Amy Butler Greenfield – författare

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.A YALSA EXCELLENCE IN NONFICTION FINALIST • A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOK OF THE YEARElizebeth 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.

The thrilling true story of the unlikely American codebreakers who cracked Japan’s top cipher machine, eavesdropped on Hitler, and helped win World War II.In 1937, Japanese engineers invented Purple, a cipher machine capable of scrambling a message more than 500 quadrillion ways. It encrypted many of the Axis powers’ deepest secrets, including crucial conversations with Hitler and his inner circle. Because the machine was so advanced, Japanese leaders believed it was perfectly secure.In 1940, a scrappy team of American codebreakers in Washington DC proved them wrong.Sweeping from the Great Depression through to the final victories of World War II, Code Name Purple tells the riveting story of the outsiders who broke Purple. Mostly civilians, they came from a myriad of backgrounds, faiths, and life experiences. Many were women, Jewish, or disabled. Working in shabby rooms on a shoestring budget, they accomplished one of the greatest codebreaking feats of all time. Their work helped defeat the Axis powers, including the Nazi regime that considered so many of them subhuman. Drawing on thousands of pages of interviews, personal papers, and recently declassified documents, award-winning historian Amy Butler Greenfield brings these outsized characters to life. Among them are William Friedman, an enigmatic genius who risked his sanity to solve Purple; John Hurt, an ailing language whiz who worked from a bed in a secret vault; Genevieve Grotjan, a shy mathematician who made a brilliant breakthrough; and Leo Rosen, a young engineer who braved the journey to Britain’s Bletchley Park, where a secret Purple-Enigma exchange supercharged Allied codebreaking. This enthralling narrative history captures not only the team’s work, but their lives—their parties, arguments, anguish, friendships, romances, and courage in peace and war. Set in an era when no one knew if people could keep up with machines, Code Name Purple is a powerful story of challenge, resilience, and what it means to be human.

Lucy races against time and magic in this “compelling sequel” (Booklist) to the “richly and thoughtfully written” (Publishers Weekly) Chantress.Lucy is the last Chantress, the only remaining girl who can sing magic into the world. Since she defeated the evil Lord Scargrave, England has changed—and not for the better. With crops failing and the people rebelling, Lucy is called urgently back to King Henry’s court. His Inner Council is convinced that making gold through alchemy will save England. But a critical element to the alchemical process has been stolen. Lucy is tasked with finding it with her magic…or else. And until she succeeds, the castle is on lockdown.Court too has changed. Scargrave’s brutal Chantress Hunter has become King Henry’s closest advisor. Lucy’s beloved Nat has fallen out of favor and is shunned by his colleagues. Worst of all, Lucy’s magic has deserted her. She can no longer hear the song spells at court, and must find a way to access her powers soon—or be accused of treason. Amy Butler Greenfield returns to the volatile world of Chantress for an exciting tale that weaves together courtly intrigue, mystery, romance, magic, and music.