New York Times bestselling author Liza Mundy will speak at Northern Kentucky University’s Otto Budig Theater on Thursday at 7 p.m. in a program open to the public.
Mundy will discuss her book, “Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II” in an event co-hosted by the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Informatics.
“Code Girls” reveals for the first time the revolutionary achievements and patriotic service of these remarkable young women. Their astonishing code breaking triumphs against the Germans and Japanese helped secure an Allied victory. However, their vow of secrecy nearly erased their vital contributions from U.S. history.
“I did sometimes have to convince the women that after nearly 75 years, it is okay to talk. Sometimes it took some cajoling. When I was telling Dot Braden Bruce that it’s okay to talk, she hesitated, but then mused; ‘Well, what are they going to do to me at my age? Send me to prison?’ I told her that if they did, it would probably be a nice prison, and she laughed,” Mundy stated. “My sense was that they were still very respectful of their vow of secrecy — now lifted — but after all this time of having their work ignored, they were also eager to get some credit and have their contribution recognized. Understandably so.”
Mundy also credits NKU Mathematics Professor Chris Christensen for his help with her book. Dr. Christensen is an expert in cryptology.
“We are so excited to have Liza come to NKU talk about this amazing piece of our country’s history. She is one of the nation’s foremost experts on women and work issues. I know our campus will get a lot out of this event that ties history and cryptology and computer science together in an important way. And Chris’ involvement with the book is an added special bonus,” said Dean Diana McGill, College of Arts and Sciences.
“Code-breaking continues to be relevant today, and it is just as challenging now as it was during World War II. It will be inspiring for our students to hear of the heroic efforts of these women, and how their mathematical and computational skills helped protect the world’s democracies in wartime,” said Dean Kevin Kirby, College of Informatics