The Enigma Girls by Candace Fleming (review)

Reviewed by: The Enigma Girls by Candace Fleming Aaren Tucker Fleming, Candace The Enigma Girls. Scholastic Focus, 2024 384p illus. with photographs Trade ed. ISBN 9781338749571 19. 99 Reviewed from digital galleys R* Gr. 7-12 During World War II, most British women were required to serve their country in some capacity. Fleming's latest narrative nonfiction work tells the stories of several such young women, ranging in age from seventeen to twenty, who were part of British efforts to decode enciphered messages from Germany's famous Enigma machine. Patricia Owtram, for example, worked in Y Stations, searching the radio waves for hours on end for German messages to intercept; Sarah Norton, who started off in the Index Room, kept meticulous notes on the contents of deciphered messages and soon secured herself a place as a German-English translator. Still others like Diana Payne worked to operate enormous, loud mechanical code-breaking machines called Bombes. Interweaving the stories of these young women with major WWII events offers a unique perspective on wartime, describing the ordinary and repetitive clerical work that contributes and connects to the historic moments. While keeping the harsh reality of war present, Fleming includes small, humanizing aspects of the girls' lives, like how Patricia joined the Women's Royal Naval Service primarily because she liked their stylish uniforms. The result is a fascinating and emotionally moving perspective on the well-trod ground of WWII, carefully balanced and rich with details of technology, history, and humanity. Pictures throughout are well-chosen to bring Fleming's topics to life, and each section is book-ended by a End Page 249 step-by-step guide on cipher-breaking, which provides context for the complexity of the work these women and many others engaged in. This book is not just about deciphering the Enigma messages, however, as it peels back the mythological layers of history to depict the people, technology, mind-numbing mundanity, and heartbreaking tragedy of the war machine. Back matter includes an author's note, extensive sources, and an index. Copyright © 2024 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois