The Woman All Spies Fear Audiobook By Amy Butler Greenfield cover art

The Woman All Spies Fear

Code Breaker Elizebeth Smith Friedman and Her Hidden Life

Preview

Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Woman All Spies Fear

By: Amy Butler Greenfield
Narrated by: Samantha Desz
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $20.70

Buy for $20.70

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

An inspiring true story, perfect for fans of Hidden Figures, about an American woman who pioneered codebreaking in WWI and WWII but was only recently recognized for her extraordinary contributions.

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.

Amy Butler Greenfield is an award-winning historian and novelist who aims to shed light on this female pioneer of the STEM community.

Includes a downloadable PDF of key exercises from the book

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 Amy Butler Greenfield (P)2021 Listening Library
Biographies Young Adult
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Critic reviews

“A captivating account of the life and critical contributions of 'one of the most formidable code breakers in the world.'" (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

“Greenfield delivers the tale with enthusiasm and narrative flair, including lots of photos of her photogenic subject.” (The Bulletin, starred review)

“Inspiring, informative, and entertaining.” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)

What listeners say about The Woman All Spies Fear

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    19
  • 4 Stars
    7
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    19
  • 4 Stars
    5
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    23
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Elizabeth Friedman- the real wonderwoman

My only negative comment is that I am not a fan of the narrator. Everything else about this book is fantastic. The author realized that one cannot tell the story of Elizabeth without telling the story of William. The two are so intertwined that it is almost impossible to separate their stories. Yet the author is able to highlight her professional and personal achievements while also showing how she supported William and he, her.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Enjoyed it!

I enjoyed this book. It tells about a female code breaker during wwII who didn’t get the credit she deserved.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A true story of a brilliant woman’s drive to serve her country while risking her life.

The story was spellbinding! Elizabeth was a Wonder Woman; raising a family, traveling for her many jobs, dealing with life threatening information and filling her mind with many secrets that she couldn’t disclose to anyone. And to add to the occupational stress she did not have the cooperation or support of the FBI or the NSA. Thank goodness she had the love of her life, William her husband. I thought the narrator was excellent.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!