Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II

Liza Mundy’s narrative history recovers the hidden labor of more than ten thousand American women who served as cryptanalysts during World War II. Recruited from both small towns and elite universities, these women moved to Washington, D.C., to work in the Army and Navy’s code-breaking units. Mundy details their transition from civilian life to the high-stakes, meticulous work of deciphering enemy communications, a role that was strictly classified and largely erased from public memory after the war.

The book explores the intersection of gender, technology, and national security, highlighting how these women’s contributions shortened the conflict and saved lives. Mundy’s prose is accessible and journalistic, weaving together archival research with personal anecdotes to illustrate the intellectual rigor and social isolation of the codebreakers. By framing their work within the broader context of the war effort, the book challenges the traditional narrative of women’s wartime roles, moving beyond the familiar tropes of factory workers and nurses to reveal a critical, if invisible, intellectual contribution to the Allied victory.

Description adapted from Open Library ↗.