Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly

Book Details:

Pages: 349

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

Released: December 6th 2016

Synopsis:

Set against the backdrop of the Jim Crow South and the civil rights movement, the never-before-told true story of NASA’s African-American female mathematicians who played a crucial role in America’s space program—and whose contributions have been unheralded, until now. Before John Glenn orbited the Earth or Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, a group of professionals worked as “Human Computers,” calculating the flight paths that would enable these historic achievements. Among these were a coterie of bright, talented African-American women. Segregated from their white counterparts by Jim Crow laws, these “colored computers,” as they were known, used slide rules, adding machines, and pencil and paper to support America’s fledgling aeronautics industry, and helped write the equations that would launch rockets, and astronauts, into space. Drawing on the oral histories of scores of these “computers,” personal recollections, interviews with NASA executives and engineers, archival documents, correspondence, and reporting from the era, Hidden Figures recalls America’s greatest adventure and NASA’s groundbreaking successes through the experiences of five spunky, courageous, intelligent, determined, and patriotic women: Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, Christine Darden, and Gloria Champine. Moving from World War II through NASA’s golden age, touching on the civil rights era, the Space Race, the Cold War, and the women’s rights movement, Hidden Figures interweaves a rich history of scientific achievement and technological innovation with the intimate stories of five women whose work forever changed the world—and whose lives show how out of one of America’s most painful histories came one of its proudest moments.

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Review:

I must start by congratulating Katherine Johnson for all of the amazing hard work she has done! You are an inspiration, fearless, strong, incredibly smart, and are so passionate about your work. You showed that it doesn't matter your ethnicity, gender, or your background. You could have lived in an abusive home, have a poor family, be bullied, and put into horrible living conditions, but you still have an opportunity to make the best of it and push yourself to achieve your goals. No matter how crazy they may seem to others or yourself, you have to have faith. You have to get a good education and most importantly have a strong connection with family and friends. Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, Christine Darden, and Gloria Champine you are all such remarkable women. It is a shame that until this book was published, and the movie adaptation was released many in the world did not know you existed or made such important contributions to our history. This is a story everyone must hear! It will move you, it will surprise you, it will frustrate you and it will inspire you. This book had its slow parts, but overall it was amazing to read about these women journey at NASA. I mean how cool is that. The book incorporates the history that coincides with the stories moving from WWII and aviation research to the Cold War and the Space Race. The book focuses a lot on the Civil Rights Movement and the push to end school segregation. At the onset of the story, the black mathematicians are forced to work on the west side of the Langley campus until the 60s when integration occurs. The movie adaptation was also so moving and stayed true to the novel. I can't wait to get a physical copy!

4 stars