And the Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted America's Enemies

This reads like a novel - and it is apparently well-researched; check out the "Author's Note" and the footnotes. If it weren't for the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), so much history would be hidden forever. I couldn't put it down. Having a life-long interest in this subject, it is gratifying to see that Elizabeth Smith Friedman gets the over-due recognition she deserves.

Both Elizebeth and William Friedman lived an admirable life together and apart. They both contributed so much to the code breaking institute. Elizebeth on her own in her humility was amazing. Truly inspirational person

A great book on many levels: feminine empowerment, the surprising, almost surreal, origins of codebreaking education in the leading American practitioners of the 20th century and the effects of bureaucratic empire building in the military and civil service structures.

The book is gripping and well-written. Don’t miss it.

How fascinating it was to learn the contributions of this humble woman to our intelligence systems. Plus, her sacrifices for her equally intelligent husband to be able to work successfully in this field were almost unbelievable. They were truly great Americans.

Amongst other stories the book tells the true history of how US intelligence thwarted the attempted bloodless Nazi takeover of South America. An intelligence coup commanded by a woman whose contributions were hidden for far too many years.

It is always interesting to read about the unsung hero’s of a specific time in our history. Really enjoyed this book. It again validates how women are treated or remembered by history. Coudo’s to Jason Fagone for bringing the value of these women to the forefront!

I have read other reviews elsewhere from people who said they wished this book had more in-depth, technical explanations of exactly how she cracked the codes. I am not one of those people! It was a great read, engaging and interesting, and more than enough for a person like me who was mostly just looking to find out more about one of the amazing “forgotten women” in history. Highly recommended.

This book tells a powerful story that is well written and interesting for every page. This story parallels the Hidden Figures story, but adds a dimension of mystery and romance that really bring characters to life. Great work. Look forward to the movie.

Elizabeth Friedman's life reads like an good novel, full of mystery, spies, secrecy, intrigue, unusual characters, and undying love. What an interesting look at the history of cryptography in our nation and the people who where instrumental in it.

Fascinating story about two heroes of World War II. The female subject of this book, along with her husband, were smart young people who were lucky enough to learn about code-breaking and be in the right place at the right time. A little known story that is told in a very skilled manner. Anyone who has an interest in the code wars behind the shooting wars will like this book.

This book tells a powerful story that is well written and interesting for every page. This story parallels the Hidden Figures story, but adds a dimension of mystery and romance that really bring characters to life. Great work. Look forward to the movie.

Elizabeth Friedman's life reads like an good novel, full of mystery, spies, secrecy, intrigue, unusual characters, and undying love. What an interesting look at the history of cryptography in our nation and the people who where instrumental in it.

Fascinating story about two heroes of World War II. The female subject of this book, along with her husband, were smart young people who were lucky enough to learn about code-breaking and be in the right place at the right time. A little known story that is told in a very skilled manner. Anyone who has an interest in the code wars behind the shooting wars will like this book.

I kinda snoozed through this book. Too much personal info re her married life which appeared just to be filler because there wasn't enough info to fill the pages with details of actual code breaking exploits.

Clear and intriguing. History that made me think: about women in STEM and cryptanalysis. Cryptanalysis is hard, really hard. It takes a certain kind of mind. Elizebeth and William Friedman were those kind of people.

If you care about the history of computing, of world wars; about eccentrics and millionaires; about unfairness to women; about colossal egomaniacs like J Edgar Hoover; about political bullies taking credit for good work done quietly; then this book is a must.

Intriguing story about an American heroine. I learned a lot about how an innocent couple starting in one field of service and ultimately attained responsibilities that saved the lives of thousands during World War II. The only downside was the realization that a national leader who happened to occupy a major role in the security of this country ultimately stole the credit deserved by Elizebeth Friedman.

Very informative and seemed to be well-researched. The only reason that I gave it four stars is because I thought it was going to be more of a suspenseful story, which I was in the mood for at the time. There is a lot of detail in the book about codes, which for some people, will be quite interesting. I was more interested in the story of how this woman stumbled into George Fabyan's compound in Illinois and then became so strategic yet so invisible in the work of code breaking in WWI and WWII. Though I found some of the book to be slow, I imagine it would have been difficult to impress upon readers the remarkable accomplishment of this woman without the details that are included. So, my recommendation is to definitely read the book. If it feels too slow in some parts, just skim ahead. It's worth it!

An truly amazing and fascinating story! I never knew that Americans had also solved the German Enigma code. All the publicity, and the movie that was made about breaking Enigma, focused on the Brits. This is the heartwarming story of two geniuses who ended up on an eccentric millionaire's 350-acre quasi-scientific research ranch near Geneva, Illinois. That was the beginning of their code-breaking careers and adventures. Although her husband received most of the accolades for their work when he was alive, subsequent research showed that Elizebeth Smith Friedman was a genius in her own right and maybe even better at code breaking than William Friedman.

Working with the Coast Guard code-breaking unit she trained and established, she read the mail of the rum runners during Prohibition, enabling police to confiscate thousands of cases of smuggled hooch. The 10 years she spent doing that trained her for even greater accomplishments during WWII, many which the arrogant J Edgar Hoover took credit for.Turns out the FBI was pretty much a bunch of bumbling fools at the time.

Finally recognizing the depth of her contributions, the NSA finally added her name to an auditorium it had name after her husband. This is a well-written very worthwhile story. I'm so glad to have discovered it on BookBub.com.

A woman I would have enjoyed meeting. wish the book could have unraveled some of her personal secrecy; like how did she emotionally handle her husband's depression. A fascinating story. Still can't figure out how she did it.

Bringing the sheer brilliance and immense contribution of this woman to public knowledge is a wonderful service that will magnify with each new person added to the reader list. May there be many, for a job very well done -- by both the author and his subject.

Very interesting biography, setting straight how key political figures misled the public on their roles in U.S. history. Also a sad testament to how men have suppressed the real role of women in history. An inspiration to all on how to serve, and contribute, despite all of this. Finally, a wonderful love story%

A tale from a very different era where people did things for ”love of country” and women deferred to men. That said, Elizebeth was unstoppable and fascinating. Her contributions to national security need to be bruited, and her and her husband’s names deserve to be at least as familiar to us as J.Edgar Hoover’s--for far better reasons.

You can usually assume history reading to be a little boring. Not so here. It’s rare to want to race through such “dull” stuff- but not with this read. It’s a page turner for sure- the research and writing are superb. WW2 was won- in great part due to the code breaking talents of our heroine. Remarkably well written and an enjoyable read. Can’t go wrong with this one.

This is a fascinating subject. Women did so much during the war and received so little credit. This book felt like it was written as a high school research paper with a couple of f-words thrown in(because for some reason all "good" literature now has to include this term). I kept reading because I knew so little about this side of the war. It also had some interesting details about the South American side of the war. I just felt like the author could have done more with the material.