Tag: World War II
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Book review: The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson
The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson My rating: 4 of 5 stars Erik Larson is fast becoming one of my favorite non-fiction authors. Who else could take 2 years from World War II and turn it into compelling reading about Winston Churchill and…
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Book review: The Woman Who Smashed Codes by Jason Fagone
The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine who Outwitted America’s Enemies by Jason Fagone My rating: 4 of 5 stars This book is a fascinating biography of Elizebeth Smith, a woman who, along with her better known husband–William Friedman–was responsible for the creation of the field of…
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Book review: The Secret Lives of Codebreakers by Sinclair McKay
The Secret Lives of Codebreakers: The Men and Women Who Cracked the Enigma Code at Bletchley Park by Sinclair McKay My rating: 3 of 5 stars You have to set your expectations when reading this book. First and foremost, the author is British, so, not surprisingly, Bletchley Park and the contributions by the British codebreakers…
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Book review: Madame Fourcade’s Secret War by Lynne Olson
Madame Fourcade’s Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France’s Largest Spy Network Against Hitler by Lynne Olson My rating: 4 of 5 stars Marie-Madeleine Fourcade was the the leader of a intelligence gathering group, the Alliance, in France during World War II that was instrumental in providing the Allies with key intelligence, including…
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Book review: Code Girls: The Untold Story of American Women Code Breakers Who Helped Win World War II by Liza Mundy
Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers Who Helped Win World War II by Liza Mundy My rating: 4 of 5 stars One of my (achievable) New Year’s resolutions is to read more non-fiction. “Code Girls” was a wonderful place to start. The author paints a detailed and knowledgeable picture of…
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Book Review: The Last Lion, Volume 3 by William Manchester & Paul Reid
The Last Lion 3: Winston Spencer Churchill: Defender of the Realm, 1940-65 by William R. Manchester My rating: 4 of 5 stars William Manchester wrote the first two volumes of his planned Winston Churchill biography (The Last Lion: Visions of Glory and The Last Lion: Alone) before suffering several strokes that resulted in his inability…