... a lively group biography ... Kleiman describes their technical accomplishments in clear language easy for the computer layperson to follow ... This engaging book is the culmination of her efforts to raise their profile.

... which melds social history with the major events of the second world war and the biographies of these six remarkable pioneers to produce an irresistible narrative ... because most male-written histories of this incredible invention omitted the crucial role of these women, this book marks the first time they have all received the gigantic credit they deserve.

In the history of computer programming, stories of women’s contributions are frequently untold...Kleiman spotlights one such gap in programming history here...During and after WWII, six women—Kathleen McNulty, Frances Bilas, Frances Elizabeth Snyder, Marlyn Wescoff, Ruth Lichterman, and Betty Jean Jennings—used mathematical skill and innovation to program early computing technology...Kleiman excels at capturing the pressures of working in technology during a highly stressful period in history, particularly when the results of technological trials directly impacted war efforts...At times, the focus of the narrative strays from the women, to a slight detriment of the book’s intention...However, the inclusion of direct interviews with the women and the clear passion for their stories make Proving Ground a needed and welcome addition to the shelves of computer history.

In an engaging narrative in the vein of Hidden Figures, Kleiman shares the background of each of these women as well as how they became a part of a secret U.S. Army project...During World War II, the Army hoped to increase the accuracy of its artillery, and the desktop calculators used to calculate missile trajectories were too slow...'On average,' writes the author, 'it took about thirty hours to calculate a trajectory using a desktop calculator'...As the Army’s arsenal increased, it required new firing tables and needed faster calculations...Due to their educational backgrounds and experience calculating missile trajectories using the standard method, these women were asked to participate in the programming of the ENIAC...As the author shows, despite their skills, the women still faced discrimination...In fact, in attempting to tell their stories, Kleiman received 'discriminatory pushback' herself, including being accused of writing 'revisionist history'...She persisted, however, and achieved her goal of restoring these women to their rightful place in computer history...An important and inspiring little-known narrative in modern computing history.

Law professor Kleiman recounts in her fantastic debut the vital but overlooked role six women played in the history of computers...In 1942, with the US having joined WWII and men in short supply, the Army hired young women with math backgrounds to program ENIAC to calculate missile trajectories...With no manuals to aid them, Frances Elizabeth Snyder Holberton, Betty Jean Jennings, Kathleen McNulty, Marlyn Wescoff, Frances Bilas, and Ruth Lichterman took the job...Despite harassment and discriminatory treatment, they persevered, and with their success opened up an 'electronic computing revolution' that some 'would soon call... the birth of the Information Age,' Kleiman writes...Kleiman has a novelist’s gift for crafting a page-turning narrative, and the one on offer is both revelatory and inspiring.