Liza Mundy’s Code Girls tells the fascinating history of the United States of America’s code breaking operations during World World II with a focus on the women who were a major part of these operations. Women made up over fifty percent of the code breaking operations, and without these women, the code breaking operations that lead to major U.S. victories in war would not have occurred. While Mundy details the achievements of each of the women she discusses in the book, she also elaborations on their experiences, their struggles inside and outside of work, and their successes. Mundy also includes moving tales of how these women, in the midst of their toils and struggles, built strong friendships and bonds that lasted for the duration of their lives. In this work of nonfiction, these female code breakers are heralded as hidden heroes of the war, and they helped pave the path for women in the military and education.
This book was well-written and extremely well-researched. The number of notes and references in the back of the book surprised me. However, I found that there was a lack of references within the book itself. Often times, an encryption technique would be mentioned with a written explanation of said technique, and had I not been familiar with these techniques prior to reading the book, I would have been lost. While not crucial to the topic of the book, I would have liked to see examples of what types of complex problems these women were dealing with. Codebreaking and decryption are not easy things to do, especially before the widespread use of computers. It took a lot of time, patience, and persistence to break these codes, and I feel there could have been at least some example to show just how hard these codes were.
Not having read many non-fiction books or books related to codebreaking, I am unable to draw accurate conclusions on how this book compares to other non-fiction books. However, based on the few books I have read, I would say the writing style is similar to The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean but with easier content. It has a half textbook, half fiction book feel. I personally found that Code Girls does require a bit of focus at times to understand what is going on, so it was definitely not a book that I could to put down and pick up later with little re-reading.
Generally speaking, I found this book to be wonderful. The content was lovely, and I found the writing style to be very crisp with snarky bits of humor cleverly placed throughout the book. I definitely think this book is worth a read for women looking to go into or currently working in the STEM field. The book inspires and reminds us that women can do anything and truly is a must-read book.
This book was well-written and extremely well-researched. The number of notes and references in the back of the book surprised me. However, I found that there was a lack of references within the book itself. Often times, an encryption technique would be mentioned with a written explanation of said technique, and had I not been familiar with these techniques prior to reading the book, I would have been lost. While not crucial to the topic of the book, I would have liked to see examples of what types of complex problems these women were dealing with. Codebreaking and decryption are not easy things to do, especially before the widespread use of computers. It took a lot of time, patience, and persistence to break these codes, and I feel there could have been at least some example to show just how hard these codes were.
Not having read many non-fiction books or books related to codebreaking, I am unable to draw accurate conclusions on how this book compares to other non-fiction books. However, based on the few books I have read, I would say the writing style is similar to The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean but with easier content. It has a half textbook, half fiction book feel. I personally found that Code Girls does require a bit of focus at times to understand what is going on, so it was definitely not a book that I could to put down and pick up later with little re-reading.
Generally speaking, I found this book to be wonderful. The content was lovely, and I found the writing style to be very crisp with snarky bits of humor cleverly placed throughout the book. I definitely think this book is worth a read for women looking to go into or currently working in the STEM field. The book inspires and reminds us that women can do anything and truly is a must-read book.