The woman who smashed codes : a true story of love, spies, and the unlikely heroine who outwitted America's enemies
(Book)

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Published
[New York, NY] : Dey St., an imprint of William Morrow, [2017].
ISBN
9780062430489, 0062430483, 9780062430519
Status
Oak Brook Public Library - Nonfiction
652.8 FAG
1 available

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LocationCall NumberStatus
Oak Brook Public Library - Nonfiction652.8 FAGOn Shelf
Oak Brook Public Library - Nonfiction652.8 FAGChecked out
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Acorn Public Library District - StacksBIOG SMITH, E.On Shelf
Addison Public Library - 2nd Floor - Adult BooksBIO 943.086 SMITH E.On Shelf
Alsip-Merrionette Park Public Library District - Stacks652.8 FAGChecked out
Batavia Public Library District - Adult Nonfiction940.5486 FAGBeing transferred between libraries
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Published
[New York, NY] : Dey St., an imprint of William Morrow, [2017].
Format
Book
Physical Desc
xvi, 444 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
Language
English
ISBN
9780062430489, 0062430483, 9780062430519

Notes

General Note
Some paperback copies have edition statement as: First Dey Street Books paperback edition, 2018.
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 347-427) and index.
Description
In 1916, a young Quaker schoolteacher and poetry scholar named Elizebeth Smith was hired by an eccentric tycoon to find the secret messages he believed were embedded in Shakespeare's plays. She moved to the tycoon's lavish estate outside of Chicago expecting to spend her days poring through old books. But the rich man's close ties to the U.S. government, and the urgencies of war, quickly transformed Elizebeth's mission. She soon learned to apply her skills to an exciting new venture: codebreaking -- the solving of secret messages without knowledge of the key. Working alongside her on the estate was William Friedman, a Jewish scientist who would become her husband and lifelong codebreaking partner. Elizebeth and William were in many ways the Adam and Eve of the National Security Agency, the U.S. institution that monitors and intercepts foreign communications to glean intelligence. In this book, journalist Jason Fagone chronicles the life of this extraordinary woman who played an integral role in our nation's history -- from the Great War to the Cold War. He traces Elizebeth's developing career through World War I, Prohibition, and the struggle against fascism. She helped catch gangsters and smugglers, exposed a Nazi spy ring in South America, and fought a clandestine battle of wits against Hitler's Reich, cracking multiple versions of the Enigma machine used by German operatives to conceal their communications. And through it all, she served as muse to her husband, a master of puzzles, who astonished friends and foes alike. Inside an army vault in Washington, he 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 codebreaking history through the prism of one remarkable woman's life, bringing into focus the events and personalities that shaped the modern intelligence community.

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Citations

APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)

Fagone, J. (2017). The woman who smashed codes: a true story of love, spies, and the unlikely heroine who outwitted America's enemies (First edition.). Dey St., an imprint of William Morrow.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Fagone, Jason. 2017. The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted America's Enemies. Dey St., an imprint of William Morrow.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Fagone, Jason. The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted America's Enemies Dey St., an imprint of William Morrow, 2017.

MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)

Fagone, Jason. The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted America's Enemies First edition., Dey St., an imprint of William Morrow, 2017.

Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.

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