The Woman Who Smashed Codes

A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine who Outwitted America's Enemies

By: Jason Fagone

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

NPR Best Book of 2017

“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 1912, 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, Elizabeth 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 riviting popular history at its finest.

Includes an enhancement PDF.

Interesting untold story!

This book is tells a loving story of one of the founder's of cryptology. The story paints a deep and interesting story of young intelligent woman who becomes a central figure in fighting the mafia in the thirties and the nazi in the forties. Since she is a woman, her story has been untold and her heroism and patriotism overlooked.

Missing enhancements

Audio version stated enhancements (PDFs of sample codes) are included with the audio, but I couldn’t find any anywhere. I’m sure they would have enhanced the comprehension and appreciation of what Mrs Friedman did. On that basis, have suggested friends get the actual book rather than an audio version, as the story is fascinating & inspiring

A book that everyone should read.

Excellent on so many levels. As an author of 3 works of literary fiction, I am humbled by this work.

Woman Who Smashed Codes

Wonderful read insightful and educational would read again. Pointed out women were considered inferior at the time.

Not usually a genre I would persue, but...

What a pleasant surprise this book was! I don't usually read this genre so I was doubly impressed. Thanks for bringing this woman's important contribution and selfless actions to life.