Overnight Code: The Life of Raye Montague, the Woman Who Revolutionized Naval Engineering

The inspiring story of a groundbreaking African American woman engineer who created the first computer-designed ship for the US Navy

Overnight Code tells the story of Raye Montague, an ambitious little girl from segregated Little Rock who spent a lifetime educating herself, both inside and outside of the classroom, so that she could become the person and professional she aspired to be. Where some saw roadblocks, Montague only saw hurdles that needed to be overcome. Her mindset helped her become the first person to draft a Naval ship design by computer, using a program she worked late nights to debug. She did this as a single mother during the height of the Cold War, all the while imbuing her son with the hard-won wisdom she had accumulated throughout the years. Equal parts coming-of-age tale, civil rights history, and reflection on the power of education, Overnight Code is a tale about the persistence and perseverance required to forge the life of your dreams when the odds against you seem insurmountable, and shows how one woman refused to let other people’s prejudices stand in the way of her success.

‘In this biography of groundbreaking computer engineer and ship designer Raye Montague, Overnight Code skillfully combines the personal, the political, and the scientific to tell the powerful and inspiring story of a woman who refused to be stopped by the dual challenges of racism and sexism in the largely male, largely White world of the early days of computer science. It is an important addition to the growing genre of works that give voice to important and largely forgotten women of science.’ - Pamela D. Toler, author of Women Warriors: An Unexpected History