Spying on Spies: How Elizebeth Smith Friedman Broke the Nazis' Secret Codes

by Marissa Moss

Bestselling and award-winning author-illustrator Marissa Moss tells the gripping story of America’s first female cryptanalyst, Elizebeth Smith Friedman, who busted Nazi spy rings

From bestselling and award-winning author-illustrator Marissa Moss, praised for her accessible blend of narrative nonfiction with graphic novel-style chapter openers in The Woman Who Split the The Life of Lise Meitner , comes another fascinating story of a groundbreaking woman in STEM.

One of the founders of US cryptology who would eventually become one of the world’s greatest code breakers, Elizebeth Smith Friedman (1892–1980) was a brilliant mind behind many important battles throughout the 20th century, saving many lives through her intelligence and heroism. Whip-smart and determined, Elizebeth displayed a remarkable aptitude for language and recognizing patterns from a young age. After getting her start by looking for linguistic clues to the true authorship of Shakespeare’s writings, she and her husband, William Friedman, were tasked with heading up the first government code-breaking unit in America, training teams and building their own sophisticated code systems during the lead-up to World War I.

Elizebeth’s solo career was even more impressive. She became the Treasury Department’s and Coast Guard’s first female codebreaker and created her own top-notch codebreaking unit, where she trained and led many male colleagues. During Prohibition in the 1920s, her work solving and intercepting coded messages from mobsters and criminal gangs lead to hundreds of high-profile criminal prosecutions, including members of Al Capone’s gang. Her crowning achievement came during World War II, when Elizebeth uncovered an intricate network of Nazi spies operating in South America, a feat that neither law enforcement nor intelligence agencies had been able to accomplish. Despite her unparalleled accomplishments, she was largely written out of history books and overshadowed by her husband. Only in very recent years has her name begun to receive the attention it deserves, including the US Coast Guard naming a ship in her honor and the US Senate passing a 2019 resolution to honor her life and legacy.

Back matter includes codes for kids to learn!

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, History, Audiobook, Middle Grade, World War II, Espionage

224 pages, Hardcover

Published March 12, 2024

About the author

Marissa Moss has written more than seventy books, from picture books to middle-grade and young adult novels. Best known for the Amelia's Notebook series, her books are popular with teachers and children alike. Her picture book Barbed Wire Baseball won the California Book Award gold medal. Moss is also the founder of Creston Books, an independent children's publishing house.

Reviews

[Kristin Towers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here was my review…

▫️ The story is extremely streamlined which flies in the face of its own premise. And unnecessarily repetitive — I get it, confirmation bias exists.

▫️ To top it off, the narration from Sandy Rustin felt distractingly like I was being read to in elementary school.



…before I realized this is a children’s book. Ugh.

So bumping from 2 stars to 4 stars, with the understanding this is for a ~4th grade reading level.

[Alyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating! So much has come out recently about Bletchley Park and codebreaking in England that I hadn't stopped to wonder what was happening in the U.S. I loved learning about what was happening on the American side during the war. It was so frustrating seeing the sexism against women. Elizabeth was amazing! I also had no idea that the Japanese had their own cypher machine, codenamed "purple." Books are simply the best! I feel so much more knowledgeable after reading it.

[Kathy Temean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like how this book is not just about cryptology, the study of codes, or the art of writing and solving them, but it is a glance into Elizebeth's life. She graduated from college with a degree in English but couldn't find a job because she was a female. She traveled to Chicago and knocked on every door, not letting all the doors closing in her face deter her. By luck, she noticed a sign hanging outside of the Newberry Library announcing William Shakespeare's First Folio inside. Of course, a person with an English degree made her rush inside to see it. She spent so much time viewing every detail that a Librarian stopped to speak with her. Elizebath told her she came to Chicago to look for a job where she could use her knowledge of English literature, maybe doing research. The woman said she thought she could help. She knew George Fabyan, a wealthy Chicago businessman with a strong interest in the First Folio since he thought the book contained secret messages proving that the plays had been written by Sir Francis Bacon, not by William Shakespeare. He was looking for an assistant to help crack the code, so he thought Elizebeth was whip-smart and hired Elizebeth on the spot.

George took her to the small village dedicated to researching various projects he built with his vast fortune. He teamed Elizebeth up with a young scientist to work on the Bacon cipher project to break the code using the Baconian cipher. That is how Elizebeth honed her instincts of noticing patterns and taught herself to analyze, solve code, and crack ciphers. Together, they found no truth to the theory that Shakespeare did not write the First Folio. It was a hoax, but the wealthy businessman wouldn't believe it. Elizebeth and William got bored and started expanding their knowledge of solving codes.

World War One was on the horizon, and the US didn't have a CIA, NSA, or any American intelligence agency. So, lacking any kind of code-breaking capability, the War Department sent a colonel to the small village where Elizebeth and William worked and lived to see what decoders could do. The small town was secluded and secure. Perfect for top-secret work. The colonel recommended that the Army use them to use the cipher school and started sending Elizebeth and William envelopes of code and ciphers, and Elizebeth and William's skills grew. When the United States entered the war, they needed a cryptology unit. Elizebeth and Wiliam became that unit. They got married and spent their honeymoon working on deciphering codes.

Still, Elizebeth was struggling to be paid fully for her work. Wiliam would receive full pay, while Elizebeth was paid half of the amount while she did all the work. After World War One was over and prohibition started, their work turned to helping the government decipher codes to stop the mob and gangs.

Elizebeth was born on August 26th, 1892, and died on October 31st, 1980. Teachers will love this book. It is a story about Elizebeth's life and how she became the first woman codebreaker, but it covers 88 years of some of the most fascinating decades in American history. It is jam-packed with historical information and ends with examples of codes. I can hear teachers' brains spinning, coming up with ways to capture their students' minds by trying their hand at writing and deciphering codes. Exchanging Valentine's Day cards to other students written in code and trying to crack the code of the cards they receive sounds like a fun learning activity. I think that would be so much fun.

Kids will enjoy the black & white drawings throughout the book. I love the photos at the end of the book. Just one look at the bibliography will prove how much work went into researching this book. Thank you for introducing everyone to this remarkable woman. I'm glad to know about her.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 4 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Elizebeth Smith was born in 1892, a year before my grandmother, so the challenges she faced in even obtaining employment were well known to me. What was impressive was Smith's drive to break free from her family and use her skills. Even though she didn't have any support, she put herself through college and set out to find a job in 1916. Through a bit of serendipity, she asked at a library about employment possibilities and was put in touch with an eccentric millionaire, Mr. Fabyan. Taking a huge chance, she drove with him to his estate, Riverbank, and learned about his many projects, one of which was solving a code that he believed proved that Francis Bacon wrote the plays of Shakespeare. Elizebeth wasn't keen on the project, but she needed the work. She learned a lot of good skills, and worked on a new field of study, cryptoanalysis, with William Friedman. The two didn't have much luck with the manuscripts, but found their decoding skills in great demand by the armed forces during WWI, and extended their partnership into marriage. Of course, William was treated much more fairly; at one point, Elizebeth was getting paid half what he was, just because she was a woman. Both ended up working various jobs that were so secretive that they slept in separate rooms so they wouldn't run the risk of revealing secrets in their sleep! Elizebeth was not only essential in WWI, but kept up her work during Prohibition, helping the Coast Guard and others figure out the messages of rum runners. WWII brought further challenges. Through all of this, Elizebeth raised her family, worked long hours, and loved the challenges that her work brought. Leery of publicity and bound by the secret nature of her work, not much was known about her until a few years ago, when some of the records of her career were declassified.
Strengths: I've read that women were making inroads into the workforce starting in the 1920s, but the Depression made things difficult. The years that Smith Friedman was active make this a particulary interesting snapshot of feminine employment for me. The fact that she wasn't just a teacher, librarian, or secretary made this even better! There was a good mix of information about code breaking and what was going on in the world, and her own personal life and how it fit into those times. Moss' illustrations, at the beginning of the chapters, will make this easier to suggest to middle grade readers. This read quickly, and built on information I already knew about WWII, Bletchley Circle, and the Enigma machine. I'm just sad now that my math and puzzle abilities aren't any better, but if there's ever a need for me to dress up as a historical figure for a wax museum, I'm picking Elizebeth Smith Friedman!
Weaknesses: Smith Friedman was involved in so many projects it just boggles the mind, and now I feel like a miserable slacker who wasted the opportunities that the women's movement provided for me!
What I really think: This is a great book for readers who enjoy nonfictional discussions about women's history and have read titles like Rubin's The Women Who Built Hollywood 12 Trailblazers in Front of and Behind the Camera, Maraniss' Inagural Ballers: The True Story of the First U.S. Women's Olympic Basketball Team, Blumenthal's Let Me Play, or my favorite, Dreilinger's The Secret History of Home Economics: How Trailblazing Women Harnessed the Power of Home and Changed the Way We Live. There are also a growing number of books about women involved in various aspects of spying, like
Purnell's Agent Most Wanted:The Never-Before-Told Story of the Most Dangerous Spy of World War II, about Virginia Hall.

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

What!?!? Amazing! Once again, women doing SO MUCH WORK and men messing it up or taking credit for it (Hoover 🤬).

It was quick, detailed, but the stuff she was working on kept me turning the page (so to speak- I listened- excellent narration!). The subtle mentions of Geneva and Fabyan and the windmill got me super excited as a fox valley resident, but I was bummed to learn that Fabyan was not exactly the best guy. Still liked the ties to Chicago and the nearby area!

I can’t wrap my head around what she worked on and solved with just her mind and a paper and pencil! Why does Turing get the notoriety and the movies and she gets swept under the rug, lost to time and classified documents?!? Ugh, she just wanted the best possible outcome and her patience and ability to “read” people must have been EPIC. But she was a woman. So clearly good enough to teach them how to crack codes but not be recognized for it (not necessarily publicly but at least by her own government who needed her way more than she needed them😒).

This is going to fascinate all the kids. Be prepared with some fun cryptography stuff and ciphers to keep the fun going! Visit Riverbank (or what’s left- look it up! It’s a huge park and museum now!). It will enrage some ladies and gentlemen alike- how unfair it was for her!

Great book for 4th-8th graders! They might stumble on some foreign names, but war and history can be pretty fascinating and popular. Hopefully is spurs questions!!

[Darlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fascinating and easy to understand middle grade book details the historical record of one of America’s most important – and mostly unknown – cryptographer and code breaker of all time. Elizebeth Smith Friedman (along with her husband William) was instrumental in breaking the “unbreakable” Nazi and Japanese codes and ciphers of WWII, saving countless lives in the process.
Unappreciated and given little credit for her extraordinary work during both world wars and Prohibition, Elizebeth is finally getting recognition for her decades as a cryptographer and code breaker for the US government. Thanks to the release of classified documents, author Moss has brought Elizebeth’s amazing story to light. The secretive work of the husband-and-wife team is told in rich detail thanks to Moss’s ability to bring history to life in a readable and easily digested format. Chapter illustrations highlight Elizebeth’s personal life and the struggles she had to endure to succeed at her important work.
This book is a wonderful addition to the history of early 20th Century America through WWII. Back matter includes lessons in code breaking and cryptography as well as Friedman family photos, glossary, and references. An excellent classroom resource and good reading for anyone interested in amazing females overlooked in history.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

In her long life breaking codes and thus saving millions of lives, Elizebeth Friedman had to suffer a lot of fools, from gushing reporters delighted a ‘petite housewife’ was a famous cryptographer, to Herbert Hoover who routinely leaked secrets like a sieve. No fool, she took her secrets to the grave. Moss uses recently unsealed government files as the basis for a jaw dropping story of Friedman’s brilliance and dedication, deciphering codes from 1916-1947. Each chapter opens with a short pen and wash cartoon, visually drawing readers into the action. The organization and pacing are seamless, moving from one exceptional adventure to the next, balancing Friedman’s personal life with her professional accomplishments and adversities. Exactly the right amount of background information is included allowing young and old readers to follow along and understand both Friedman’s astonishing historical impact and her code-breaking techniques. Backmatter includes a primer on cracking ciphers and codes, glossary, timeline with period photographs, detailed notes and selected bibliography.

Thanks to Edelweiss and Abrams for an Advance Readers Copy in return for an honest review.

[Mary Pilkington · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a little gem of a book. Written for younger readers it tells the story of Elizebeth Friedman, a cryptanalyst who broke the codes of criminals during prohibition in the US and the Enigma codes during World War II. I’m ashamed to saw I had never heard of her before this despite being familiar with Alan Turing and the code breaking work of Bletchley Park. On reading this book it’s hardly surprising really as she was very much kept behind the scenes herself especially during the war.
While the work of Elizebeth was primarily code breaking, and with pen and paper unlike Turing, the book breaks down the history of the time very nicely thereby adding significance to her work.
I hope we hear more about this remarkable woman in the years to come and she earns her place among the Alan Turings of this world. This book should be placed in every school library. As I said, a little gem.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this as an audiobook and even though I'm not a fan of espionage stories, the related cryptography is fascinating. I thought the author did a good job of presenting Elizebeth's life chronologically, and showing the misogyny she faced even when she was at the top of her profession (and far superior to almost all male cryptographers at the time). We often hear about Bletchley Park and Alan Turing and the Enigma machine as solved in Britain, but not so much in the US. I also admit I was woefully ignorant of South America's role in WWII, so learning that was both fascinating and nerve-wracking; it could so easily happen again. I do wish there were more information on how exactly some of these ciphers were solved, but it may be a case of the audiobook not being able to present all the necessary information. Still, recommended for most middle schools. Thanks to Libro. FM for a free educator copy of the audiobook.

[Teacha Scobs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Badass Alert! Elizabeth Smith Friedman not only broke codes in WW2, but also worked for the IS government to break codes for bootleggers and gangs in the 1920s and for the US government breaking codes for WW1. Incredible. All in a time when women in science and math jobs were unheard of.
This book includes drawings at the start of each chapter that work as an introductory cartoon. It also teaches the reader about ciphers and cryptography. The author does a great job with explaining it in a thoughtful way.
The font and spacing used aid in the ease of reading. Although this is denoted as a middle grades read, I think grades 7-10 would be better.
A colleague of mine wondered if EFS could possibly a character in The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin and after reading this book, I think she’s on to something!

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for allowing me to read this! Elizebeth Friedman was a true national treasure. She isn’t well known, but as times goes on, hopefully that will change. This book, meant for middle grade students, is the story of her life and her incredible contributions to national security in a time when women had just earned the right to vote, but otherwise were expected to stay home and raise a family. She ended up working for various parts of the US government cracking codes and cyphers. Her work is said to have shortened WWII by two years and to have saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of allied forces. Please read this to learn about her, but also some of the basic codes and cyphers she used at the beginning of her storied career.

[Alexa Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moss applies her usual approach to Elizebeth Smith Friedman who invented large portions of cryptanalysis while at a millionaire's estate in Illinois. He wanted to prove that Shakespeare wasn't really Shakespeare through code in the plays. Elizebeth couldn't see it but she did spend her time cracking other codes and eventually found her husband there, they married and she went on to work for the military.

There's a lot about her treatment as a woman, her marriage and cryptography as a growing field. And of course, we learn a bit about where she focused on during different time periods, through WWII though much of that is still confidential. I wonder how much more we'll learn in coming years as things get de-classified.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

VERY interesting biography about an influential woman from history whose essential role as a codebreaker during WWI, Prohibition, and WW2 is still now being realized. Much of her work has been credited to J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI and mentions of her are mostly as the wife of a talented codebreaker. Now, because NSA files have been declassified we are learning just how essential her role was.
This is a fascinating story with a real hook for young readers. Written in Marissa Moss’s conversational tone, this is a solid recommendation for young readers. Pair with Candace Fleming’s Enigma Girls as the Bletchley Park group is mentioned in this book also.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an ok biography of Elizebeth Friedman and her code breaking. I had read another book about her, The Woman Who Smashed Codes, by Jason Fagone. Spying on Spies is basically an abridged version of the Fagone book. It is written for a younger audience and omits a lot of detail. I had hoped it might have a different spin or new information, but it was basically redundant with the other book. She is still a fascinating woman. I would just read the longer book instead of this one, because I think I might not have appreciated her as much if I only read this shorter biography.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to the audio, so I missed the drawings at the beginning of each chapter.
Elizebeth fought to put herself through college. She asked at a library about jobs, and was put in touch with odd Mr. Fabyan, who employed people who were trying to prove Shakespeare’s plays were actually written by a woman. Elizebeth met Mr. Friedman, who, like Elizebeth, thought Shakespeare actually did write them, but both loved the breaking of codes. Their skills were in demand during wartime. Mr. Friedman was paid twice what his wife was paid, and he got more respect.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A biography of Elizabeth Friedman a women in the 1930s and 1940s who was a master decoder for the US government during World War II. Her husband was also a decoder and they worked together. She often took a backseat to him because women weren't given full credit for their work due to discrimination against women. She brought down Al Capone. Also like the comic panels at the start of each chapter. Similar to Enigma Girls but from the US perspective. Her husband battled depression. She also had two children. She was a rare woman working outside the house when women almost never did that.

[Anna Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is about the amazing codebreaking couple the Friedmans who worked to decode messages during WWII and beyond. She is believed to have been the Amaetican best code breaker but is little known since she was female. While she and her husband often could not share their work with each other, they supported one another and the truth was that Elizabeth was in all likelihood the best American code breaker, period.

[Alissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audio version of this. It was really interesting to hear about another female hero from WWII. Some of the reason why we have never heard of her is because she is a woman and also because of documents being declassified. Among other things, it gave me insight as to what was happening in South America with the Nazi's wanting to take over all the countries there. Elizebeth Smith Friedman was an amazing code breaker!!

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

a gripping and readable story of a remarkable woman, whose code cracking gifts were invaluable to the Allies in WW II. I learned lots very pleasantly (which is why I prefer reading YA non fic to grown up non fic). My only quibble is that I wished we'd learned a bit more about the non-code cracking side of her life, which was never what she put first, and which wasn't the point of the book, but still...

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! To learn about the brainpower and tenacity of a woman cryptographer who worked in both World Wars and worked on monster cases in between was quite impressive. It always astounds me that I have never heard of so many people whose talents and jobs had a direct impact on the lives of so many. This was kind of hard to listen to with so many names to keep track of and I am sure there were photos to show the rotor machines and some of the codes.

[Hillary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook without realizing it was written for juveniles (ages 9-12). I thought it was interesting, albeit a little on the simpler side (which now makes sense since it's a juvenile book). I still enjoyed it quite a bit. I think I might consider this a "living book," meaning a book that teaches about a topic without making the topic boring or dead. I would share this with my kids.

[Allison Haehnel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would make a valuable addition to a text set about World Wars, cryptology/cryptanalysis, or women in roles that are unexpected. The book did get difficult to follow due to all the historical details and inclusion of specific people breaking codes or acting as spies. Students engrossed in codes and ciphers may adore the opportunity to learn how Mr. and Mrs. Friedman created their positions in the first place.

[BiblioBrandie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read "The Woman All Spies Fear: Code Breaker Elizebeth Smith Friedman and Her Hidden Life" last year and enjoyed it more, but it was aimed at young adults. This book is more suitable for middle-grade readers. Although I didn't learn anything new from it, I believe it would be a good choice for younger readers at my school who may not be ready for a longer biography.

[Joy T · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is always so interesting to me the roll women played in our history that you never learned in school. Elizabeth Smith Friedman was pushing limits, breaking barriers and using her intelligence to save our country and to stop criminals. And to find a friend and husband who didn't compete with her.

[Jess d'Artagnan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Based on how much I liked this I should read more middle grade nonfiction. lol. Since its middle grade they really dialed up the entertainment factor for this story and simplified the history which my brain and attention span greatly appreciated. What a fascinating woman Elizabeth Smith Friedman was!

[Judy Rath · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read about a female spy who is finally getting recognized for her achievements. Story itself is mainly a timeline of her life/career with a few comic panels added in. Book really shines with the back matter at the end, lots of fun codes and ciphers for kids to figure out! Recommend for upper elementary kiddos.

[Rohit N · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book that sheds light on an unsung hero of cryptography. It’s incredible to learn about the remarkable work this individual accomplished and their significant contribution to the war effort. The author has done an excellent job capturing their story with the information available. Thank you for bringing this important story to light!

[Kenneth Moss · Rating 5 out of 5]

How Elizebeth Smith Friedman Broke the Nazis' Secret Codes. One of the founders of US cryptology who would eventually become one of the world’s greatest code breakers, Elizebeth Smith Friedman (1892–1980) She became the Treasury Department’s and Coast Guard’s first female codebreaker and created her own top-notch codebreaking unit, where she trained and led many male colleagues.

[EByard · Rating 1 out of 5]

Telling the story of Elizabeth Smith Friedman, this short novel/graphic novel illustrates the life of a female codebreaker who paved the way for women today. While this might be a helpful tool for very young children, I found it dry and extremely difficult to get through, and I don't think many children in its targeted age range would find much interest.

[J. S. Seebauer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. It was interesting but felt a bit "bash the man" regarding how often Elizebeth was overlooked (and she was, not disagreeing with that) but would also state that Elizebeth didn't want the recognition.