The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted America's Enemies

English language

Published Sept. 26, 2017 by HarperCollins.

ISBN:: 978-0-06-243048-9

(2 reviews)

In 1916, at the height of World War I, brilliant Shakespeare expert Elizebeth Smith went to work for an eccentric tycoon on his estate outside Chicago. The tycoon had close ties to the U.S. government, and he soon asked Elizebeth to apply her language skills to an exciting new venture: code-breaking. There she met the man who would become her husband, groundbreaking cryptologist William Friedman. Though she and Friedman are in many ways the "Adam and Eve" of the NSA, Elizebeth’s story, incredibly, has never been told.

In The Woman Who Smashed Codes, Jason Fagone chronicles the life of this extraordinary woman, who played an integral role in our nation’s history for forty years. After World War I, Smith used her talents to catch gangsters and smugglers during Prohibition, then accepted a covert mission to discover and expose Nazi spy rings that were spreading like wildfire across South America, advancing …

In 1916, at the height of World War I, brilliant Shakespeare expert Elizebeth Smith went to work for an eccentric tycoon on his estate outside Chicago. The tycoon had close ties to the U.S. government, and he soon asked Elizebeth to apply her language skills to an exciting new venture: code-breaking. There she met the man who would become her husband, groundbreaking cryptologist William Friedman. Though she and Friedman are in many ways the "Adam and Eve" of the NSA, Elizebeth’s story, incredibly, has never been told.

In The Woman Who Smashed Codes, Jason Fagone chronicles the life of this extraordinary woman, who played an integral role in our nation’s history for forty years. After World War I, Smith used her talents to catch gangsters and smugglers during Prohibition, then accepted a covert mission to discover and expose Nazi spy rings that were spreading like wildfire across South America, advancing ever closer to the United States. As World War II raged, Elizebeth fought a highly classified battle of wits against Hitler’s Reich, cracking multiple versions of the Enigma machine used by German spies. Meanwhile, inside an Army vault in Washington, William worked furiously to break Purple, the Japanese version of Enigma—and eventually succeeded, at a terrible cost to his personal life.

Fagone unveils America’s code-breaking history through the prism of Smith’s life, bringing into focus the unforgettable events and colorful personalities that would help shape modern intelligence. Blending the lively pace and compelling detail that are the hallmarks of Erik Larson’s bestsellers with the atmosphere and intensity of The Imitation Game, The Woman Who Smashed Codes is page-turning popular history at its finest.

1 edition

Spencer Williams reviewed The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted America's Enemies by Jason Fagone

Review of "The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted America's Enemies" on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

A fair and interesting account of the two figures who laid the groundwork for wartime cryptanalysis and cryptography in America: Elizebeth and William Friedman. Without these two unusual characters, for all their own personal flaws, both World Wars likely would have ended quite differently....though the NSA also might not have been founded. A mixed legacy to be sure, fitting the somewhat mixed lives they led.

It's an interesting story full of intrigue, but unfortunately the author of this book occasionally seems to forget that, feeling the need to try to artificially inject interest by reaching for bizarre metaphors (comparing the act of decryption as opposed to simple literary analysis as reaching in and ripping words apart, leaving your "hands red and bloodied with the letters, in one example).

Still, it's a fascinating read, and a case of finally giving credit where it's properly due, despite the long-successful efforts of others …

A fair and interesting account of the two figures who laid the groundwork for wartime cryptanalysis and cryptography in America: Elizebeth and William Friedman. Without these two unusual characters, for all their own personal flaws, both World Wars likely would have ended quite differently....though the NSA also might not have been founded. A mixed legacy to be sure, fitting the somewhat mixed lives they led.

It's an interesting story full of intrigue, but unfortunately the author of this book occasionally seems to forget that, feeling the need to try to artificially inject interest by reaching for bizarre metaphors (comparing the act of decryption as opposed to simple literary analysis as reaching in and ripping words apart, leaving your "hands red and bloodied with the letters, in one example).

Still, it's a fascinating read, and a case of finally giving credit where it's properly due, despite the long-successful efforts of others (like J. Edgar Hoover) to wield confidentiality as a means of claiming credit themselves.

Thom reviewed The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted America's Enemies by Jason Fagone

Review of "The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted America's Enemies" on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This excellent book begins and ends with Bacon (Sir Francis) but that's not the only reason I recommend it. Contains the hidden story of Elizebeth Smith Friedman, one of America's foremost code-breakers, is well written, and confirms that J. Edgar Hoover was a total ass-hat.

Roughly chronological, this excellent biography covers not just her amazing life and personality, but also the pay disparity and the near total lack of recognition she received. Codes and ciphers are explained in a clear language, but no puzzles need be solved to enjoy this book. I normally write a few more paragraphs in my review, but I will cut this short here and say instead "go read this book!"

Subjects

Biography
Elizabeth Friedman
Cryptography
World War II