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The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted America's Enemies Hardcover – September 26, 2017

4.5 out of 5 stars 6,469 ratings

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National Bestseller 

NPR Best Book of the Year

“Not all superheroes wear capes, and Elizebeth Smith Friedman should be the subject of a future Wonder Woman movie.” —The New York Times

Joining the ranks of Hidden Figures and In the Garden of Beasts, the incredible true story of the greatest codebreaking duo that ever lived, an American woman and her husband who invented the modern science of cryptology together and used it to confront the evils of their time, solving puzzles that unmasked Nazi spies and helped win World War II.

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.

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From the Publisher

Nathalia Holt interviews Jason Fagone about his book, The Woman Who Smashed Codes.

Nathalia Holt: What drew you to this story?

Jason Fagone: Well, it’s one of these amazing American origin stories. A hundred years ago, a young woman in her early twenties suddenly became one of the greatest codebreakers in the country. She taught herself how to solve secret messages without knowing the key. Even though she started out as a poet, not a mathematician, she turned out to be a genius at solving these very difficult puzzles, and her solutions ended up changing the 20th century. She helped us win the world wars. And she also shaped the intelligence community as we know it today.

NH: William Friedman has long been recognized as a pioneer of cryptology, so why have we never heard of Elizebeth before?

JF: Sexism and secrecy. A lot of the time she was omitted or even erased from the records by the men in her life. Sometimes they were men close to her, like her husband, William Friedman, who was also a champion codebreaker, and sometimes they were men in power, like J. Edgar Hoover. All through World War II she used her skills to hunt Nazi spies who were spreading into the West. She broke these Nazi spy codes for the FBI, which would have been lost without her—and then Hoover turned around and painted himself as the big hero. There was nothing she could do, because of secrecy rules.

NH: In the Author’s Note of your book you describe the excitement of discovering Elizebeth’s archives in a vault of a Virginia library. What was that moment like and what types of resources did you use to research this story?

JF: I’ll never forget that moment. Elizebeth donated 22 boxes of papers to the George C. Marshall Foundation in Lexington, Virginia. Since her death in 1980 those boxes have been carefully preserved at the Foundation’s library in a vault. Elizebeth left thousands of her personal letters, whole diaries full of poems, newspaper clippings of her famous rum cases, and original code worksheets. She kept everything that wasn’t classified. The only period of her life missing from the archive was 1939 through 1945—World War II. So I had to patch the gap. It took me more than two years to find the missing records, hunting through archives in the U.S. and the U.K.

NH: How can Elizebeth Smith Friedman’s story inspire young women today?

JF: I think a lot of professional women today can relate to her experiences. She did all this important work and got very little credit. But at the same time, because she was so good at her job, she had a lasting impact on the world. She blazed a trail in a lot of ways, and she did it in her own style. Once she wrote, “If I may capture a goodly number of your messages, even though I have never seen your code book, I may still read your thoughts.” That captures her personality: Do whatever you like, but I still have this mind, and you will have to reckon with it.

NH: This book is in many ways a love story. Can you tell us about the letters sent between Elizebeth and her husband?

JF: Elizebeth and William started writing to each other before they were romantically involved, when they were still only friends. They were these two young people who wanted to accomplish great things, to leave a mark. In 1918, when William joined the Army and sailed to France to serve as a codebreaker, he wrote Elizebeth these 20- and 30-page love letters by the light of an oil lamp, calling her 'Divine Fire.' He liked to include bits of code that he knew only Elizebeth would understand, and she replied in code, too. For the Friedmans it was a lovers’ shorthand, a way of staying connected. And later, when they had kids, they taught the kids how to do it, too.

Nathalia Holt is the New York Times bestselling author of Rise of the Rocket Girls: The Women Who Propelled Us from Missiles to the Moon to Mars and Cured: The People who Defeated HIV.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“[Fagone] documents the amazing arc of his subject’s life, often in stunning detail…Ms. Friedman was not only crypto pioneer and a patriotic spycatcher, but also an inspiring role model.” — Wired

The Woman Who Smashed Codes...has drawn comparisons to Hidden Figures, though we think this one is better. In journalist Jason Fagone’s deft hands, we not only learn about a lost national treasure, but also get new insight into the history of our country at war.” — New York Post

“[Elizebeth Friedman] was a tireless and talented code breaker who brought down gangsters and Nazi spies...a fascinating swath of American history that begins in Gilded Age Chicago and moves to the inner workings of our intelligence agencies at the close of WWII.”
Los Angeles Times

“Damned-near impossible to put down. The book has everything: thrills, chills, kills, love, crypto, and a hopeful sense that a nearly forgotten American genius, Elizebeth Smith Friedman, is finally being given her due.” — Ars Technica

“It’s unsurprising that the name Elizebeth Friedman doesn’t ring a bell for most Americans, given how much of her work was classified during the war.... Still, this Quaker-born poet from Indiana was the grandmother of the National Security Agency and virtually created the modern code-breaking profession. Trust us on this one.” — Forbes

“This is the best work of nonfiction I’ve ever read—no hyperbole...Fagone has painstakingly worked backward to piece together a truth that has been buried for too long. In the process, he has helped Friedman gain recognition as the American hero she was.” — MIT Technology Review

“In The Woman Who Smashed Codes, journalist Jason Fagone recreates a world and a cast of characters so utterly fascinating they will inhabit the psyches of its readers long after the book has been read.” — Associated Press

“One of the year’s best reads, it is both deeply researched and beautifully told.” — The Philadelphia Inquirer

“The Woman Who Smashed Codes should be the next Hidden Figures...a story that anyone with interest in the time period has to read, a key piece of the puzzle about America’s war effort.” — Washington Post

“This book tells the incredible, little-known story of code-breaker Elizebeth Smith and her husband, cryptologist William Friedman, otherwise known as the ‘Adam and Eve’ of the NSA.” — New York Post

“Reads like some wild cross between a fairy tale and a gripping detective thriller... a sheer delight to read.”  — San Francisco Chronicle

“Bursting with details in everything from dinner parties to spy rings, Fagone’s book offers the story of a fascinating woman in perilous times, and asks some uneasy questions about the present.” — NPR.org

“[Fagone] records the pair’s accomplishments, trials, and love affair, taking care to ensure that Elizebeth finally receives the recognition she deserves...[a] carefully researched story of a smart and loyal but overlooked woman.” — Library Journal (starred review)

“Riveting, inspiring, and rich in colorful characters, Fagone’s extensively researched and utterly dazzling title is popular history at its very best and a book club natural.” — Booklist (starred review)

The Woman Who Smashed Codes is historical reporting done right, assigning credit where it is long overdue.” — Seattle Book Review

“A bang-up research effort [and] an engaging resurrection of a significant player in the world of cryptology.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Superb storytelling” — Providence Journal

“Fagone is a superb writer and has created a fascinating tale of a woman who brought down Prohibition-era smugglers, Nazi’s, counterfeiters, gangsters and more. ” — Ben Rothke, RSA Conference

“A powerful love story, a story of war, and a fascinating biography, The Woman Who Smashed Codes is a magnificent work of literary nonfiction that sheds light on an important hidden figure. You will devour this book.” — Karen Abbott, New York Times bestselling author of Sin in the Second City  

“Deeply reported and stunningly original, The Woman Who Smashed Codes is a riveting narrative about one of the most overlooked figures in American history—a figure whose remarkable story was essentially ignored for more than seventy years simply because she was a woman.” — Stefan Fatsis, bestselling author of Word Freak

“Jason Fagone is a master storyteller—and he’s telling one damn good story about a long-forgotten American heroine. It is, among many things, the compulsively readable history of the national security state in its infancy. His book is filled with memorable villains, intrigue, and love.” — Franklin Foer, New York Times Bestselling author of How Soccer Explains the World and the forthcoming World Without Mind

“Jason Fagone’s stunning narrative unearths an intimate and unexpected history of code breaking. This remarkable tale reveals the fundamental role cryptology has played in our past, and the untold story of the pioneering woman behind its evolution. It is a treasure of a book.” — Nathalia Holt, New York Times bestselling author of Rise of the Rocket Girls: The Women Who Propelled Us From Missiles to the Moon to Mars

“In The Woman Who Smashed Codes, Jason Fagone rights a historical wrong, unshrouding an unsung heroine and revealing the love story at the root of the modern world’s spy games. But this book’s true revelation is the author’s talent: sure-handed, thrilling, and lyrical.” — Benjamin Wallace, author of The Billionaire’s Vinegar

From the Back Cover

In 1916, a young Quaker schoolteacher and poetry scholar named Elizebeth Smith was hired by an eccentric tycoon to find the secret messages he believed were embedded in Shakespeare’s plays. She moved to the tycoon’s lavish estate outside of Chicago expecting to spend her days poring through old books. But the rich man’s close ties to the U.S. government, and the urgencies of war, quickly transformed Elizebeth’s mission. She soon learned to apply her skills to an exciting new venture: codebreaking—the solving of secret messages without knowledge of the key. Working alongside her on the estate was William Friedman, a Jewish scientist who would become her husband and lifelong codebreaking partner. Elizebeth and William were in many ways the Adam and Eve of the National Security Agency, the U.S. institution that monitors and intercepts foreign communications to glean intelligence.

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—from the Great War to the Cold War. He traces Elizebeth’s developing career through World War I, Prohibition, and the struggle against fascism. She helped catch gangsters and smugglers, exposed a Nazi spy ring in South America, and fought a clandestine battle of wits against Hitler’s Reich, cracking multiple versions of the Enigma machine used by German operatives to conceal their communications. And through it all, she served as muse to her husband, a master of puzzles, who astonished friends and foes alike. Inside an army vault in Washington, he worked furiously to break Purple, the Japanese version of Enigma—and eventually succeeded, at a terrible cost to his personal life.

Fagone unveils for the first time America’s codebreaking history through the prism of one remarkable woman’s life, bringing into focus the unforgettable events and colorful personalities that shaped the modern intelligence community. Rich in detail, The Woman Who Smashed Codes pays tribute to an unsung hero whose story belongs alongside those of other great female technologists, like Ada Lovelace and Grace Hopper, and whose oft-hidden contributions altered the course of the century.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dey Street Books; First Edition (September 26, 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 464 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0062430483
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0062430489
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.36 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.41 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 6,469 ratings

About the author

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Jason Fagone
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I'm a 39-year-old author and reporter who covers technology, sports, and culture. My latest book is "The Woman Who Smashed Codes," about an American puzzle-solving heroine of the world wars. In 2014-15 I was a Knight-Wallace Fellow in journalism at the University of Michigan, and now I live near Philadelphia with my wife and daughter.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
6,469 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book fascinating and well-written, with engaging narrative that makes it easy to read. The biography reveals the genius of Elizebeth Friedman, who was legendary in her skill at breaking codes, and customers appreciate the in-depth information about early cryptologic efforts. The book provides valuable insights into the world of espionage and the secrets revealed when documents become declassified, though some find it slow at times. The author's knowledge receives mixed reactions from customers.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

593 customers mention "Story quality"578 positive15 negative

Customers find the book's story engaging and fascinating, describing it as an amazing tale worth reading, with one customer highlighting the love story about the Friedman family.

"This book was a treasure from beginning to end. It contains an avalanche of history that was completely unknown to me and was riveting to read about...." Read more

"THE WOMAN WHO SMASHED CODES: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted America’s Enemies by Jason Fagone is a literary..." Read more

"...At its heart, this is a love story about the Friedman’s. They genuinely loved and supported each other. They each thought the other was brilliant...." Read more

"This book will make you think. Very informative and interesting. So many facts about the wars and the part that both the Friedman’s played in each...." Read more

240 customers mention "Information quality"237 positive3 negative

Customers appreciate the book's information quality, finding it very interesting and in-depth, with meticulous research throughout. One customer specifically notes its comprehensive coverage of early cryptologic efforts.

"...It trains a well deserved spotlight on a unique and remarkable woman...." Read more

"...Who Outwitted America’s Enemies by Jason Fagone is a literary nonfiction WWII biography novel which brings to light the major contributions of the..." Read more

"...Overall, this is well done in-depth coverage of an important historical figure whose work is still important today." Read more

"This book will make you think. Very informative and interesting. So many facts about the wars and the part that both the Friedman’s played in each...." Read more

193 customers mention "Writing quality"153 positive40 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book, noting it is well and engagingly written, with a style that reads like poetry.

"...The story is well-written, interesting, and moves at a nice pace...." Read more

"This book reads like a novel, but it is true! My thanks to the author for taking the time to research and write this" Read more

"...explaining some technical aspects of the Friedman’s work, his prose is immaculate and touching...." Read more

"...The Woman Who Smashed Codes is a well-written, detailed account of scientific and mathematical achievement...." Read more

179 customers mention "Woman"179 positive0 negative

Customers praise the biography of Elizebeth Friedman, describing it as a fascinating account of a pioneering woman.

"...The narrative captures the very essence of a brilliant mind and a life well lived...." Read more

"...I recommend this literary nonfiction WWII biography of a brilliant mind and woman!" Read more

"...It is also a story about sexism. Elizebeth was kept out of history both for security reasons and because she was a woman...." Read more

"...Her exploits are so numerous and stunning that even the author seems to have difficulty keeping the incidents sorted out...." Read more

44 customers mention "Code breaking"37 positive7 negative

Customers find the book's coverage of code breaking fascinating, highlighting the legendary skills of the codebreakers and their ability to crack an incredible array of enemy codes.

"THE WOMAN WHO SMASHED CODES: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted America’s Enemies by Jason Fagone is a literary..." Read more

"...They are both legendary in their skill at breaking codes and, depending on who’s telling the story, neither was more talented than the other...." Read more

"Incredible how the science of code breaking in America evolved because of a young couple without means who met by happenstance...." Read more

"...is rich in the different facets of cryptography, with many examples of codes and code breaking, the difference between codes and ciphers, etc...." Read more

40 customers mention "Cryptography history"40 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's cryptography history, particularly its fascinating discussions of cryptology work and the secrets revealed as documents become declassified.

"THE WOMAN WHO SMASHED CODES: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted America’s Enemies by Jason Fagone is a literary..." Read more

"...This is also a fascinating look into the history of spy organizations in the US and the birth of counterintelligence...." Read more

"...I really enjoyed learning the history of cryptology in America through the lenses of Elizebeth and William's lives, and am inspired by their pursuit..." Read more

"...Friedman and her husband William Friedman, who were pioneer cryptanalysts for the United States...." Read more

28 customers mention "Author's knowledge"11 positive17 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the author's knowledge in the book, with some appreciating the detailed references at the end, while others find it too focused on personal information.

"...it voraciously despite of some dry stretches and the author's abominably mixed metaphors--which get progressively worse as the prose stumbles on...." Read more

"...This seller provided an accurate product description, reasonable pricing, superior packaging and fast delivery, so I am one happy customer who..." Read more

"...All in all, a somewhat heavy-in-data read but well worthwhile in learning about a fascinating woman and the times she lived in." Read more

"...That is exactly what it is. It is not historical fiction or a romance novel. It is a biography, and a very well written one, in my opinion...." Read more

31 customers mention "Pacing"8 positive23 negative

Customers find the pacing of the book slow and boring.

"...I found the book a bit slow in places, but its story is certainly interesting, and Fagone enlivens it at times with flights of verbal fancy such as “..." Read more

"...Although I am finding it very interesting, it was very slow to begin with...." Read more

"...The story is well-written, interesting, and moves at a nice pace...." Read more

"...is only now being told, or even remembered. The book takes forever to get going. There are also times when the story bogs down in details...." Read more

Review of "The Woman Who Smashed Codes"
5 out of 5 stars
Review of "The Woman Who Smashed Codes"
An easy-to-read biography of an astonishing human being from a hundred years ago. I've already bought two more copies of the book to give away. Required reading for anyone interested in cryptology. You will hardly be disappointed reading this.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2025
    This book was a treasure from beginning to end. It contains an avalanche of history that was completely unknown to me and was riveting to read about. The narrative captures the very essence of a brilliant mind and a life well lived. It trains a well deserved spotlight on a unique and remarkable woman. It was the title that drew me in and once I started reading, I could not put it down. This is one of those books you’ll recommend over and over again. And I suspect it’s also one of those books you’ll remember for years to come. A sincere thank you to the author, Jason Fagone, for writing this marvelous book. Reading it was a gift!
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2021
    THE WOMAN WHO SMASHED CODES: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted America’s Enemies by Jason Fagone is a literary nonfiction WWII biography novel which brings to light the major contributions of the amazing female half of a married couple who both invented many aspects of the modern science of cryptology.

    Elizebeth Smith wanted a job in literature. She is hired by an eccentric millionaire who brings the best minds of 1916 together on a large farm outside of Chicago and tells them to be the best they can be. Elizebeth becomes disillusioned with the project she was hired to work on, but she is intrigued with the young man, William Freidman she meets who is helping with the project.

    The two get married and begin working together on breaking coded messages that are brought to them from various government and law enforcement agencies. They soon build a reputation and are instrumental in building the strategic texts for codebreaking that they and others use throughout WWI, Prohibition and WWII while William is in the Army and Elizebeth works for the Coast Guard.

    While history hails William’s accomplishments of being a groundbreaker and innovator in cryptology and at breaking the Japanese version of Enigma, there is little praise given to Elizebeth’s own contributions from breaking Prohibition gangsters’ codes to breaking the Enigma code German spies all over South America where using.

    This book brings Elizebeth’s accomplishments and contributions to light. Mr. Fagone brings Elizebeth to life from her professional publications and personal writings. I was truly amazed by how her and her husband’s brains worked to decode so many secret code systems without using mathematics or having the use of the just being invented computer. The only problem I had with the book was the inclusion of some codes that were used and/or broken by the duo because while I know some would work to solve the puzzles, it just interrupted the flow of the story for me. Otherwise, Elizebeth’s personality comes alive in this story and her story just leads you to wonder how many other brilliant women have been overlooked by history.

    I recommend this literary nonfiction WWII biography of a brilliant mind and woman!
    12 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2018
    This is an interesting deep dive into a piece of history that most people are not aware of. I certainly was not. This is the story of Elizebeth Smith Friedman, lover of books, words, and Shakespeare. She accidentally stumbled into the world of cryptology and ended up kicking its ass! This book is compared to works by Erik Larson, though in my opinion it omits some of the rambling minutiae that makes me sometimes skim parts of Larson’s books. Ditto the comparison to Hidden Figures, a book that was really bogged down in dull detail. This book has a nice balance of detail and a narrative that moves along at a good pace.

    Elizebeth Smith was from a small rural town in Indiana, born in a Quaker family. But she was different from the rest. While in Chicago looking for a job, she was recruited by the eccentric George Fabyan in 1916 to come to his scientific compound west of Chicago called Riverbank. She went and was assigned to work with Mrs. Elizabeth Wells Gallup, whose life work was to prove that Frances Bacon was the real author behind the works of Shakespeare. The goal was to prove this by finding the hidden messages that Bacon allegedly left in the plays. This is how Elizebeth learned to read code and cipher. At Riverbank she met William Friedman, a biologist also employed by Fabyan. As they grow fond of each other, they also grow disillusioned with Fabyan and the Frances Bacon theory. They marry, escape Riverbank, and William joins the army. Elizebeth is recruited by the Coast Guard and eventually works to decode messages of alcohol and drug smugglers to thwart their attempts to bring goods into the US. Eventually, she and William separately work to crack Enigma machines used by the Nazis and coding machines used by the Japanese. All this, while raising two children and coping with and covering up her husband’s serious bouts of depression.

    At its heart, this is a love story about the Friedman’s. They genuinely loved and supported each other. They each thought the other was brilliant. This is also a fascinating look into the history of spy organizations in the US and the birth of counterintelligence. It is also a story about sexism. Elizebeth was kept out of history both for security reasons and because she was a woman. A woman who was smarter than many of the men around her. However, it also seems like she had a very unassuming personality and was happy to be in the wings. She seemed to promote her husband ahead of herself without bitterness. The story is well-written, interesting, and moves at a nice pace. The author also provides some lessons in cryptology, the more complex of which were over my head. Overall, this is well done in-depth coverage of an important historical figure whose work is still important today.
    21 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2025
    This book reads like a novel, but it is true! My thanks to the author for taking the time to research and write this
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2025
    This book will make you think. Very informative and interesting. So many facts about the wars and the part that both the Friedman’s played in each. The love and respect they had for each other is shown
  • Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2025
    Loved the characters; found much about lots of history I didn’t know. Almost two books could have been made: one of the Friedmans, and another surrounding history. Both things fascinating. But, together a bit of a slog to read.

Top reviews from other countries

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  • Pentimenta
    3.0 out of 5 stars DNF
    Reviewed in Germany on May 23, 2022
    Started out promising but got bogged down in too much uninteresting detail. On the other hand much information was missing that would have been interesting. Like, on the actual code cracking. I started skipping more and more after about half and quit soon after. Also, with all respect for their intellectual feat, I couldn't really warm to the couple's characters. Not sure they were always aware what they were instruments for. Two to three stars.
  • Miriam Verheyden
    5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read!
    Reviewed in Canada on September 25, 2018
    If you like historical non-fiction, you HAVE to read this book.
    It's the real story about Elizebeth Smith Friedman and her husband William, both pioneers in crytology and code-breaking. They both played an immensely important role in World War II breaking encrypted codes that were supposed to be unbreakable, with Elizebeth hunting Nazi spies in South America and her husband breaking codes from the Japanese.

    Elizebeth was brilliant, yet her role in fighting the war and creating techniques in code-breaking that are still used today have been largely edited out of the history books. This happened due to an unfortunate combination of politics, male chauvinism, the power-hungry J. Edgar Hoover taking all the credit for himself, and Elizebeth's inherent modesty and habit of downplaying her achievements.

    Author Jason Fagone did a fantastic job shining the spotlight on this great woman and giving her the credit that is her due.
  • Andy Hayler
    5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating story, well told.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 7, 2018
    This is the story of Elizabeth Friedman, a pioneering cryptoanalyst whose contribution to her area was huge and has only recently become fully acknowledged. She stumbled into the field when in the employ of a highly eccentric and very wealthy American called George Fabyan, who funded a research facility called Riverbank near Chicago, and hired her to assist in unlocking supposed secret messages from Frances Bacon embedded in the works of Shakespeare. Although Elizabeth quickly realised that this work was well-meaning but nonsensical, by chance she was redirected to working on breaking real codes when Fabyan offered the services of his facility to the US government when the US entered the first world war. Although a linguist rather than a mathematician, Elizabeth had a gift for spotting patterns in text, and quickly moved beyond the knowledge set out by the only textbook on the subject at that time. She was joined in this activity by her soon-to-be husband, Willaim Friedman, a scientist working at Riverbank. The careers of the husband and wife code breaking team are set out in this well-written and meticulously researched book (the bibliography runs to 90 pages) and a remarkable tale it is. Both were extremely talented in an obscure field that was about to become very important with the increasing use of radio, meaning that transmissions (say between governments) could be quite easily intercepted, and so needed to be encoded to preserve privacy.

    Elizabeth's career involved breaking coded messages used by gangsters in the Prohibition era 1920s through to decrypting the messages of both the Japanese military and Nazi spies in the second world war. This included cracking the codes of the famous Enigma machine and its Japanese equivalent, roughly at the same time as was done at Bletchley Park in the UK by Alan Turing and his team. Elizabeth's work was far less publicised than her husband's due to the social norms of the day, but they literally wrote the book(s) on modern cryptography. Indeed when William was sent to Germany just after the war ended to try and discover what he could about German code-breaking, he was amazed to find their own textbooks, carefully translated into German, in pride of place inside the Nazi code-breaking labs.

    The tale is told skilfully by the author, who does not get bogged down in the intricacies of the code-breaking (for me, a little more depth here would have been welcome) but brings to life the characters in the story. Fortunately, the Friedmans documented their work meticulously, though much of this was classified for decades, and so a wealth of material is available to draw on. It is fascinating to see how US inter-agency rivalry frequently caused setbacks, with the FBI anxious to claim credit for the remarkable results of Elizabeth's code-breaking team based at the less glamourous US coastguard agency. Her dismantling of a Nazi spy network in South America in particular reads like something from a crime novel.

    A fascinating story, well told.
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  • Riccardo
    3.0 out of 5 stars Certamente interessante
    Reviewed in Italy on March 23, 2019
    Libro certamente interessante e storicamente valido. Tuttavia l'approccio alla biografia della criptologa secondo il mio punto di vista pecca di due debolezze. Se si vuole fare la biografia di un grande personaggio vi sono a mio parere due vie possibili. La prima è quella di analizzare l'opera del personaggio sotto l'aspetto tecnico. La seconda e quella di raccontare la sua vita considerando gli aspetti umani lasciando un po' da parte l'analisi tecnica sulle sue opere. Il libro in questione certa di unire i due aspetti con il risultato di un lavoro a volte troppo prolisso che rende la lettura faticosa.
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  • Maxime L.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Une histoire captivante
    Reviewed in France on January 20, 2020
    Je ne connaissais absolument pas Mme Friedsman, ni même le couple, et leurs exploits. J'ai entendu parler de ce livre dans une chronique sur la naissance de la cryptographie et je n'ai pas été déçu de la lecture.
    Le livre est accessible à quiconque souhaite s'intéresser au rapport de la femme dans les sciences au XXe siècle et notamment lors de la Guerre, sans nécessiter de connaissances en mathématiques.