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The Secret Life of an American Codebreaker: Codebreaker Girls
The Secret Life of an American Codebreaker is the true account of Janice Martin, a college student recruited to the military in 1943, after she was secretly approached by a college professor at Goucher College, a liberal arts establishment for women in Baltimore, USA. Destined for a teaching career, Janice became a prestigious professor of classics at Georgia State University, but how did she spend three years of her secret life during the war working in Washington D.C.’s Top Secret Intelligence?
Why was she chosen? How was she chosen? What did she do? Questions everyone asks are answered in this study of not just one but several Second World War codebreakers, male and female.
Backed by extensive research, unpublished photographs and recorded interviews, we discover the life of Janice Martin from Baltimore and her Top Secret Ultra role in helping to combat U-boats in the Battle of the Atlantic; the work she and her colleagues undertook in a foundation provided by both British and American Intelligence. From ‘the early days’ to D-Day and beyond, the book includes other hidden figures who were part of this huge wheel of an incredible time in history.
Why was she chosen? How was she chosen? What did she do? Questions everyone asks are answered in this study of not just one but several Second World War codebreakers, male and female.
Backed by extensive research, unpublished photographs and recorded interviews, we discover the life of Janice Martin from Baltimore and her Top Secret Ultra role in helping to combat U-boats in the Battle of the Atlantic; the work she and her colleagues undertook in a foundation provided by both British and American Intelligence. From ‘the early days’ to D-Day and beyond, the book includes other hidden figures who were part of this huge wheel of an incredible time in history.
328 pages, Hardcover
First published March 30, 2022
31 people are currently reading
65 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
January 12, 2022
Have you ever had a member of your family, that you know was involved in WWII, but they never spoke of what they did or what they saw? I know I have members of my family that never spoke of their time during the war. Jan Slimming, the author, was trying to find out what her mother’s role was in WWII but her mother passed before she could find out.
This story centers around Janice Martin, a young college student at the start of the war and her part as an American Codebreaker. We find out the reason the majority of these people were bound by law not to ever speak of what they did nor their part in the war effort.
The story is fascinating and told with extreme accuracy and research. There are so many people we don’t know about and their tremendous tenacity and how much they aided in the American and European efforts in thwarting u-boat attacks and more.
As someone who loves WWII history, I found this book historically accurate and truly enjoyed learning about people I knew nothing about. I especially enjoy hearing the roles women played and at a time when it was still felt women were inferior they proved to be just as adept and smart as their male counterparts.
Thank you #netgalley and #penandswordmilitary for giiving me the opportunity to read this book.
This story centers around Janice Martin, a young college student at the start of the war and her part as an American Codebreaker. We find out the reason the majority of these people were bound by law not to ever speak of what they did nor their part in the war effort.
The story is fascinating and told with extreme accuracy and research. There are so many people we don’t know about and their tremendous tenacity and how much they aided in the American and European efforts in thwarting u-boat attacks and more.
As someone who loves WWII history, I found this book historically accurate and truly enjoyed learning about people I knew nothing about. I especially enjoy hearing the roles women played and at a time when it was still felt women were inferior they proved to be just as adept and smart as their male counterparts.
Thank you #netgalley and #penandswordmilitary for giiving me the opportunity to read this book.
January 20, 2022
I know a few people who refuse to recognize themselves as veterans because they did not see combat or were not allowed to serve in the infantry based on medical restrictions. Can you imagine having served a vital role in one of history’s biggest wars and not being able to tell anyone? This was the case with WW2 code breaker, Janice Martin. Martin was attending a women’s college in Baltimore when she was secretly approached by her professor. Martin then spent the next three years serving as a code breaker during the war. This book gives great accurate details about how the men and women learned to combat U-boats. Martin then went on to be a college professor at Georgia State University, keeping hidden her vital aid in the war.
I found this book very accurate and interesting. I love WW2 history, especially the unknown stories of individuals bravery during the war. I will be suggesting this book to any history or war time fan.
Thank you NetGalley and Pen and Sword Military for the advanced copy.
I found this book very accurate and interesting. I love WW2 history, especially the unknown stories of individuals bravery during the war. I will be suggesting this book to any history or war time fan.
Thank you NetGalley and Pen and Sword Military for the advanced copy.
January 27, 2022
The Secret Life of an American Codebreaker by Jan Slimming is a fascinating look at the history of cryptography in America.
Having an interest in World War Two history, I have an awareness of both Bletchey and the women's services in the British military, but I had never heard about the American equivalent before.
The book is easy to read and presents complicated ideas around mathematics, technology and cryptography in plain English that is easy to understand as a non-specialised reader. Slimming contextualises the achievements of code specialists within the wider context of events, and clearly explains how scientific and cryptographical developments contributed to and effected the war.
I enjoyed the discussion of the recruitment of women into the American services and the comparison between the experiences of both women and men, and British and American women. Slimming made the importance of the contribution of women and, importantly, discusses how well recognised their contribution was recognised at the time.
While I found Janice Martin's story engaging and interesting, I was slightly surprised it took up so little of the book (at a rough estimate no more than 30% of the book). The remainder of the book provides historical background on the history of the area Janice grew up in, the history of codebreaking and cryptography, the history of the different branches of military services, historical context in World War Two events (which situates the developments in codebreaking) and American history. Slimming also provides what are effectively mini-profiles of different historical figures relevant to the narrative. While these elements were appreciated as a reader who is not well-versed in American history, and were generally, fascinating to read, I spent a lot of the time wishing it would go back to Janice's story. In some chapters there would be a line along the lines of "Janice was not involved in this work" or "Janice would have been aware of other women working on this..." to try and connect the narratives. I almost think it would have been more convincing to be framed more generally on female code-breakers, but having the frame of Janice's experience was an interesting idea.
The narrative did also jump around at times which was a bit confusing at times, but on the whole it was a fascinating read which I greatly enjoyed. I would probably have given it an extra star if it had been reframed as a general perspective on women code-breakers/American crypt-analysis.
My thanks to Netgalley and Pen & Sword books for providing me with a copy.
Having an interest in World War Two history, I have an awareness of both Bletchey and the women's services in the British military, but I had never heard about the American equivalent before.
The book is easy to read and presents complicated ideas around mathematics, technology and cryptography in plain English that is easy to understand as a non-specialised reader. Slimming contextualises the achievements of code specialists within the wider context of events, and clearly explains how scientific and cryptographical developments contributed to and effected the war.
I enjoyed the discussion of the recruitment of women into the American services and the comparison between the experiences of both women and men, and British and American women. Slimming made the importance of the contribution of women and, importantly, discusses how well recognised their contribution was recognised at the time.
While I found Janice Martin's story engaging and interesting, I was slightly surprised it took up so little of the book (at a rough estimate no more than 30% of the book). The remainder of the book provides historical background on the history of the area Janice grew up in, the history of codebreaking and cryptography, the history of the different branches of military services, historical context in World War Two events (which situates the developments in codebreaking) and American history. Slimming also provides what are effectively mini-profiles of different historical figures relevant to the narrative. While these elements were appreciated as a reader who is not well-versed in American history, and were generally, fascinating to read, I spent a lot of the time wishing it would go back to Janice's story. In some chapters there would be a line along the lines of "Janice was not involved in this work" or "Janice would have been aware of other women working on this..." to try and connect the narratives. I almost think it would have been more convincing to be framed more generally on female code-breakers, but having the frame of Janice's experience was an interesting idea.
The narrative did also jump around at times which was a bit confusing at times, but on the whole it was a fascinating read which I greatly enjoyed. I would probably have given it an extra star if it had been reframed as a general perspective on women code-breakers/American crypt-analysis.
My thanks to Netgalley and Pen & Sword books for providing me with a copy.
March 2, 2022
Compelling, Fascinating and Interesting
Do you find World War II history fascinating? I do, and that is why I was excited to read Jan Slimming’s new book The Secret Life of an American Codebreaker.
The book starts out telling the story of Janice Martin, a young college student who was recruited to learn about and employ the much-needed skill of codebreaking during the pivotal time in our Country, World War II.
Janice is the focus of the book, but the book is about more than one person. Periodically, the story comes back around to what was happening in Janice’s life at that time. The story includes the history of cryptography and codebreaking. You will learn about brilliant individuals who worked together to break the coded messages of our enemies during WWII. That information was passed along to our military leaders to use and effectively win the battles.
The Secret Life of an American Codebreaker was a fascinating book and goes into a lot of detail about how Americans, Great Britain, and the Allied forces worked together. An early version of computers was developed to help analyze the large volume and ever-changing data that was coming in from the enemies’ encrypted messages.
I found The Secret Life of an American Codebreaker by Jan Slimming to be a very interesting and compelling book. I highly recommend it, especially if you like history, stories about WWII, and intrigue.
After reading this book, it makes me wish that I had sat down with my parents and other family members and learned about the work they did in WWII. I cannot imagine how different the world would have been if not for the courageous work and sacrifice of so many during World War II.
I would like to thank Pen & Sword Publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of The Secret Life of an American Codebreaker by Jan Slimming. I was under no obligation to give a favorable review.
Do you find World War II history fascinating? I do, and that is why I was excited to read Jan Slimming’s new book The Secret Life of an American Codebreaker.
The book starts out telling the story of Janice Martin, a young college student who was recruited to learn about and employ the much-needed skill of codebreaking during the pivotal time in our Country, World War II.
Janice is the focus of the book, but the book is about more than one person. Periodically, the story comes back around to what was happening in Janice’s life at that time. The story includes the history of cryptography and codebreaking. You will learn about brilliant individuals who worked together to break the coded messages of our enemies during WWII. That information was passed along to our military leaders to use and effectively win the battles.
The Secret Life of an American Codebreaker was a fascinating book and goes into a lot of detail about how Americans, Great Britain, and the Allied forces worked together. An early version of computers was developed to help analyze the large volume and ever-changing data that was coming in from the enemies’ encrypted messages.
I found The Secret Life of an American Codebreaker by Jan Slimming to be a very interesting and compelling book. I highly recommend it, especially if you like history, stories about WWII, and intrigue.
After reading this book, it makes me wish that I had sat down with my parents and other family members and learned about the work they did in WWII. I cannot imagine how different the world would have been if not for the courageous work and sacrifice of so many during World War II.
I would like to thank Pen & Sword Publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of The Secret Life of an American Codebreaker by Jan Slimming. I was under no obligation to give a favorable review.
February 13, 2022
I received a copy of this book from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
The Secret Life of an American Codebreaker seeks to tell the story of Janice Martin, a college student who becomes a part of the US military's intelligence services during WWII. However, Janice is very much a side character in a book that seeks to provide a comprehensive survey of American Codebreaking efforts and the important of women in those efforts in the years prior to and during WWII.
The book covers the modern history of codebreaking in the US and Britain on both the Western and Eastern fronts. It is highly informative and the depth of Ms. Slimming's research is evident. There are entire sections dedicated to German codes, Japanese Codes, and the units responsible for breaking them.
However, my one gripe if the distinct lack of Janice in the later part of the book. In the beginning, we are given a brief biography for Janice up to the beginning of WWII, then her remembrances and experiences are scattered throughout the book. However there are entire sections where Janice's input is simply "I wasn't part of that division, so I don't know." For a book that promised a through and well researched insight into a single WWII codebreakers experience, I wanted more of her story and input then I got.
I would highly recommend for someone interested in cryptology or military intelligence. Also would recommend if you read The Code Girls.
The Secret Life of an American Codebreaker seeks to tell the story of Janice Martin, a college student who becomes a part of the US military's intelligence services during WWII. However, Janice is very much a side character in a book that seeks to provide a comprehensive survey of American Codebreaking efforts and the important of women in those efforts in the years prior to and during WWII.
The book covers the modern history of codebreaking in the US and Britain on both the Western and Eastern fronts. It is highly informative and the depth of Ms. Slimming's research is evident. There are entire sections dedicated to German codes, Japanese Codes, and the units responsible for breaking them.
However, my one gripe if the distinct lack of Janice in the later part of the book. In the beginning, we are given a brief biography for Janice up to the beginning of WWII, then her remembrances and experiences are scattered throughout the book. However there are entire sections where Janice's input is simply "I wasn't part of that division, so I don't know." For a book that promised a through and well researched insight into a single WWII codebreakers experience, I wanted more of her story and input then I got.
I would highly recommend for someone interested in cryptology or military intelligence. Also would recommend if you read The Code Girls.
February 15, 2022
Author Jan Slimming published The Secret Life of an American Codebreaker at the end of January 2022. She has published two books on women involved in WWII codebreaking.
In return for a fair and honest review, I received an ARC of this book through https://www.netgalley.com. I categorize this book as ‘G’. While the biography of Janice Martin forms the core of this book, the scope is much larger.
Martin was recruited into the military in 1943. After graduation from Goucher College, she became an officer in the WAVES. She worked for three years in the US codebreaking efforts. The book covers the events leading up to WWII and the eventual involvement of the United States. It details the history of women in cryptography. It also tells about their role in the WWII military. Since Martin was stationed in Washington DC, there is substantial discussion of living in the capital during the war. Some of the cryptographic machinery is also described.
I enjoyed the 8.5+ hours I spent reading this 295-page WWII history. I read and liked her first book Codebreaker Girls: A Secret Life at Bletchley Park. Both books are unique in that their subjects are connected to the author. This book is easy to read even though it is full of many details. I like the chosen cover art. I give this novel a rating of 4.5 (rounded up to a 5) out of 5.
You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).
In return for a fair and honest review, I received an ARC of this book through https://www.netgalley.com. I categorize this book as ‘G’. While the biography of Janice Martin forms the core of this book, the scope is much larger.
Martin was recruited into the military in 1943. After graduation from Goucher College, she became an officer in the WAVES. She worked for three years in the US codebreaking efforts. The book covers the events leading up to WWII and the eventual involvement of the United States. It details the history of women in cryptography. It also tells about their role in the WWII military. Since Martin was stationed in Washington DC, there is substantial discussion of living in the capital during the war. Some of the cryptographic machinery is also described.
I enjoyed the 8.5+ hours I spent reading this 295-page WWII history. I read and liked her first book Codebreaker Girls: A Secret Life at Bletchley Park. Both books are unique in that their subjects are connected to the author. This book is easy to read even though it is full of many details. I like the chosen cover art. I give this novel a rating of 4.5 (rounded up to a 5) out of 5.
You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).
March 6, 2022
This is a great read for anyone interested in codebreaking during the Second World War and in particular, the extensive role women played. The title, however, is a bit misleading. Yes, it is the story of an American College Student, Janice Martin, who gets recruited into the undercover military world interpreting German and Japanese coded signals, but the books coverage is much broader. You learn a lot about the history of codebreaking, the different approaches, the evolving technologies and how the UK and USA collaborated sharing not just tools and techniques but organizational structures and the unconventional roles women played in this fast developing field. The book is extensively researched and well written. I particularly enjoyed reading about the nuances of the US/ UK relationships. While these two groups of intellectuals were ostensibly on the same side during the war sharing decoded messages there was clearly a lot of rivalry, more than a modicum of mistrust and the occasional eavesdropping on eachother. In such a clandestine world, you would expect nothing less!
Thanks to Pen and Sword and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.
Thanks to Pen and Sword and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.
January 24, 2022
The title is misleading. I expected a biography of Janice Martin. This is more a history of cryptanalysis, mostly of Britain but also the US. Sentences here and there state Janice read about this in the newspaper or heard that on the radio. Mostly to let the reader know the author hasn’t forgotten about her.
A lot of interesting stuff is here. A lot is unexpected: an estimate of how many women disguised themselves as men to fight in the Civil War, Hello Girls telephone operators in WWI, Moina Michael conceiving the idea for poppies for remembrance, Marines fighting on Iwo Jima. There’s even a rant against ex-Ambassador Joseph Kennedy, who no doubt was a jerk, but is unrelated to the topic.
Puzzling book. I skimmed through much of it.
November 21, 2024
The description of this book was inaccurate. It was supposed to be about Janice, but she's barely in it. The first 50% of the book is all background info before Janice even starts codebreaking. It might be fine as a history of codebreaking, except there are lots of tangents (like basic WW2 history). I've read better books on WW2 and on codebreaking (and specifically women in codebreaking), so this was all pointless to me. If the book had focused more on American codebreaking and Janice in particular (as advertised), you know, something specific and unique, it would've been much more interesting. I do appreciate that the photos were inserted within the text, and not bunched in the middle or end of the book (I hate that).
January 16, 2022
As a lover of history I was really looking forward to reading this book. It did not disappoint. Rich with details, not just code breaking, but a very complete telling of the war and the stories were definitely engrossing. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves history and not just a rehash of the most known stories of the war but new and intriguing aspects. I received an e-book from NetGalley in return for an unbiased review.
May 22, 2022
This was a good book that really breaks down for you how the codebreaking process came to be. My only qualm with it was that I was expecting more of an individual person focus (as the name suggests). I think this book was more broad than it's titled alluded to. Still a good book I just think some who pick it up won't get what they are expecting.
I got this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I got this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
January 13, 2022
Interesting study of WW2 encryption/decryption from the perspective of an American woman decades after the war ended and the Secrets Act had expired. We usually see studies surrounding Bletchley Park (the British codebreakers), so this was different in perspective. Very interesting read.
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Pen & Sword Military via NetGalley. Thank you.
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Pen & Sword Military via NetGalley. Thank you.
March 1, 2022
The true story of Janice Martin, this is the story of a woman destined to be a teacher who became a secret codebreaker during the war working for Washington's Top Secret Intelligence. This book is full of research, photos, and interviews. This was an immensely interesting book and I learned a lot!
January 31, 2022
What an amazing read! And it all being true is astonishing!
Extremely interesting reading with information I never knew before.
If you are fans of military history then you can’t go wrong with adding this to your reading list.
Extremely interesting reading with information I never knew before.
If you are fans of military history then you can’t go wrong with adding this to your reading list.
August 24, 2023
How the war was won.
This book is very interesting with a very deep look at the science of code breaking. The history of Janice Bernardino is one of the little known but very important stories of World War II.
This book is very interesting with a very deep look at the science of code breaking. The history of Janice Bernardino is one of the little known but very important stories of World War II.
February 20, 2024
Great book on the codebreakers
Liked the book but found it slightly wordy and skinned through that.Did enjoy seeing how the U.S. also used codebreakers,and the last chapter on the Navajo Code Talkers.
Liked the book but found it slightly wordy and skinned through that.Did enjoy seeing how the U.S. also used codebreakers,and the last chapter on the Navajo Code Talkers.
April 21, 2022
Though a fairly interesting story overall, the so-called subject of this book seemed almost an afterthought.
February 28, 2025
Was really hoping for more of HER story, but it was an interesting book nonetheless. Found myself skimming some of the code breaking and cipher information.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews