Cover ArtThe Woman All Spies Fear is an amazing non-fiction book about Elizebeth Smith Friedman, an American code breaker and cryptanalyst who worked on breaking codes during both World Wars. The book tells everything we know about her life, from when she was a kid to when she died, and the recently revealed cases she and her husband helped solve. There are so many facts in it, and it tells you how she figured out many of the codes she had worked on. This is an awesome non-fiction book that gives you a lot of information in an attention-grabbing way. I highly recommend it.
- Kyra, ninth-grade volunteer
 
Publisher's description:
Elizebeth Smith Friedman had a rare talent for spotting patterns and solving puzzles. These skills led her to become one of the top cryptanalysts in America during both World War I and World War II. She originally came to code breaking through her love for Shakespeare when she was hired by an eccentric millionaire to prove that Shakespeare's plays had secret messages in them. Within a year, she had learned so much about code breaking that she was a star in the making. She went on to play a major role decoding messages during WWI and WWII and also for the Coast Guard's war against smugglers. Elizebeth and her husband, William, became the top code-breaking team in the US, and she did it all at a time when most women weren't welcome in the workforce. The author aims to shed light on this female pioneer of the STEM community.