Title: Hidden Figures
Author: Margot Lee Shetterly
Major Themes: NASA, Space Race, Cold War, Civil Rights Movement, Mathematics
Synopsis: The fascinating stories of three black women who were mathematicians that contributed to the US’ aeronautical achievements during the Space Race.
After watching the Hidden Figures movie several years ago, and subsequently realizing that it was based on a book, I knew I wanted to read the book itself one day. Recently, I came across the audiobook version of the book, and I was thrilled to be able to fit that into my reading schedule. In many ways, the book is better than the movie—it goes into much more detail about these women’s lives, and the way they contributed to history as we know it. At the same time, I’m glad I got to see the movie first; that helped me put a face to these women as I read the story!
Publisher’s description:
The phenomenal true story of the black female mathematicians at NASA whose calculations helped fuel some of America’s greatest achievements in space.
Before John Glenn orbited the earth, or Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, a group of dedicated female mathematicians known as “human computers” used pencils, slide rules, and adding machines to calculate the numbers that would launch rockets, and astronauts, into space.
Among these problem-solvers were a group of exceptionally talented African American women. Originally math teachers in the South’s segregated public schools, these gifted professionals answered Uncle Sam’s call during the labor shortages of World War II. With new jobs at the fascinating, high-energy world of the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory in Hampton, Virginia, they finally had a shot at jobs that would push their skills to the limits.
Even as Virginia’s Jim Crow laws required them to be segregated from their white counterparts, the women of Langley’s all-black “West Computing” group helped America achieve one of the things it desired most: a decisive victory over the Soviet Union in the Cold War, and complete domination of the heavens.
Starting in World War II and moving through to the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Space Race, Hidden Figures follows the interwoven accounts of Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden—four African American women who participated in some of NASA’s greatest successes. It chronicles their careers over nearly three decades as they faced challenges, forged alliances, and used their intellect to change their own lives, and their country’s future.
My thoughts:
There was a lot in this book that I appreciated. From a historical perspective, I found this book especially striking—it’s much more than just a story about some women who contributed to the Space Race! I remember my grandma talking about the Cold War, and how that affected her and my grandpa’s lives, but I never felt like I had a good grasp on how that all went down—until this book. This story also delves into the Civil Rights Movement, and how desegregation was a slow, agonizing process. And that’s just the historical side of the story! This book also spends a good amount of time giving the backstories of the main characters the story focuses on, giving a bit of a portrait of how Black families lived and worked back in the 1940s-1960s. I found that fascinating—especially to see the similarities and differences in priorities and perspectives today. Of the different elements in this book, the historical context and the way it was presented was probably my favorite part.
As much as I enjoyed the historical side of this book (and, for that reason, recommended it to many of the other readers in our family), not everything in the story set that well with me. This book is very feministic, and while I value the contribution women have made to different historical events, I struggled to read about these mothers leaving their families behind and working long hours (often overtime) for the space program to succeed. After reading the story, one of my brothers commented that this also has quite a few mentions of and leanings toward critical race theory in it; subtle, perhaps, but still there.
So—is Hidden Figures worth reading? Despite my disagreement with some of the points and perspectives in the story, I believe it is. History in school always seems to be around 50-70 years behind times, so this part of history is something I was rather unfamiliar with when I came to this book, and I feel like it’s helped to fill my knowledge in a little bit more. In some ways, this is an unusual book, because of the span of time it covers—and I appreciated that aspect. I’d recommend this book to any history enthusiast, especially if you’re interested in the beginnings of space travel or want to learn more about the Civil Rights Movement or the Cold War. Seeing those events through the eyes of the women highlighted in this story gives breadth and depth to what otherwise could become a series of dates and numbers. I enjoyed this story—more than I initially thought I might!
WARNING: The book is very feministic, and, as mentioned in the second-last paragraph, does contain some critical race theory. Chapter 1: who the hell, be damned. Chapter 4: damned. Chapter 6: damn (twice), “the animal attached to a plane” (presumably a human), speaking of Darwin’s finches as a fact. Chapter 13: man dies. Chapter 14 mentions evolution as a fact, man drinking, “caught hell”. Chapter 18: a hell of a. Chapter 19: be damned. Chapter 21: damn.
Age levels:
Reading Independently—Ages 15 and Above, Adults
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle | Hardcover | Audible Audiobook (unabridged) | MP3 CD (unabridged)
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
Leave a Reply