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vrhayes08's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
4.0
Young reader edition is nice for its quick pace and clear conveyance of information (though the real reason I got this version is bc it was available at my library). Sometimes I got a little lost following specific names of people, although that may partly have to do with the fact I listened on audiobook. Loved the incorporation of personal stories rather than taking this the route of a more traditional info-dump type of nonfiction book.
joslynmyers's review
2.0
I want to start off this review by saying that these women were absolutely incredible! I loved learning about their bravery and the fantastic things they did. My issues with this book unfortunately lie with the writing and what they chose to add.
I haven't read the original Code Girls, so I'm not sure if this was a problem with the adaption or the writing in itself. This book, in my opinion, was very dry. And I mean VERY dry. This is on the list for Battle of the Books, so I did have to read it in some way. That way being I ended up just listening to it.
Not only did the writing feel dry (in my opinion), but it also felt too simple. And yes, it is a young readers edition, however I am a young reader in Middle School and every single person in my BoB class agreed that it was a bit oversimplified.
My third reason for giving it two stars, is the fact that it didn't really feel focused on the women. I went into this book hoping for some insight on how they lived and who they were. I did get that to an extent, but it almost felt like certain spots got too focused on the codes themselves. I do find codes interesting, and I do understand that the codes are a huge part of this book, I mean that's the job, right? But the point of this book (at least what I thought was the point of this book) was to know more about these girls, I personally felt the topic that I learned the most about was... you know, the codes.
Bottom line: Definitely not my favorite book, but not the worst I've ever read. I personally wouldn't recommend it.
I haven't read the original Code Girls, so I'm not sure if this was a problem with the adaption or the writing in itself. This book, in my opinion, was very dry. And I mean VERY dry. This is on the list for Battle of the Books, so I did have to read it in some way. That way being I ended up just listening to it.
Not only did the writing feel dry (in my opinion), but it also felt too simple. And yes, it is a young readers edition, however I am a young reader in Middle School and every single person in my BoB class agreed that it was a bit oversimplified.
My third reason for giving it two stars, is the fact that it didn't really feel focused on the women. I went into this book hoping for some insight on how they lived and who they were. I did get that to an extent, but it almost felt like certain spots got too focused on the codes themselves. I do find codes interesting, and I do understand that the codes are a huge part of this book, I mean that's the job, right? But the point of this book (at least what I thought was the point of this book) was to know more about these girls, I personally felt the topic that I learned the most about was... you know, the codes.
Bottom line: Definitely not my favorite book, but not the worst I've ever read. I personally wouldn't recommend it.
listen_learn's review
4.0
Fascinating true story of women code breakers during WWII. I learned a lot from this book, but could have done with out hearing about the girls love lives. I get that it's part of the history, I just wasn't interested in reading about it, which made those parts of the book less enjoyable. Compromising with 4 stars, because otherwise would have been a 5 star read for me.
cauchemarlena's review against another edition
4.0
"Code Girls" nagu pealkirigi ütleb räägib naistest koodimurdjatest. Lugemiseks valisin põhikooliealistele suunatud versiooni, sest siis on mul lihtsam raamatust vabaneda. Koju mulle raamatuid enam väga palju ei mahu. Annan selle oma kooli raamatukogule, et mu nunnud õpilased saaksid keeleoskust arendada. Niisiis lugesingi raamatut natukene ka hoopis teistsugusel pilgul: pöörasin tähelepanu lauseehitusele, sõnavarale, kõigele lingvistilisele. Sõnavara poolest on see mu üheksandikele veel raske, kuid lauseehitused on enam-vähem täpselt sellised, mida nad koolis sel ajal õpivad. Eesti õpilastele pistaksin ma juba pihku originaalversiooni.
Minu jaoks oli väga põnev seda raamatut lugeda, sest selle kirjutamisel on tehtud väga põhjalik töö. Siia on kogutud paljude kooditüdrukute kogemused: kuidas nad välja valiti, mida nad tegid ja kuidas kõike saladuses hoiti. Väga palju oli juttu Jaapani poolt kasutatud olevatest koodidest, mille murdmine võttis väga palju aega. Juttu oli erinevatest koodi loovatest masinatest, koostööst teiste riikidega. Ilmselt sellepärast, et tegu oli lihtsustatud variandiga, lugesin selle läbi kiiresti ja vaimustunult. Lapse ja varase teismelisena oleksin ma sellest raamatust veel suuremas vaimustuses olnud, kuna kõiksugu salakeeled ja koodid olid üheks mu huviobjektiks. Maailmasõjast on kirjutatud mitmeid raamatuid, kuid mulle meeldis just see lähenemisnurk. Naised, keda sel ajal tegelikult armeesse ega mereväkke võtta ei tahetud, tegid ära tohutu töö. Nende edust sõltusid mitmed elud.
Minu jaoks oli väga põnev seda raamatut lugeda, sest selle kirjutamisel on tehtud väga põhjalik töö. Siia on kogutud paljude kooditüdrukute kogemused: kuidas nad välja valiti, mida nad tegid ja kuidas kõike saladuses hoiti. Väga palju oli juttu Jaapani poolt kasutatud olevatest koodidest, mille murdmine võttis väga palju aega. Juttu oli erinevatest koodi loovatest masinatest, koostööst teiste riikidega. Ilmselt sellepärast, et tegu oli lihtsustatud variandiga, lugesin selle läbi kiiresti ja vaimustunult. Lapse ja varase teismelisena oleksin ma sellest raamatust veel suuremas vaimustuses olnud, kuna kõiksugu salakeeled ja koodid olid üheks mu huviobjektiks. Maailmasõjast on kirjutatud mitmeid raamatuid, kuid mulle meeldis just see lähenemisnurk. Naised, keda sel ajal tegelikult armeesse ega mereväkke võtta ei tahetud, tegid ära tohutu töö. Nende edust sõltusid mitmed elud.
lehc1984's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
bet27's review
3.0
Reveals the broader scope of American women serving during WWII. While the writing felt a bit scattershot for me and I had trouble keeping track of who/what/when/where, I still found it helpful to learn how many women were helping break codes in the US and what their experience of the war was.
joyfulme's review
2.0
“It was not easy being a smart girl in the 1940s. People thought you were annoying.”
The length and topic of this book is pretty daunting for 3rd or 4th graders, even if it is a young reader’s adaptation; dumbing down the writing doesn’t change this. After reading half of this edited version, my thoughts were concentrated on the decline in our country’s literacy. The text often reads as if the author is talking down to young children, and then, when the more specialized subject matter picks up, such as the vocabulary and explanations of the cryptoanalysis processes, the condescending tone cuts out and the writing seems to get clearer and less patronizing. Informal colloquialisms (such as “divvy up”) or lazy diction (the Japanese losses “were bad”) are followed by technical explanations on the enciphering of the Japanese Fleet codes. The writing style is so polarized that I often get the feeling that this was written by two authors. I imagine that the more engaging technical passages were the parts less butchered by the incompetent editor.
There is also an annoying prejudice against the norms of the 1940s.
“Women were brought into the workforce to free up men for military service. As a result, men who had been doing office work were able to ship out to work. So women were welcome, but also resented.”
What kind of logic is that?
It’s difficult to avoid prejudices in nonfiction writing but this author’s attempt to hide her feminist bullying fails. Other frequent logical fallacies include generalizations, over simplifications, and judging the past by modern sensibilities. Opposition to women in the military is represented by a singular caricatured voice, instead of presenting multiple points of view and legitimate concerns. According to the cited reports, the self-proclaimed primary motivation for a large number of women to join the Navy was the fashionable uniform. And female military recruits had low graduation rates (less than 50%) because many would quit to start families. The author paints silly images of them marching in heels and then falling backwards on their bottoms. Then the author complains that others saw these female recruits as a risk, and that their pay was not as high as the men. Can we be honest enough to admit that there is more to this particular problem of equality than men trying to keep women down? The women who did stick around and worked hard to accomplish great feats were amazing and their coworkers, male and female, acknowledged this.
The information in this book would add to conversations on women’s rights struggles, World War 2 intel and strategy, and US Military history. (Or perhaps cancel culture, hidden agendas, and the decline of American literacy?) I’m just not sure that I want my kids to use it as a secondary source on account of the writing being so inconsistent, even if we were to ignore the bias. I am willing to try the original text to see if it might be better written.
2 stars for the adaptation.
Might recommend for 10 year olds recognizing that there are parts that could go over their heads
The length and topic of this book is pretty daunting for 3rd or 4th graders, even if it is a young reader’s adaptation; dumbing down the writing doesn’t change this. After reading half of this edited version, my thoughts were concentrated on the decline in our country’s literacy. The text often reads as if the author is talking down to young children, and then, when the more specialized subject matter picks up, such as the vocabulary and explanations of the cryptoanalysis processes, the condescending tone cuts out and the writing seems to get clearer and less patronizing. Informal colloquialisms (such as “divvy up”) or lazy diction (the Japanese losses “were bad”) are followed by technical explanations on the enciphering of the Japanese Fleet codes. The writing style is so polarized that I often get the feeling that this was written by two authors. I imagine that the more engaging technical passages were the parts less butchered by the incompetent editor.
There is also an annoying prejudice against the norms of the 1940s.
“Women were brought into the workforce to free up men for military service. As a result, men who had been doing office work were able to ship out to work. So women were welcome, but also resented.”
What kind of logic is that?
It’s difficult to avoid prejudices in nonfiction writing but this author’s attempt to hide her feminist bullying fails. Other frequent logical fallacies include generalizations, over simplifications, and judging the past by modern sensibilities. Opposition to women in the military is represented by a singular caricatured voice, instead of presenting multiple points of view and legitimate concerns. According to the cited reports, the self-proclaimed primary motivation for a large number of women to join the Navy was the fashionable uniform. And female military recruits had low graduation rates (less than 50%) because many would quit to start families. The author paints silly images of them marching in heels and then falling backwards on their bottoms. Then the author complains that others saw these female recruits as a risk, and that their pay was not as high as the men. Can we be honest enough to admit that there is more to this particular problem of equality than men trying to keep women down? The women who did stick around and worked hard to accomplish great feats were amazing and their coworkers, male and female, acknowledged this.
The information in this book would add to conversations on women’s rights struggles, World War 2 intel and strategy, and US Military history. (Or perhaps cancel culture, hidden agendas, and the decline of American literacy?) I’m just not sure that I want my kids to use it as a secondary source on account of the writing being so inconsistent, even if we were to ignore the bias. I am willing to try the original text to see if it might be better written.
2 stars for the adaptation.
Might recommend for 10 year olds recognizing that there are parts that could go over their heads