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Celebrate Geneva's Author Fest event with author Jason Fagone, author of The Woman Who Smashed Codes, as he shares his research and writing process.
Learn about code-breaking pioneer Elizebeth Smith Friedman, who got her career start with Colonel Fabyan at Riverbank Laboratories. Jason Fagone, author of The Woman Who Smashed Codes, shares his research, his writing process, and more.
Elizebeth Smith Friedman was a pioneer in code-breaking. Growing up in small-town Indiana, she would eventually become one of the nation’s foremost cryptanalysts. She took down smuggling syndicates during Prohibition, broke enigma codes in WWII, and caught Nazi spies in South America. She and her husband, William Friedman, practically invented their field overnight. Learn about her start at the fabulous estate of Colonel George Fabyan in Geneva, IL, the eccentric millionaire, and how her research led to the start of the NSA.
This event is made possible with generous sponsorship by the Geneva Library Foundation. You can find more information here: https://www.genevalibraryfoundation.org.
Reserve a copy of The Woman Who Smashed Codes in advance, and bring a copy of your own for the author to sign after the event!
Reviews for The Woman Who Smashed Codes:
“This is the best work of nonfiction I’ve ever read—no hyperbole...Fagone has painstakingly worked backward to piece together a truth that has been buried for too long. In the process, he has helped Friedman gain recognition as the American hero she was.” — MIT Technology Review
“In The Woman Who Smashed Codes, journalist Jason Fagone recreates a world and a cast of characters so utterly fascinating they will inhabit the psyches of its readers long after the book has been read.” — Associated Press
“[Fagone] documents the amazing arc of his subject’s life, often in stunning detail…Ms. Friedman was not only crypto pioneer and a patriotic spycatcher, but also an inspiring role model.” — Wired
“Riveting, inspiring, and rich in colorful characters, Fagone’s extensively researched and utterly dazzling title is popular history at its very best and a book club natural.” — Booklist (starred review)
