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Breaking the Code: A Father's Secret, a Daughter's Journey, and the Question That Changed Everything
On his 81st birthday, without explanation, Karen Alaniz's father placed two weathered notebooks on her lap. Inside were more than 400 pages of letters he'd written to his parents during WWII. She began reading them, and the more she read, the more she discovered about the man she never knew and the secret role he played in WWII.
They began to meet for lunch every week, for her to ask him questions, and him to provide the answers. And with painful memories now at the forefront of his thoughts, her father began to suffer, making their meetings as much about healing as discovery. Thus began an unintended journey—one taken by a father and daughter who thought they knew each other—as they became newly bound in ways that transcended age and time.
They began to meet for lunch every week, for her to ask him questions, and him to provide the answers. And with painful memories now at the forefront of his thoughts, her father began to suffer, making their meetings as much about healing as discovery. Thus began an unintended journey—one taken by a father and daughter who thought they knew each other—as they became newly bound in ways that transcended age and time.
316 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
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733 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
December 26, 2011
I saw this book on the GR First Reads giveways and was instantly intrigued and signed up for it. And then the next day, I was at the library, and it was sitting there prominently displayed. So I got it, and I'm glad I did. I would still love to own a copy of this book!
It's a much easier read than I was expecting, and still really interesting as the story progresses. And it's a TRUE story, which makes it all that more interesting!
The author, Karen, tells the story of how she learned about her father's contributions during World War II. Growing up, she had known he was in the war, but didn't know much about what he did and was often too busy with her own life to really care to listen. As her father ages, he begins having night terrors and showing signs of PTSD, and she begins to question what may have happened to him during the war. To answer her questions, rather than talk to her about it (which he is very uncomfortable doing at first), he gives her a big stack of letters that he had written to his mother while he was in the service.
That's the best part of this book -- reading the letters first-hand and seeing the photographs he sent along with them. And it's especially interesting when we learn more about his story and see which parts of it he wrote about in his letters, and which parts he never mentions at all. It was also interesting to see how the military guys were able to turn a war situation into something tolerable with their little games, friendships and outings.
I also learned a lot about how the war affected normal people at the time. Tales of rationing, of women drawing seams on their legs with eyeliner because the panty hose that were "in style" were extremely difficult to find, of how the mail worked, of how people kept themselves busy until their sons, brothers and fathers came home...
Overall, it was a quick and informative read. It's not the best written stuff, but then when he was writing the letters he wasn't intending them for a public audience. And Karen isn't really an author -- she's just a daughter who wanted to get to know her father better and was really amazed by what she learned. I'm glad they decided to share this story with the world.
It's a much easier read than I was expecting, and still really interesting as the story progresses. And it's a TRUE story, which makes it all that more interesting!
The author, Karen, tells the story of how she learned about her father's contributions during World War II. Growing up, she had known he was in the war, but didn't know much about what he did and was often too busy with her own life to really care to listen. As her father ages, he begins having night terrors and showing signs of PTSD, and she begins to question what may have happened to him during the war. To answer her questions, rather than talk to her about it (which he is very uncomfortable doing at first), he gives her a big stack of letters that he had written to his mother while he was in the service.
That's the best part of this book -- reading the letters first-hand and seeing the photographs he sent along with them. And it's especially interesting when we learn more about his story and see which parts of it he wrote about in his letters, and which parts he never mentions at all. It was also interesting to see how the military guys were able to turn a war situation into something tolerable with their little games, friendships and outings.
I also learned a lot about how the war affected normal people at the time. Tales of rationing, of women drawing seams on their legs with eyeliner because the panty hose that were "in style" were extremely difficult to find, of how the mail worked, of how people kept themselves busy until their sons, brothers and fathers came home...
Overall, it was a quick and informative read. It's not the best written stuff, but then when he was writing the letters he wasn't intending them for a public audience. And Karen isn't really an author -- she's just a daughter who wanted to get to know her father better and was really amazed by what she learned. I'm glad they decided to share this story with the world.
July 20, 2016
This is probably more like one and a half stars, but as always, that's just my personal opinion of the book. I feel bad about writing too negative of a review; there's nothing terribly wrong with it per se, and I feel like maybe it's not my place to judge how this woman interacts with her father and writes about it, so I'll just say that it's just not for me. This book/author is like the nice neighbor down the street; you're friendly and say hi and send a Christmas card but you have nothing in common. Mostly because she's conservative and churchy and probably always talks about her perfect kids and you're a cynical godless pinko. But, yeah, lots of my inlaws would like this.
It had enough details about WWII through the letters that I stayed interested. It's a super quick read. Didn't care much for the parts in between the letters, but I sort of forgot how interesting WWII is to read about. Most of what I've read in the past has dealt with the European theater, so it was interesting to read a bit about Hawaii. And I love reading letters. So much.
It had enough details about WWII through the letters that I stayed interested. It's a super quick read. Didn't care much for the parts in between the letters, but I sort of forgot how interesting WWII is to read about. Most of what I've read in the past has dealt with the European theater, so it was interesting to read a bit about Hawaii. And I love reading letters. So much.
August 6, 2016
Karen Fisher-Alaniz told the story of her father's WWII experience with such honesty and sincerity, it took my breath away. It speaks of a generation quickly disappearing often leaving their stories untold and, worse, unasked for. Men (and women) returned home from "the war" with the simple desire to get their lives back, to resume where they were before going off to Europe, the Pacific or wherever they were sent. Many didn't speak of their experiences. Many were never asked. I'm sure there were a lot of letters sent home and kept by mothers waiting for their sons and husbands to return. Kept "just in case". The message here is find the letters left behind, speak to your parents about their experiences, appreciate our returning vets. They deserve it. I received this book a free through Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
February 2, 2012
The couple low ratings are somewhat surprising to me. I know that's to be expected with any book but I liked this to the point that I'm not sure I can get rid of it. (I swap my books when I'm finished 99% of the time.)
I think maybe people expected this to be mostly about the authors fathers past and while that plays a big part the dynamics of how this book came to be also plays a big part. Personally I found all of it interesting. The authors father, as a person, is obviously an interesting person and what's happened in his life only adds to that as his stores show.
Luckily Karen Fisher-Alaniz can write. So many times I pick up a first book by an author (especially non-fiction and especially, especially when it's about a past or present family matter) and the writer has this story they want to get out but they cannot write. There's not much worse than a good story written poorly.
That's not the case here at all. At all. I was finished in about two days if I remember right and that's because I didn't want to put to down.
I'd recommend reading through the reviews, maybe trying to find a sample, before just diving in. It's not for everyone. If history and/or personal family matters has never interested you for instance you probably won't get too into this. If those topics are some of your favorites you may very well love this.
I loved the photos and excerpts - that really brings it all home. I don't think the book would have been the same without them.
I wouldn't mind reading something else by the author - I think she could take a time period in our history and write a book after researching points and with how she writes, I think it'd have a good chance of being a winner.
I'm glad I found and won this on FirstReads. I still don't know if I'll regret swapping it so for now I'll be holding on to it.
I think maybe people expected this to be mostly about the authors fathers past and while that plays a big part the dynamics of how this book came to be also plays a big part. Personally I found all of it interesting. The authors father, as a person, is obviously an interesting person and what's happened in his life only adds to that as his stores show.
Luckily Karen Fisher-Alaniz can write. So many times I pick up a first book by an author (especially non-fiction and especially, especially when it's about a past or present family matter) and the writer has this story they want to get out but they cannot write. There's not much worse than a good story written poorly.
That's not the case here at all. At all. I was finished in about two days if I remember right and that's because I didn't want to put to down.
I'd recommend reading through the reviews, maybe trying to find a sample, before just diving in. It's not for everyone. If history and/or personal family matters has never interested you for instance you probably won't get too into this. If those topics are some of your favorites you may very well love this.
I loved the photos and excerpts - that really brings it all home. I don't think the book would have been the same without them.
I wouldn't mind reading something else by the author - I think she could take a time period in our history and write a book after researching points and with how she writes, I think it'd have a good chance of being a winner.
I'm glad I found and won this on FirstReads. I still don't know if I'll regret swapping it so for now I'll be holding on to it.
December 10, 2011
This book impacted me in a very strong and personal way. PTSD is something that I have become very familar with as I am the wife of a disabled veteran. I found this to be a very real, touching and highly emotional read. It was comforting to turn the pages and learn there are so many other people in the world that also are affected by war and tragedy, and sometimes suffer in silence. I love how real this story is, I love how honest the author is, and I think this book will help so many other people on their healing journeys.
In my opinion EVERYONE should read this book.
In my opinion EVERYONE should read this book.
March 1, 2017
Why was her father suffering from PTSD if he only had a desk job during WWII? Daughter Karen forges a closer relationship with her reticent father through pushing him to tell stories about his service in WWII. Somewhat slow but well-written and beautifully done with personal WWII photos and scans of letters, postcards, documents, and bits of ephemera. Readers will live through Karen’s journey of discovery, hoping to find a happy ending for her father.
December 10, 2011
This book has drawn me into the depths of a personal heart-touching story from a collection of 400 letters which have been put together over a long period of time from the days of WWII.
The author had a hard job of transcribing these letters, due to the fact they were written at night, with very little light, and not at a desk, but within bed which made the handwriting, with small letters, hard to interpret.
The author had a hard job of transcribing these letters, due to the fact they were written at night, with very little light, and not at a desk, but within bed which made the handwriting, with small letters, hard to interpret.
May 6, 2024
Fisher-Alaniz grew up knowing about her father’s experience in the Navy during World War II—to a point. She knew he had served, she knew he hadn’t been in a combat position, and she knew he told the same sanitized stories over and over again. But on his 81st birthday, that changed: he handed her, without explanation, the notebooks full of letters that his mother had saved, letters that he had written while deployed in Hawaii. And as she dug deeper and deeper into these letters, Fisher-Alaniz started to see just how much more complex his experience had been than she had understood.
The story is told in something of a back-and-forth style: a few of Fisher-Alaniz’s father’s letters from the 1940s, then some of the more contemporary story, with Fisher-Alaniz and her father (whom I’ll refer to as Fisher) having lunch and digging, carefully, into more memories that her father would have preferred not to probe too deeply. It shouldn’t surprise anyone who has read the title that his work involved code-breaking, which was considered such secret and classified work that—to say nothing of the silence born of trauma—he simply locked those memories away for decade after decade.
The letters are fantastic. Letter-writing is rapidly becoming a lost art (someone less than ten years my junior recently told me that they’ve never sent a postcard and aren’t even sure how sending one works—do you need a stamp? etc.—which broke my brain a little), but when Fisher was away at war, he sent long, chatty letters that, well, sound straight out of the 1940s. It is strange to him, decades later, that his mother kept these letters and that his daughter would want to read them, but from my 2024 perspective of course his mother kept them (they’re vivid and full of personality, and when he was writing them she didn’t know if he’d come home alive), and of course his daughter wanted to keep reading once she’d started.
The contemporary sections are quite a lot flatter. They’re important to the story, because the story is not just about what Fisher did during the war but about how the two of them, driven by Fisher-Alaniz, started to uncover and unpack those experiences. The writing is serviceable, but—maybe partly because Fisher found so much of the war so hard to talk about—those sections feel more like scaffolding than like fully engaging story.
This has been on my TBR for years, and I’m very glad to have finally read it, even with reservations about the execution.
The story is told in something of a back-and-forth style: a few of Fisher-Alaniz’s father’s letters from the 1940s, then some of the more contemporary story, with Fisher-Alaniz and her father (whom I’ll refer to as Fisher) having lunch and digging, carefully, into more memories that her father would have preferred not to probe too deeply. It shouldn’t surprise anyone who has read the title that his work involved code-breaking, which was considered such secret and classified work that—to say nothing of the silence born of trauma—he simply locked those memories away for decade after decade.
The letters are fantastic. Letter-writing is rapidly becoming a lost art (someone less than ten years my junior recently told me that they’ve never sent a postcard and aren’t even sure how sending one works—do you need a stamp? etc.—which broke my brain a little), but when Fisher was away at war, he sent long, chatty letters that, well, sound straight out of the 1940s. It is strange to him, decades later, that his mother kept these letters and that his daughter would want to read them, but from my 2024 perspective of course his mother kept them (they’re vivid and full of personality, and when he was writing them she didn’t know if he’d come home alive), and of course his daughter wanted to keep reading once she’d started.
The contemporary sections are quite a lot flatter. They’re important to the story, because the story is not just about what Fisher did during the war but about how the two of them, driven by Fisher-Alaniz, started to uncover and unpack those experiences. The writing is serviceable, but—maybe partly because Fisher found so much of the war so hard to talk about—those sections feel more like scaffolding than like fully engaging story.
This has been on my TBR for years, and I’m very glad to have finally read it, even with reservations about the execution.
December 4, 2011
This is a
Reading Good Books
review.
I’ve always loved reading stories about war, may they be from history books or more personal memoirs. Two of my favorite books ever are from the military non-fiction genre. We often see it on the news; we see the boots on the ground as one “force”. But each member of that team has his own story to tell. Stories of survival, brotherhood, strength, and bravery…
Breaking the Code is a journey. A journey of a father and a daughter through memories. On his 81st birthday, Murray Fisher gives his youngest daughter, Karen (the author), notebooks filled with his letters from World War II. Karen grew up hearing her father’s stories over and over until she outgrew his tales of conflict and combat. As she began reading through and transcribing these letters, she realizes there was more to her father’s stories.
It started out as a trip down memory lane. As Karen reads her father’s letters, it paints a picture of his time in the Navy. She remembers her stories but together with the letters, she begins to appreciate them more. Then it becomes more of Karen’s journey of discovery. What really happened out there? What are the things her father hasn’t told her? What is the story behind the story?
It would have been great to see some of his family’s letters to him. One of the most touching parts was where Karen realized why her grandmother kept all of Murray’s letters in an album. It could be her last correspondence with her son. What did she write to her son? You can tell so much in what a person writes… the tone, the feeling.
It was very well-written. And honest. I loved that the most about this book. There were so much emotion. And you can tell that there is a lot of love in these pages. It is not just a war memoir… it is a personal family history.
Rating: 4/5.
Recommendation: It is a deeply touching journey of a father and daughter. If you know someone who has been through a war – WWII, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, etc. – this will definitely hit close to home.
PS: My grandfather was in the Philippine Navy. Although he did not see much combat, he had his stories. As a kid, I thought his travels were great adventures… FUN times. But as I grew older, I realized what a war is and how it affects not only the boots on the ground, but the families the men and women leave behind. I also realized that he was sugarcoating some parts of his stories for my young ears. My grandfather didn’t have letters but his stories live on in my memories. It means a lot to me that I post this today because exactly one year ago, he passed away. He is sorely missed and will never ever be forgotten.
I’ve always loved reading stories about war, may they be from history books or more personal memoirs. Two of my favorite books ever are from the military non-fiction genre. We often see it on the news; we see the boots on the ground as one “force”. But each member of that team has his own story to tell. Stories of survival, brotherhood, strength, and bravery…
Breaking the Code is a journey. A journey of a father and a daughter through memories. On his 81st birthday, Murray Fisher gives his youngest daughter, Karen (the author), notebooks filled with his letters from World War II. Karen grew up hearing her father’s stories over and over until she outgrew his tales of conflict and combat. As she began reading through and transcribing these letters, she realizes there was more to her father’s stories.
It started out as a trip down memory lane. As Karen reads her father’s letters, it paints a picture of his time in the Navy. She remembers her stories but together with the letters, she begins to appreciate them more. Then it becomes more of Karen’s journey of discovery. What really happened out there? What are the things her father hasn’t told her? What is the story behind the story?
It would have been great to see some of his family’s letters to him. One of the most touching parts was where Karen realized why her grandmother kept all of Murray’s letters in an album. It could be her last correspondence with her son. What did she write to her son? You can tell so much in what a person writes… the tone, the feeling.
It was very well-written. And honest. I loved that the most about this book. There were so much emotion. And you can tell that there is a lot of love in these pages. It is not just a war memoir… it is a personal family history.
Rating: 4/5.
Recommendation: It is a deeply touching journey of a father and daughter. If you know someone who has been through a war – WWII, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, etc. – this will definitely hit close to home.
PS: My grandfather was in the Philippine Navy. Although he did not see much combat, he had his stories. As a kid, I thought his travels were great adventures… FUN times. But as I grew older, I realized what a war is and how it affects not only the boots on the ground, but the families the men and women leave behind. I also realized that he was sugarcoating some parts of his stories for my young ears. My grandfather didn’t have letters but his stories live on in my memories. It means a lot to me that I post this today because exactly one year ago, he passed away. He is sorely missed and will never ever be forgotten.
November 23, 2011
I hate to admit this because it will make me seem hard-hearted but I have never really been all that patriotic. I don't attend Veteran's Day activities; I don't lay wreaths at Memorial Day; I've never attended a Veteran's Day parade; no American flags fly in my yard. I suppose it is because no war has ever touched my life. None of my family members ever served in the service and I know no one who has ever been in a war or battle. While I have often read war stories and shuddered at the brutality of war, none of them ever really touched me in a personal way.
Until this story.
Breaking the Code is the true story of a daughter who finds a connection to her father through his memories of war. One day, out of the blue, the father hands his daughter two notebooks full of letters that he wrote home during the war. While she had heard all these stories as a child, she really didn't appreciate the significance of them.
As she reads more, the full story of her father emerges and she, as well as the reader, is astonished to discover what he went through and what a true hero he is and was all along. That is the real power of this book--to look beyond the age of a person and validate the experiences they bring to our lives. This intergenerational story will have you looking beyond the wrinkles and familiarity when you gaze at your parents and grandparents and will make you wonder what amazing and wondrous stories have you been missing all these years?
This is also a story for all Veterans and their families and serves as a reminder of the validation they need after returning to American soil. Even though they return to a normal life, those painful and nightmarish memories still stay inside, bottled up. This book helped me to realize that those sacrifices of war and service last long after any battles have ended.
It is also a story of PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) and brings home how it can affect soldiers and their families years later; how one event can haunt and affect families. In the end, this book is a plea to not forget our Veterans and to remember and celebrate their service.
Until this story.
Breaking the Code is the true story of a daughter who finds a connection to her father through his memories of war. One day, out of the blue, the father hands his daughter two notebooks full of letters that he wrote home during the war. While she had heard all these stories as a child, she really didn't appreciate the significance of them.
As she reads more, the full story of her father emerges and she, as well as the reader, is astonished to discover what he went through and what a true hero he is and was all along. That is the real power of this book--to look beyond the age of a person and validate the experiences they bring to our lives. This intergenerational story will have you looking beyond the wrinkles and familiarity when you gaze at your parents and grandparents and will make you wonder what amazing and wondrous stories have you been missing all these years?
This is also a story for all Veterans and their families and serves as a reminder of the validation they need after returning to American soil. Even though they return to a normal life, those painful and nightmarish memories still stay inside, bottled up. This book helped me to realize that those sacrifices of war and service last long after any battles have ended.
It is also a story of PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) and brings home how it can affect soldiers and their families years later; how one event can haunt and affect families. In the end, this book is a plea to not forget our Veterans and to remember and celebrate their service.
December 27, 2011
Breaking the Code takes readers on a journey as the author makes her way through her father's letters and discovers the secret he has kept from her for so many years. In the latter part of WWII, Mr. Fisher received training to copy a code called Katakana based on the Japanese language. The Japanese used this code during the war to transmit secret messages, and the United States military managed to intercept the code and use trained code-breaking teams to copy, analyze, and forward the code to their superiors.
The stress of their work weighed heavily on Mr. Fisher and his colleagues, but they followed their orders. They never spoke of their work--not even to one another. And that silence became an integral part of Mr. Fisher's personality, as Karen realizes in the reading of her father's letters.
The letters spark conversations between father and daughter, conversations neither of them had ever had. More importantly, the conversations give Mr. Fisher a chance to share, slowly and painfully, bit by small bit, his experiences with his daughter and the important part he played in WWII. And eventually Mr. Fisher reveals another secret, one that shocks his daughter.
Ms. Fisher-Alaniz's story compels readers to keep going as she details her father's emotional struggle with his memories of the war. Unlike a novel this memoir has no neat ending, and it serves as a somber reminder of the hefty price our servicemen and servicewomen pay to do their job well. The title, too, captures the essence of Mr. Fisher's story: his work to break the code of the Japanese; his efforts to break the code of silence to which he swore himself decades earlier; and his struggle to break the code of the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that now haunts him.
I highly recommend this book for all readers. Those with a family member in the armed services will appreciate the homage this book pays to our military. Those who don't personally know anyone in the military need to know how hard our military members work, not just during their active duty but for their entire lives.
The stress of their work weighed heavily on Mr. Fisher and his colleagues, but they followed their orders. They never spoke of their work--not even to one another. And that silence became an integral part of Mr. Fisher's personality, as Karen realizes in the reading of her father's letters.
The letters spark conversations between father and daughter, conversations neither of them had ever had. More importantly, the conversations give Mr. Fisher a chance to share, slowly and painfully, bit by small bit, his experiences with his daughter and the important part he played in WWII. And eventually Mr. Fisher reveals another secret, one that shocks his daughter.
Ms. Fisher-Alaniz's story compels readers to keep going as she details her father's emotional struggle with his memories of the war. Unlike a novel this memoir has no neat ending, and it serves as a somber reminder of the hefty price our servicemen and servicewomen pay to do their job well. The title, too, captures the essence of Mr. Fisher's story: his work to break the code of the Japanese; his efforts to break the code of silence to which he swore himself decades earlier; and his struggle to break the code of the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that now haunts him.
I highly recommend this book for all readers. Those with a family member in the armed services will appreciate the homage this book pays to our military. Those who don't personally know anyone in the military need to know how hard our military members work, not just during their active duty but for their entire lives.
October 27, 2011
The cover of the book calls it a memoir, but it is much more than that.
It is a story about relationships—the relationship of a father and daughter, the relationships of a man at war and his far-away family, the relationship of two sailors who knew little about each other but who were tied by a bond stronger than time.
The book is also a revealing picture of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a relentless and unpredictable enemy of warriors in conflicts past and present. The disorder may show itself immediately after a traumatic event, or it may stay hidden for fifty years, as it did in the case of Karen’s father, Murray Fisher.
Although not written as history, Breaking the Code puts the reader in World War II from a perspective that most of today’s generation have never experienced.
The story reads like a novel as the author tries to unravel the mystery of her father’s past and the secrets he has kept for half a century.
Breaking the Code is a quick and easy read, but the author’s dedication to helping her father, her father’s service to his country, and her mother’s love and faith will touch readers’ hearts
I highly recommend this book to anyone who cares about family and relationships, people interested in World War II history, those wanting to know more about PTSD, and readers who enjoy mysteries.
It is a story about relationships—the relationship of a father and daughter, the relationships of a man at war and his far-away family, the relationship of two sailors who knew little about each other but who were tied by a bond stronger than time.
The book is also a revealing picture of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a relentless and unpredictable enemy of warriors in conflicts past and present. The disorder may show itself immediately after a traumatic event, or it may stay hidden for fifty years, as it did in the case of Karen’s father, Murray Fisher.
Although not written as history, Breaking the Code puts the reader in World War II from a perspective that most of today’s generation have never experienced.
The story reads like a novel as the author tries to unravel the mystery of her father’s past and the secrets he has kept for half a century.
Breaking the Code is a quick and easy read, but the author’s dedication to helping her father, her father’s service to his country, and her mother’s love and faith will touch readers’ hearts
I highly recommend this book to anyone who cares about family and relationships, people interested in World War II history, those wanting to know more about PTSD, and readers who enjoy mysteries.
November 12, 2011
Breaking the Code is a wonderful true story of a daughter’s quest to transcribe WWII letters written by her father. What started out as a gift to her children, became a journey of learning, healing, self-discovery, bonding and understanding.
I enjoyed this book immensely. It was told in first person by Karen, the daughter of Murray Fisher. She speaks in a no-nonsense way that keeps you turning the pages. The book contains Murray’s letters, postcards, photos, and some official documents. For war and history buffs, this is a rare look into the daily life of a Navy solider during the war.
I found the places, activities and Fisher’s job(s) during the war to be very interesting. Karen Fisher-Alaniz offers us a rare glimpse into a very special, humble man and his struggle to deal with the memories. Breaking the Code was an emotional journey, and I found myself laughing and crying. I recommend this to all.
This would make the perfect holiday gift for anyone on your list.
I want to thank netGalley and Sourcebooks for this ARC, in exchange for my unbiased review.
You can see more of my review on my blog:
http://kimbathecaffeinatedbookreviewe...
https://www.facebook.com/kimbathecaff...
I enjoyed this book immensely. It was told in first person by Karen, the daughter of Murray Fisher. She speaks in a no-nonsense way that keeps you turning the pages. The book contains Murray’s letters, postcards, photos, and some official documents. For war and history buffs, this is a rare look into the daily life of a Navy solider during the war.
I found the places, activities and Fisher’s job(s) during the war to be very interesting. Karen Fisher-Alaniz offers us a rare glimpse into a very special, humble man and his struggle to deal with the memories. Breaking the Code was an emotional journey, and I found myself laughing and crying. I recommend this to all.
This would make the perfect holiday gift for anyone on your list.
I want to thank netGalley and Sourcebooks for this ARC, in exchange for my unbiased review.
You can see more of my review on my blog:
http://kimbathecaffeinatedbookreviewe...
https://www.facebook.com/kimbathecaff...
March 7, 2012
The premise of this book, a daughter discovering the extent of her elderly father's service in WWII through conversations prompted by his wartime letters home, seemed promising. The thesis, that even decades later, veterans can have serious issues and still be seeking closure, and that we ought to listen to and honor them, is admirable and heartfelt. Unfortunately, however lovely of a daughter she is, our author is not that great a writer. This could have been written by an average college freshman. She didn't do much investigating, little to flesh out either the past or the present to make them feel alive or vibrant, and overall wrote with little style or sophistication. It wasn't unpleasant to read, exactly. But, while it is clear that our author loves, respects, and empathizes with her father's long-buried issues from the war, she doesn't expand on them enough to bring us into those feelings with her. She could have expanded on the historical backdrop, the psychological implications, the nature of memory, somethings to make this story important to people who've never met her father. Ultimately, she lacks the gift to bring us into her family's world and make her story matter the way it probably deserves.
March 2, 2013
Oh how badly I feel rating this so low, as it's an important memoir for the author. But that's exactly the problem I felt....it was too self-indulgent. I recognize this was about her journey with her father, not JUST about her father. But what could have been a nice longer article in a magazine was somehow expanded into being the longer book that it is, with a lot of repetitiveness....so many many pages about "what are his secrets? will I ever know? what next?" when I just wanted to scream, "Write what's next instead of wondering what's next! You're writing this book!" I didn't think we needed to know every little thought she'd had. I wanted to know about her father's thoughts. He didn't share his thoughts, which is the whole point of the book. So maybe it shouldn't have been a book. I love reading about WWII but this fell really really short. And frankly his secrets were not ground-breaking "oh my goodness WOW" kinds of secrets for the general public to read about. Important for her family, yes, but so many many soldiers experienced the secret that he did (watching a friend die). Again, I feel badly that I didn't like this more considering the important subject matter. But I just didn't get much out of it and read it in 2 hours. I was disappointed.
October 31, 2011
This book is part memoir, part family story, part family secret story. When Karen receives a packet of the letters that her father wrote his parents during his time in the military. Karen grew up very rarely hearing stories about what her father did during the war so much of his life in that time period. Karen starts doing some of her own research as well as transcribing her father's letters. She also begins meeting her father every week to ask her some of the questions that come up while she's looking through the letters.
This is a deeply moving story, made all the more moving by the fact that it's real. Through their talks, Karen and her father not only talk about her father's history but Karen begins to understand more about where her father is coming from. It was interesting to read about how Karen began doing her research on what her dad was actually doing during the war. At some points in the book, I really found myself wishing that maybe there would be a little more detail of Karen's dad's story.
Bottom line: This is a great book for fans of World War II history and family stories!
This is a deeply moving story, made all the more moving by the fact that it's real. Through their talks, Karen and her father not only talk about her father's history but Karen begins to understand more about where her father is coming from. It was interesting to read about how Karen began doing her research on what her dad was actually doing during the war. At some points in the book, I really found myself wishing that maybe there would be a little more detail of Karen's dad's story.
Bottom line: This is a great book for fans of World War II history and family stories!
July 27, 2016
A story of a daughter forging a relationship with her WWII dad, this promised to be a tear jerker by its description. Unfortunately, I found the book quite an uneven read. While the father's story was an interesting one, the author seemed to want to focus more on her own issues. While the relationship with her father is integral to the plot, it is nothing new for children of veterans and the author seems to feel she alone has overcome the "communication" obstacle. I think had the author chosen to make this a family relationship book then that may have been appropriate. However, the author chose to surround this story based on her father's activities in WWII. By doing so, she changed the feel and demeanor of the story and, unfortunately, failed to make this story come alive for me. I would have loved to hear more of her father's story but instead was pushed into reading more about her which made the book uneven and rather dissappointing in content...as if I was not given what was promised by the book cover and description. Unfortunate really, because her father obviously has a good story to tell.
ARC Galley Proof
ARC Galley Proof
March 4, 2012
If you have a combat veteran in your family, I strongly recommend this book.
If you don't have a combat veteran in your family, I strongly recommend this book.
If you care about family dynamics and relationships, I strongly recommend this book.
Breaking the Code is a wonderful story of a daughter's love for her father and how, together, they break the silence he was forced to keep for many years. This book is a memoir that reads like a fast paced novel.
Ms Fisher-Alaniz spent a great deal of time researching, and writing this story and her care and dedication comes across in a well-crafted book. Her dedication to both her father, and the story they unraveled together is without parallel. It makes me wonder what stories my father had to tell I never new to ask him.
Breaking the Code is memoir at its finest.
If you don't have a combat veteran in your family, I strongly recommend this book.
If you care about family dynamics and relationships, I strongly recommend this book.
Breaking the Code is a wonderful story of a daughter's love for her father and how, together, they break the silence he was forced to keep for many years. This book is a memoir that reads like a fast paced novel.
Ms Fisher-Alaniz spent a great deal of time researching, and writing this story and her care and dedication comes across in a well-crafted book. Her dedication to both her father, and the story they unraveled together is without parallel. It makes me wonder what stories my father had to tell I never new to ask him.
Breaking the Code is memoir at its finest.
February 7, 2012
This is a story of a daughter's attempt to learn more about her father's WWII experiences so that she can help him over the nightmares and flashbacks that have started to occur.
My cousin Archie held a role very similar to her father's, at the same time, in the same place. (In fact, he well could have been the cryptanalysis expert in her father's group.) He passed away a few years ago without telling us more than very basic information about his experiences.
I've seen a couple of reviews mentioning that this is more a story of relationships and the journey that Mrs. Fisher-Alaniz took than a history of the war, and that this quite true. That's also exactly what the back of the book promised, so I have no issues with that.
My cousin Archie held a role very similar to her father's, at the same time, in the same place. (In fact, he well could have been the cryptanalysis expert in her father's group.) He passed away a few years ago without telling us more than very basic information about his experiences.
I've seen a couple of reviews mentioning that this is more a story of relationships and the journey that Mrs. Fisher-Alaniz took than a history of the war, and that this quite true. That's also exactly what the back of the book promised, so I have no issues with that.
January 16, 2012
This memoir poses the question - do we ever truly know who are parents really are? Karen Fisher-Alaniz realizes she knows nothing of his father. Upon the gift of his war letters from home, she starts a journey of discovery learning more about herself and her father and the war he was in. Having lived her entire life under the guise that her father never truly saw action, his true pivotal roles in Iwo Jima and Hiroshima are shocking discoveries for Karen. This memoir combines mystery, intrigue, emotion, and family dynamics all exceedingly well.
I received a copy of this book as a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.
I received a copy of this book as a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.
January 6, 2012
Unfortunately, the author keeps coming back to herself. The story of her dad is interesting, and if she had only stuck to that, the book would have been a good read! As it is, she can't stop making it about her, turning what could have been a good book about a part of the war few know about, into a story of a middle class housewife communicating with her father in a totally boring way. Even the letters she chose to include are repetitive and don't really say anything new after the 3rd one. Wish I could talk to her dad and ask the questions about his code breaking - the only interesting part of the whole book which she breaks down to just a paragraph or two.
December 14, 2011
Wow. PTSD in a WWII vet. This is an interesting memoir of an adult daughter trying to decipher "what my dad did during the war" past the pat stories he had told for years. Karen was given binders of the letters her dad had written to his family while he was overseas working for Navy Intelligence. Sworn to secrecy, the poor guy never felt like he could share his experiences and they have haunted him into his 80s. The letters and the daughter's efforts to get her dad to share are interesting and informative. Fast read.
February 23, 2019
Very readable biography/ memoir of a WWII survivor written by his daughter. She writes of his experiences in WWII interwoven with the day to day experience of interviewing him at age 81. He had not really spoken much about his real difficult war experience, but. Instead told light stories of those experiences.
His mother had saved all his letters home — about 400 of them, and on his 81 st Birthday he gave the notebooks full of letters to his daughter. She spent years transcribing the letters and interviewing his father about his experience. This drew them very close together.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in biographies, memoirs, family history, World War II and families in general. It is a true story.
His mother had saved all his letters home — about 400 of them, and on his 81 st Birthday he gave the notebooks full of letters to his daughter. She spent years transcribing the letters and interviewing his father about his experience. This drew them very close together.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in biographies, memoirs, family history, World War II and families in general. It is a true story.
June 10, 2019
What I really enjoyed most about this book was that it was a surprise find that I could read aloud to my 89-year-old Dad, and that he and I both enjoyed it. He's no longer able to read on his own due to poor eyesight, so I am always on the lookout for things to read to him on my weekly or bi-weekly visits. My sister happened across this book, read it, and thought it was worth a try to read to him. He and I both enjoyed it together. It was a good book for reading aloud, and had good stopping points. It kept Dad amazingly engaged, and from week to week, he remembered where we had stopped the last time. Enjoyed the personal aspect of a soldier's WWII engagement also. As usual when I read about war, it left me grieving for those who are killed in war.
May 29, 2018
I finished reading this story last night, by a daughter about her father, a seaman in WW2, who kept a secret for over 50 years that paralyzed him with guilt and recurring nightmares. It’s a story about friendship, loss, and unacknowledged bravery. He never told anyone about his amazing contributions until his daughter started asking questions. He had never recovered from the feeling of guilt either, that he survived and his friend didn’t. Finally, in the twilight of his life, he revealed his story. By honoring his friend publicly, he achieved some measure of peace...but the PTSD never fully went away. This isn’t fine literature by any means; it’s just a simple story, but a moving one.
March 9, 2019
I give this book a 4 star. Pretty easy to read but how the author words her writing, it l’s really catching and makes you not want to put the book down. This book is based on the author’s father who was in WWII and she explains about the horror her father faces during the war Nd how much pain he suffered afterwards. It is a bit slow to read, but if you like non-fiction books and war, this may be a good book for you.
September 6, 2022
This memoir is good and it's important. Too many WWII vets never told their story so it's sad that their experiences are lost to history.
The only nitpick I have is that the big secret wasn't really that juicy. It was certainly interesting but even after it was out in the book there were a couple chapters that passed before I realized that was it. Doesn't take away from the book just a note.
The only nitpick I have is that the big secret wasn't really that juicy. It was certainly interesting but even after it was out in the book there were a couple chapters that passed before I realized that was it. Doesn't take away from the book just a note.
April 21, 2021
While I'm sure this was an important story for the author to tell, it didn't hold my interest. No real details about WW II or the specifics about what her father actually did in the war. Breaking the "Katakana" code did not sound historically accurate to me.
May 25, 2025
This book is about an experience a lot of families had, and one that some families weren’t able to have. Wonderful that the author shared the experience she went through with her father, and the peace it brought to him.
February 23, 2019
3.5 stars
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