Title: The Enigma Girls: How Ten Teenagers Broke Ciphers, Kept Secrets, and Helped Win World War II
Author: Candace Fleming
Major Themes: Code Breaking, Math
Synopsis: The inspiring story of the girls who worked in Bletchley Park and cracked codes to help win World War II.
I first heard about The Enigma Girls about a year ago, soon after I read The Bletchley Riddle. I was intrigued because both books were centered around Bletchley Park during World War II, and I knew that one day I’d want to read The Enigma Girls—partly because it’s a subject I’m fascinated with, but also partly because it’s just a lot of fun to compare books sometimes. With books such as The Bletchley Riddle, some elements of history will inevitably be altered to suit the story, so getting two perspectives like this can be useful, anyway. I’m glad I didn’t pick this book up as soon as I heard about it; I ended up needing audiobooks for a job I was doing, so this easily slotted into my reading list early this year!
Publisher’s description:
A Robert F. Sibert Honor Book. With numerous starred reviews and accolades, from award-winning author Candace Fleming, comes the powerful and fascinating story of the brave and dedicated young women who helped turn the tide of World War II for the Allies, with their hard work and determination at Bletchley Park.
“You are to report to Station X at Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire, in four days’ time…That is all you need to know.” This was the terse telegram hundreds of young women throughout the British Isles received in the spring of 1941, as World War II raged. As they arrived at Station X, a sprawling mansion in a state of disrepair surrounded by Spartan-looking huts with little chimneys coughing out thick smoke―these young people had no idea what kind of work they were stepping into. Who had recommended them? Why had they been chosen? Most would never learn all the answers to these questions.
Bletchley Park was a well-kept secret during World War II, operating under the code name Station X. The critical work of code-cracking Nazi missives that went on behind its closed doors could determine a victory or loss against Hitler’s army. Amidst the brilliant cryptographers, flamboyant debutantes, and absent-minded professors working there, it was teenaged girls who kept Station X running. Some could do advanced math, while others spoke a second language. They ran the unwieldy bombe machines, made sense of wireless sound waves, and sorted the decoded messages. They were expected to excel in their fields and most importantly: know how to keep a secret.
Candace Fleming is the award-winning and highly acclaimed author of Crash from Outer Space, The Curse of the Mummy, and many other nonfiction books for young readers. With her canny and compelling narrative voice she makes history come alive. The recipient of five starred reviews, and thick with tension and suspense, The Enigma Girls is an extraordinary and relatively unknown story of World War II that will fascinate readers who will be thrilled to see young people playing such an important role in the wartime effort.
My thoughts:
If you’ve read many of my other reviews, you know that I love reading about codes and ciphers (and, occasionally, trying to solve them myself). From that perspective, this book was bound to be right down my alley—and I wasn’t at all surprised to find myself drawn into it! What I didn’t expect was the way I got to know each girl or woman as the book went on, in a sort of mini-biography style, as we discovered the different facets of how Bletchley Park worked. I found that quite intriguing, and enjoyed learning about these girls who went on to carry such heavy secrets through most of their lives.
One of the biggest things that struck me in this book was just how hard these girls had to work. These weren’t just your typical 9–5 desk jobs; this work started earlier and finished later than many jobs, and because of the type of highly secretive work these girls did, they couldn’t talk about it to anyone. It took all they had—and more, sometimes—to try to crack the German code, and if that wasn’t enough, they also frequently had the burden of knowing that if they didn’t crack the code, people’s lives were at stake. And even once they were able to decipher the messages, they had to deal with knowing what Germany’s plans were—and couldn’t tell anyone what they knew, or do anything to stop German bombs. The stress those girls were under was intense!
One thing I particularly found interesting was the discussion around the computers they were using to do calculations and (if I remember right) deciphering encoded messages. It’s incredible to think of how far technology has advanced between the early 1940s and now!
If you enjoy reading biographies or any sort of true story illustrating part of our history, I’d highly recommend you check out The Enigma Girls. I was worried, going into the book, that it might have feminist leanings, but I didn’t pick up on any of that at all. Instead, this book focuses on different aspects of what made Bletchley Park so successful, and tells the stories of some of the girls who helped to make that happen. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I’d love to have it on the shelf in our home library one day!
WARNING: Chapter 3: Good God. Chapter 31: Gosh, worked like the devil. Chapter 44: Description of D-Day. Chapter 47: What in heaven’s name.
Age levels:
Reading Independently—Ages 12 – 15, 15 and Above
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Kindle | Hardcover | Audible Audiobook (unabridged)
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
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