A Review of the Book "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

Title: Hidden Figures

Author: Margot Lee Shetterly

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Year: 2016

265 pages

From the Back: 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 labour 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 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.

Personal Thoughts: I decided to read this book because of how much I liked the movie, so I will admit that I am surprised at how little of the book is actually in the movie. My guess is that the movie creators decided that more people would be excited to watch about the space program than the aeronautics program, but that portion of this story is really just the last little bit of the book.

    That said, the disconnect between movie and book takes nothing away from the book. The narrative style made this book easy to read, often forgetting that you were reading a history book, rather than a novel. And it's always exciting to learn about the erased pieces and people of history. I am also particularly drawn to stories about mathematical geniuses, amazed at the ability of people to be able to do complicated calculations by hand that I can barely do with a calculator.

    Hidden Figures is a powerful story and Shetterly did an incredible job at representing the struggles and pain that these women experienced.