
The Woman Who Smashed Codes
A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine who Outwitted America's Enemies
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Narrated by:
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Cassandra Campbell
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By:
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Jason Fagone
About this listen
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 US 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 40 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 best sellers with the atmosphere and intensity of The Imitation Game, The Woman Who Smashed Codes is riveting popular history at its finest.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2017 Jason Fagone (P)2017 HarperCollins PublishersListeners also enjoyed...
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Story
One of the great untold stories of World War II finally comes to light in this thrilling account of the members of Torpedo Squadron Eight and their heroic efforts in helping an outmatched U.S. fleet win critical victories at Midway and Guadalcanal. These 35 American men - many flying outmoded aircraft - changed the course of history, going on to become the war's most decorated naval air squadron, while suffering the heaviest losses in U.S. naval aviation history.
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Excellent story well told
- By Kismet on 01-30-09
By: Robert J. Mrazek
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Ingenious
- A True Story of Invention, Automotive Daring, and the Race to Revive America
- By: Jason Fagone
- Narrated by: Adam Verner
- Length: 12 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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In 2007, the X Prize Foundation announced that it would give $10 million to anyone who could build a safe, mass-producible car that could travel one hundred miles on the energy equivalent of a gallon of gas. The challenge attracted more than one hundred teams from all over the world, including dozens of amateurs. Many designed their cars entirely from scratch, rejecting decades of thinking about what a car should look like.
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Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels.
- By Shamu from New York on 12-07-13
By: Jason Fagone
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The Lost Café Schindler
- One Family, Two Wars, and the Search for Truth
- By: Meriel Schindler
- Narrated by: Caitlin Cavannaugh
- Length: 14 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Meriel Schindler spent her adult life trying to keep her father, Kurt, at bay. But when he died in 2017, he left behind piles of Nazi-era documents related to her family’s fate in Innsbruck, Austria, and a treasure trove of family albums reaching back to before World War I. Meriel was forced to confront not only their fractured relationship but also the truth behind their family history. The Lost Café Schindler recreates the journey of an extraordinary family.
By: Meriel Schindler
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The London Seance Society
- By: Sarah Penner
- Narrated by: Lauren Irwin, Alex Wyndham
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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1873. At an abandoned château on the outskirts of Paris, a dark séance is about to take place, led by acclaimed spiritualist Vaudeline D’Allaire. Known worldwide for her talent in conjuring the spirits of murder victims to ascertain the identities of the people who killed them, she is highly sought after by widows and investigators alike. Lenna Wickes has come to Paris to find answers about her sister’s death, but to do so, she must embrace the unknown and overcome her own logic-driven bias against the occult.
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Not what you waited for
- By M.J. on 03-18-23
By: Sarah Penner
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The Theory That Would Not Die
- How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy
- By: Sharon Bertsch McGrayne
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 11 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Bayes' rule appears to be a straightforward, one-line theorem: by updating our initial beliefs with objective new information, we get a new and improved belief. To its adherents, it is an elegant statement about learning from experience. To its opponents, it is subjectivity run amok. Sharon Bertsch McGrayne here explores this controversial theorem and the human obsessions surrounding it.
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Who is the intended audience?
- By Billy on 07-21-14
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The Light of Days
- The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler's Ghettos
- By: Judy Batalion
- Narrated by: Mozhan Marno
- Length: 14 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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One of the most important stories of World War II, already optioned by Steven Spielberg for a major motion picture: a spectacular, searing history that brings to light the extraordinary accomplishments of brave Jewish women who became resistance fighters - a group of unknown heroes whose exploits have never been chronicled in full, until now.
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A profoundly moving book
- By Brian R Smith on 04-18-21
By: Judy Batalion
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The Girls of Atomic City
- The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II
- By: Denise Kiernan
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 12 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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At the height of World War II, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, was home to 75,000 residents, consuming more electricity than New York City. But to most of the world, the town did not exist. Thousands of civilians - many of them young women from small towns across the South - were recruited to this secret city, enticed by solid wages and the promise of war-ending work. Kept very much in the dark, few would ever guess the true nature of the tasks they performed each day in the hulking factories in the middle of the Appalachian Mountains.
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Important story of this secret city
- By CBlox on 11-14-13
By: Denise Kiernan
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The Paris Seamstress
- By: Natasha Lester
- Narrated by: Penelope Rawlins
- Length: 14 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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1940: As the Germans advance upon Paris, young seamstress Estella Bissette is forced to flee everything she's ever known. She's bound for New York City with her signature gold dress, a few francs, and a dream: to make her mark on the world of fashion. Present day: Fabienne Bissette journeys to the Met's annual gala for an exhibit featuring the work of her grandmother - a legend of women's fashion design. But as Fabienne begins to learn more about her beloved grandmother's past, she uncovers a story of tragedy, heartbreak, and family secrets that will dramatically change her own life.
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This book would makes for a mindless read.
- By I. Miller on 10-19-18
By: Natasha Lester
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Code Name: Lise
- The True Story of the Woman Who Became WWII's Most Highly Decorated Spy
- By: Larry Loftis
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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1942: World War II is in full swing. Odette Sansom decides to follow in her war hero father’s footsteps by becoming an SOE agent to aid Britain and her beloved homeland, France. Five failed attempts and a plane crash later, she finally lands in occupied France to begin her mission. It is here that she meets her commanding officer, Captain Peter Churchill. As they successfully complete mission after mission, Peter and Odette fall in love. All the while, they are being hunted by the cunning German secret police sergeant, Hugo Bleicher, who finally succeeds in capturing them.
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SKIP THE PROLOGUE!
- By Erica J. Conway on 09-17-19
By: Larry Loftis
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The Stranger in the Lifeboat
- A Novel
- By: Mitch Albom
- Narrated by: Mitch Albom
- Length: 4 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Adrift in a raft after a deadly ship explosion, 10 people struggle for survival at sea. Three days pass. Short on water, food, and hope, they spot a man floating in the waves. They pull him in. “Thank the Lord we found you,” a passenger says. “I am the Lord,” the man whispers. So begins Mitch Albom’s most beguiling and inspiring novel yet.
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Feel good story and a quick read
- By TCooper on 11-18-21
By: Mitch Albom
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Sisters in Science
- By: Olivia Campbell
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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In the 1930s, Germany was a hotbed of scientific thought. But after the Nazis took power, Jewish and female citizens were forced out of their academic positions. Hedwig Kohn, Lise Meitner, Hertha Sponer and Hildegard Stücklen were eminent in their fields, but they had no choice but to flee due to their Jewish ancestry or anti-Nazi sentiments. Their harrowing journey out of Germany became a life-and-death situation that required Herculean efforts of friends and other prominent scientists.
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New information re: women/Jewish scientists in Nazi Germany
- By Anonymous User on 03-28-25
By: Olivia Campbell
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Hidden Figures
- The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race
- By: Margot Lee Shetterly
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Before John Glenn orbited the Earth or Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, a group of dedicated female mathematicians known as "human computers" used pencils, slide rules, and adding machines to calculate the numbers that would launch rockets and astronauts into space. Among these problem solvers were a group of exceptionally talented African American women, some of the brightest minds of their generation.
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Great Story of a History Obscured
- By Cynthia on 09-18-16
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The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line
- Untold Stories of the Women Who Changed the Course of World War II
- By: Major General Mari K. Eder US Army (Ret.)
- Narrated by: Bernadette Dunn
- Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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For fans of Radium Girls and history and WWII buffs, The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line takes you inside the lives and experiences of 15 unknown women heroes from the Greatest Generation, the women who served, fought, struggled, and made things happen during WWII - in and out of uniform, for theirs is a legacy destined to embolden generations of women to come.
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Ending very poorly done
- By Jacqueline Bailey on 10-03-21
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The Housekeeper and the Professor
- By: Yoko Ogawa
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 5 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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He is a brilliant math professor with a peculiar problem - ever since a traumatic head injury, he has lived with only 80 minutes of short-term memory. She is an astute young housekeeper - with a 10-year-old son-who is hired to care for the professor. And every morning, as the professor and the housekeeper are introduced to each other anew, a strange and beautiful relationship blossoms between them.
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The Wonder Of Kindness & Connection
- By Sara on 06-16-16
By: Yoko Ogawa
What listeners say about The Woman Who Smashed Codes
Highly rated for:
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- Marjorie
- 03-06-19
Remarkable story
The early section of the book that covers Elizabeth’s early life is necessary but a bit tiresome. But when the story gets to her code-breaking work it becomes totally thrilling & engrossing. Really remarkable how much she and her husband contributed to the success of the United States in both world wars.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Valerie
- 09-19-19
A surprising well-documented THRILLER
This is a well-written, true to life thriller based on recently unclassified documents. It increases my respect for the Coast Guard, more than confirms the bastardy of J. Edgar Hoover, and shows the role of British intelligence in creation of the CIA. Not only is it incredibly, historically interesting, but the pressure to keep ahead of our enemies in World War II reaches across the ages and pages to hit the reader in the chest. It starts out slowly and pleasantly, touches on bootlegging and drug running, then keeps building to a crescendo to the end of the war. The author carefully explains the personalities and what many may perceive as the weaknesses of the main characters. But I see only incredible sacrifice to the national interest and love between partners.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Norb
- 04-07-19
Fascinating Story
Well written and narrated. Moves well and keeps you interested. Would highly recommend and has some interesting comments re the FBI
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- Mystery Woman
- 10-01-19
Fascinating History
The book relates the fascinating story of Elizebeth Smith’s unique evolution as a cipher decoder. Highly recommended!
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- PKimball
- 11-21-18
Wonderful true story! Not my fav author though...
An amazing true story. The author’s journalistic writing emotionally removed the reader from the story, however. I observed the story, but didn’t feel it, despite there being so much stress, pressure, worry, joy, and love in the story that I could have felt... that I *wished* to feel. But the writing never went deeper than just to tell the events.
I also could tell it was a journalist instead of a typical author because of the cliffhanger hooks sprinkled throughout, that gave the ending away before the story was even told. For example, “...little did she know she would be one of the greatest code breakers of her time.” I almost expected to read, “coming up after the break!”
However, the story is definitely worth reading just to learn the history behind it. It’s a fascinating story about an extraordinary woman. I am glad I read it.
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- Joe
- 07-23-19
Interesting story
This is a book that tells a real story with historical points , as a person with cyber background I can say this is a semiprofessional book
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- DFK
- 08-06-19
Fascinating and well-read
This story was fascinating. It is a story worth reading to learn one more case of women not being recognized for their contributions and accomplishments. But in addition, the history is most interesting, the story well-written, and the reader quite good. Highly recommended.
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- Laura Beauchamp
- 08-10-19
Brilliant! Engaging, luminous!
It’s impossible to overstate how much I enjoyed this audiobook! The author’s treatment of what might have been a difficult subject was a pure pleasure to ingest. I now have a new American heroine ( and spouse). Fagone brings this couple to life in a way that is unforgettable. I am a fan of audiobooks, and this is my very favorite. The text answers elucidates so very many areas of murky history for me. The narrator brings such warmth and intelligence to the text, and the choice of a female narrator is much appreciated. I wish I could give them both more than five stars!
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- Amazon Customer
- 09-05-19
Smashing
Usually biographies can be dry, but this one is full of life. Elizabeth was a very real, very smart, and very human. I loved the author is no fan of J. Edgar Hoover.
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- Amazon Customer
- 10-02-19
Reads like historical fiction
Wonderful book. I don’t normally go for non fiction but this book was a great surprise. So interesting and well written!
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