Breaking the Code: A Daughter's Journey into Her Father's Secret War by Karen Fisher-Alaniz

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.

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.

I gave this book 3 coffee cups out of 5.

 to purchase: B&N
 author's website: Karen Fisher-Alaniz