Overnight Code

“Overnight Code is a must-read for anyone seeking inspiration to overcome social barriers and to shatter glass ceilings.” —Carolyn Porter, Marcel’s Letters: A Font and the Search for One Man’s Fate 

• Georgia Author of the Year Award 2022 Winner in Biography

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

Raye Montague was an ambitious little girl in segregated Little Rock. She grew to be a woman 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 persistence and perseverance when the odds against you seem insurmountable.