York Times Book Review)

"Fascinating.... Addictively readable." (Boston Globe)

"Code Girls reveals a hidden army of female cryptographers, whose work played a crucial role in ending World War II.... Mundy has rescued a piece of forgotten history, and given these American heroes the recognition they deserve." (Nathalia Holt, best-selling author of Rise of the Rocket Girls)

Recruited by the US Army and Navy from small towns and elite colleges, more than 10,000 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 codebreaking. 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, best-selling author Liza Mundy brings to life this riveting and vital story of American courage, service, and scientific accomplishment.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2018 Liza Mundy (P)2018 Hachette Audio

Critic 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)

"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))

Great book

Love it 😀 but needs more details about the codes and cyphers that the code breakers. I think that the codes and cyphers are Interesting.

Each girls personal story.

I liked it very much. The background was amazing, the code breakers wonnthe war for us.