Breaking the Code: A Father's Secret, a Daughter's Journey, and the Question That Changed Everything

(Paperback)

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Description

On his 81st birthday, without explanation, Karen Fisher-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.

They began to meet for lunch every week, for her to ask him questions, and him to provide the answers. It was through this process that she discovered the secret role he played in WWII. Karen's father was part of a small and elite group of men who were trained to copy and break top-secret Japanese code transmitted in Katakana.

Through this journey, with painful memories now at the forefront of his thoughts, Karen's father began to suffer, making their meetings as much about healing as discovery. Thus began an unintended journeyone taken by a father and daughter who thought they knew each otheras they became newly bound in ways that transcended age and time.

Reviews

"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." -- Reading Good Books
"a story that left me covered with goosebumps time and again and eventually moved me to tears." -- JAJance.com
"engaging memoir" -- Publishers Weekly
"Breaking their own code of silence, father and daughter reach across the decades, recording an important chapter in history and forging a long-overdue personal bond." -- Booklist
"Debut memoirist Fisher-Alaniz offers a sensitive account of how she helped her war-veteran father confront a traumatic memory he had carried with him for more than 50 years. Commendable for how it breaks the silence surrounding PTSD... a genuine tale told from the heart." -- Kirkus Reviews
"Fisher-Alaniz, a Walla Walla author, writes the true story of how her relationship with her 81-year-old father changed after he gave her two weathered notebooks containing more than 400 pages of letters he'd written to his parents during World War II, letters that revealed the pivotal role he played in breaking a top-secret Japanese code." -- The Seattle Times
"I highly recommend Breaking the Code to those who want to learn more about the day-to-day life of a soldier serving in the Pacific in World War II, specifically in Honolulu. The letters relate in detail the frustration of the daily grind for a soldier left behind at base, and they stand in stark contrast to the descriptions her father gives when he eventually opens up about the trauma he suffered when he got close to the battle during his secret missions." -- At Home With Books
"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." -- A Writer's Words, An Editor's Eye
"This reviewer highly recommends 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." -- Bookpleasures.com
"This was a very heart warming and heart wrenching book." -- Bookpleasures.com

Author Bio

Karen Alaniz is an author and writer, who began the journey of writing this memoir when her father handed her a collection of letters on his 81st birthday. She lives in Walla Walla, WA.