How did your reading go this month? Did you read something to commemorate the roles of women in history and society? In March, we focused on Women’s History Month. Are you finishing strong? Or do you still have some months to catch up on? Share in the comments!

I read our main title: Code Girls by Liza Mundy. This title had been on my to-read list for a very long time, so when I was researching what I wanted our main title to be for March, I knew I wanted Code Girls by Liza Mundy. This book tells the stories of the more than ten thousand American women who served as codebreakers during World War II. Readers learn about their efforts from before and how they came to be in their positions during the war.

With men shipping off to serve in the Armed Forces during World War II, the Unites States government realized that they needed to recruit women to serve as codebreakers. The Army and Navy were sent to small towns and colleges to recruit women to move to Washington to learn code-breaking. They didn’t know what they signing up for, just that their efforts were vital to the war effort. Their tireless work would end up shortening the war, saving lives, and eventually giving them access to careers that were denied to them previously. Code Girls was a fascinating and illuminating read telling these women’s stories that were previously unknown. A vow of secrecy forced the women to remain silent for years, basically erasing their stories from history. (Fun fact: Agnes Meyer Driscoll, known as Miss Aggie, one of the leading Navy crytanalysts, was born in Geneseo, Illinois!)

Next month, we will be reading about Arab American Heritage Month.

In addition to following the Online Reading Challenge here on our Info Cafe blog, you can join our Online Reading Challenge group on Goodreads and discuss your reads!