A riveting true-life adventure story combining brains, courage, and heart.
A meticulous accounting of the marathon race to crack the military code the Germans thought was unbreakable.
The story begins 10 years before the start of World War II, when the German Embassy demanded the immediate return of a box accidentally mailed to the customs office in Warsaw. Intrigued, Polish intelligence officers dismantled, examined, and reassembled the machine inside before doing so. It was an Enigma machine, a new device for encrypting German military transmissions. Now the Poles had seen the secret machine. A few years later, a German spy sold the French information on how Enigma operated. But the machine could be set in an astronomical number of ways. Alan Turing, a genius British cryptographer working at Bletchley Park, invented the bombe, a machine designed to test the different possibilities. But actually breaking Enigma required code books recovered by British naval officers searching captured German ships—as well as the labor of thousands of enlisted women from the Women’s Royal Navy Service who ran the actual bombes. Their grueling cooperative efforts are estimated to have shortened the war by three years. It’s an engrossing, complex story, and Barone tells it exceptionally well, with a fluidity and clarity that bely the number of people, not to say countries, involved. Historic photographs illustrate the account, and an epilogue tells what happened to the major players after the war.
A riveting true-life adventure story combining brains, courage, and heart. (author’s note, map, timeline, bibliography, endnotes) (Nonfiction. 10-16)Pub Date: Oct. 25, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-81420-3
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A remarkable, inspiring story of steadfast courage and irrepressible determination.
In this young reader’s adaptation of his memoir, Settle (with Rearden: Never Quit: From Alaskan Wilderness Rescues to Afghanistan Firefights as an Elite Special Ops PJ, 2017) recounts the extraordinarily challenging process of becoming a pararescue jumper.
From humble beginnings as the son of a single mother who was a recovering addict, Settle enrolled at the U.S. Naval Academy, where he was diagnosed with a heart condition. Although corrected by surgery, it ended his dream of becoming a Navy Seal, and rather than completing his education and pursuing another career path, he chose to drop out. Returning home to Alaska and working in a shoe store, Settle was inspired by a friend to become a PJ, spending a year conditioning himself to successfully complete the Alaska team’s Physical Ability and Stamina Test, the most difficult in the nation. Settle recounts in vivid detail his experiences in basic training at “Superman School” and its punishing physical demands. Additional specialized training in parachuting, survival skills, and diving, not to mention EMT training and paramedic school, prepared him for deployment to Afghanistan. There, he recovered from being shot in the head, going on to save the lives of others, with the final few chapters offering intense scenes of battlefield trauma. The rapid-fire pace and nonstop action will maintain the interest of those who appreciate military stories.
A remarkable, inspiring story of steadfast courage and irrepressible determination. (Nonfiction. 12-16)Pub Date: Oct. 30, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-250-13961-0
Page Count: 304
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Review Posted Online: June 25, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018
Meticulous research and lively anecdotes combine to provide a powerful volume of social history.
The history of a travel guide for African Americans that reflected far more than just issues of mobility for its users.
From 1936 to 1966, the Green Book was a successful guide supporting Black people traveling during a time of segregation. Its creator, letter carrier Victor Green, creatively developed his publication into a wide-ranging product that stood out from similar guides of the era. As the automobile became ubiquitous, African Americans sought guidance about establishments that would accept their business and where they could be safe. Discriminatory practices were common around the U.S., so Green expanded his coverage to include most of the country. The Green Book also served as a way to promote Black businesses. Following World War II, it highlighted historically Black colleges where returning veterans, denied admission to predominantly White institutions, could use the GI Bill for education. From 1949 to 1957, Green’s Reservation Bureau initiative supported customers with navigating international travel. Taylor has skillfully adapted her acclaimed 2020 adult title for teens into a smooth, readable volume that provides context for the rise of Black travel guides and the societal changes that Green and his wife, Alma, responded to. Her insights into the significance of the Green Book for women are fascinating, as is the compelling look at the costs and benefits of integration for Black Americans. Numerous images greatly enhance the text.
Meticulous research and lively anecdotes combine to provide a powerful volume of social history. (notes, bibliography, image credits, index) (Nonfiction. 12-16)Pub Date: Jan. 25, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-4197-4949-0
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
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