The Woman Who Smashed Codes

Executive Summary: A truly fascinating listen that proves the life can be more unbelievable than fiction.

Audiobook: For non-fiction I prefer my narrators to basically be unmemorable. I want them to just give me the story without distracting me. Cassandra Campbell not only does a good job, but I really like how this audiobook was produced.

There are diagrams in the print version of this book and instead of trying to “read” or describe them to you, there is a pdf you can look at to see what they are talking about and Ms. Campbell simply says “see the insert” in the appropriate place.

Full Review
Elizebeth Smith-Friedman was a name I knew was associated with cryptography, but almost none of the details of her remarkable life.

Not only did she help break codes in World War 1, she also helped bust Rum Runners during prohibition and created a formidable team of code breakers for the Coast Guard in the process leading to some major success stories during World War 2 that were kept classified until very recently.

Part love story, part examination of sexism in the early/mid 1900s and part spy novel this book really has a lot incredible stories that kept me fascinated for the entire time.

Jason Fargone did an excellent job collecting all the details and laying out what has mostly been a hidden history of early cryptography.