Interview with Jackie Uí Chionna, author of Queen of Codes: The Secret Life of Emily Anderson, Britain's Greatest Female Code Breaker
Jackie Uí Chionna, author of Queen of Codes: The Secret Life of Emily Anderson, Britain's Greatest Female Code Breaker recommends a fantastic flock of books! Before jumping into the interview, please check out Jackie's book:
Description from Bookshop.org:
When the history of British codebreaking is told, the story is often a men-only preserve (for example, of the top fourteen listed actors in Bletchley Park-set The Imitation Game, only one is a woman). That perception completely ignores the fact that the vast majority of codebreakers were in fact women. And foremost among them was one who is largely unknown to the public, and whose activities were a secret even to her closest contacts - Emily Anderson.
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Queen of Codes: The Secret Life of Emily Anderson, Britain's Greatest Female Code Breaker
Anderson was a leading member of British intelligence for over three decades. She played key roles in both World Wars, worked in Bletchley Park and in the Middle East, and was reckoned among the top three female codebreakers in the world. Her work coincided with her other great love - music. She is famous in musicology circles as being the first to effectively decipher the letters and diaries of Mozart and Beethoven. In 1961 Germany awarded her their highest honour, the Order of Merit First Class, completely ignorant of the fact that the interpretative skills they were honouring were the same utilised to defeat their military only a few years previously.
Secrecy was the keyword of her life, as she also had affairs with other women at a time when such was not generally accepted. That few are familiar with her name is no surprise. Even those close to her had little idea that she had such a significant role in international affairs. Now, this startling new narrative of her life, complete with new material and sources The Queen of Codes will place Emily Anderson at the forefront of great British codebreakers.
Buy On:
Easons €16.99
Bookshop.org UK £23.75
Blackwells £20.00
Waterstones £25.00
Q. Do you have a favourite smart thinking book (and why that book)?
This Changes Everything: Capitalism Vs. the Climate by Naomi Klein is a book I must have read at least twice before the full impact of what I was reading hit home. Then I read it a third time. A terrifying yet inspirational book, which I still dip into from time to time. Essential reading for anyone who lives on our precious planet Earth.
Description from Bookshop.org:
Forget everything you think you know about global warming. It's not about carbon - it's about capitalism. The good news is that we can seize this existential crisis to transform our failed economic system and build something radically better.
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This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate
In her most provocative book yet, Naomi Klein, author of the global bestsellers The Shock Doctrine and No Logo, tackles the most profound threat humanity has ever faced: the war our economic model is waging against life on earth.
Klein exposes the myths that are clouding the climate debate.
You have been told the market will save us, when in fact the addiction to profit and growth is digging us in deeper every day. You have been told it's impossible to get off fossil fuels when in fact we know exactly how to do it - it just requires breaking every rule in the "free-market" playbook: reining in corporate power, rebuilding local economies and reclaiming our democracies.
You have also been told that humanity is too greedy and selfish to rise to this challenge. In fact, all around the world, the fight back for the next economy is already succeeding in ways both surprising and inspiring.
Climate change, Klein argues, is a civilizational wake-up call, a powerful message delivered in the language of fires, floods, storms, and droughts. Confronting it is no longer about changing the light bulbs. It's about changing the world - before the world changes so drastically that no one is safe.
Either we leap - or we sink.
Once a decade, Naomi Klein writes a book that redefines its era. No Logo did so for globalization. The Shock Doctrine changed the way we think about austerity. This Changes Everything is about to upend the debate about the stormy era already upon us.
Buy On:
Easons €10.49
Bookshop.org UK £14.24
Bookshop.org US $18.59
Blackwells £16.46
Waterstones £14.99
Wordery $22.66
Q. What's the most recent smart thinking book you've read (and how would you rate it)?
The book I enjoyed enormously was Why does Daddy always look so sad? by Jude Morrow. Teaching History at university level I regularly come across students with ASD, and I always try to understand where they are coming from. I have read quite a few books on the subject at this stage, but I have to say that as a mother myself, this was the one which really provided the clearest and most inspiring insight. I loved it, on so many levels, and it will definitely impact on my teaching going forward.
Description from Bookshop.org:
Why Does Daddy Always Look So Sad? is a poignant and honest memoir detailing Jude Morrow's journey to parenthood, and how his autism profoundly affected that journey, for both better and worse, bringing hope to all who live with autism as well as those who care for someone on the spectrum.
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Why Does Daddy Always Look So Sad?
I knew that Jupiter has seventy-nine known moons and where the swimming pool was located on the Titanic, yet I didn't know how to connect with this beautiful child who called me "Daddy."
Why Does Daddy Always Look So Sad? is a candid view of life and love through the eyes of an autistic adult--who went from being a nonverbal and aggressive child to a hard working and responsible father to a non-autistic son.
Growing up autistic, Jude Morrow faced immense challenges and marginalization, but he was able to successfully--though not without difficulty--finish university and transition into a successful career and eventually parenthood. Those with autism can have difficulty understanding the world around them and can find it hard to find their voice, but in this poignant and honest memoir, Jude defiantly uses his found voice to break down the misconceptions and societal beliefs surrounding autism, bringing hope to all who live with autism as well as those who care for someone on the spectrum. Jude views his autism as a gift to be shared, not a burden to be pitied, and as he demonstrates through his honest recollections and observations, autistic people's lives can be every bit as happy and fulfilling as those not on the spectrum.
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Bookshop.org US $14.99
Blackwells £12.70
Waterstones £12.99
Wordery $18.22
Q. Do you have a favourite childhood book?
I wasn't a great reader as a young child, but I do recall reading Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte as a twelve year old, and being completely blown away by it. I then read all the Bronte sisters' books in the course of one summer. That was pretty much it - thereafter I became, and have remained, a committed reader.
Description from Bookshop.org:
In a house haunted by memories, the past is everywhere ...
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Wuthering Heights
As darkness falls, a man caught in a snowstorm is forced to shelter at the strange, grim house Wuthering Heights. It is a place he will never forget. There he will come to learn the story of Cathy: how she was forced to choose between her well-meaning husband and the dangerous man she had loved since she was young. How her choice led to betrayal and terrible revenge - and continues to torment those in the present. How love can transgress authority, convention, even death.
Buy On:
Easons €20.99
Bookshop.org UK £16.14
Bookshop.org US $14.87
Blackwells £13.99
Waterstones £16.99
Wordery $18.30
Q. Do you prefer reading on paper, Kindle or listening to an audiobook?
Paper all the way! I am never without a book in my bag. I did try kindle, but it never felt like the same immediate experience to me.
Q. Do you have a favourite bookshop (and why that shop)?
Charlie Byrne's Bookshop in my home city of Galway in the west of Ireland. It is one of those old-style bookshops where the staff allow you to browse and are all so incredibly informed on the books on the shelves, and can make recommendations for any literary genre. They know me well at this stage, and know my reading preferences, so I always feel at home there.
Many thanks & míle buíochas to Jackie for recommending a fantastic flock of books! Please don't forget to check out Queen of Codes: The Secret Life of Emily Anderson, Britain's Greatest Female Code Breaker.
Daryl
Image Copyrights: Headline Publishing Group (Queen of Codes), Penguin Books Ltd (This Changes Everything, Wuthering Heights), Beyond Words Publishing (Why does Daddy Always Look So Sad?).
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