Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race

Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly is a glimpse into a history that never made it into the history books taught in any of my history classes. I kept thinking about how the victors write history and how that history always makes those victors the heroes while ignoring all other contributions. Shetterly examines the role of the "human computers" and particularly the black women "human computers" who were instrumental in the advancement of the United States's development of planes and eventually the space program. Shetterly writes about these mathematicians, their work, and and their lives with finesse and insight. Hidden Figures is show more an intense and beautifully written story that shatters multiple stereotypes while demonstrating the obstacles overcome as well as the opportunities embraced. Maybe someday history will truly reflect the contributions of those who are hidden behind the scenes doing the work that changes lives. Until then we need books like Hidden Figures to bring those stories to life and remind us all that our efforts have the power to contribute to the future we wish to build and that we achieve more when we work together. Hidden Figures is an inspiring, realistic portrayal of a history that is complicated and diverse but needs to be celebrated. show less

HIDDEN FIGURES was a compelling listen. I was swept into the early days of NASA and the lives of some of the Black women who labored diligently and mostly in the background to bring the United States into the space age.

Starting with World War II and the labor shortage that provided openings for bright Black women to work in the aerospace industry in Hampton, Virginia, and ending some forty years later, the accounts of the Black mathematicians who dealt with all the issues of segregation when they weren't at work was a story woven between the developments of flight and spaceflight and the gradual social changes of Black-White interactions.

I enjoyed the author's thoughts in both the Prologue and Epilogue that illuminates her journey to show more learn about the times and these extraordinary women who accomplishments were mainly hidden in the background of a burgeoning industry.

I was reminded over and over again that the adage of having to work twice as hard to get half as far was a reality for women of the time and even more so for Black women. show less

HIDDEN FIGURES was a compelling listen. I was swept into the early days of NASA and the lives of some of the Black women who labored diligently and mostly in the background to bring the United States into the space age.

Starting with World War II and the labor shortage that provided openings for bright Black women to work in the aerospace industry in Hampton, Virginia, and ending some forty years later, the accounts of the Black mathematicians who dealt with all the issues of segregation when they weren't at work was a story woven between the developments of flight and spaceflight and the gradual social changes of Black-White interactions.

I enjoyed the author's thoughts in both the Prologue and Epilogue that illuminates her journey to show more learn about the times and these extraordinary women who accomplishments were mainly hidden in the background of a burgeoning industry.

I was reminded over and over again that the adage of having to work twice as hard to get half as far was a reality for women of the time and even more so for Black women. show less

Margot Lee Shetterly’s Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race traces the women who worked first at NACA, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, that later became NASA. Their work helped develop the planes that won World War II and the rockets that won the Space Race. In addition to tracing their scientific work, Shetterly examines the women’s lives in detail, discussing the educational opportunities they pursued in order to become mathematicians and engineers. Shetterly uses her subjects’ education and work as a case-study for desegregation in education and federal offices.

Shetterly writes of postwar changes to federal offices, “Truman show more issued Executive Order 9980, sharpening the teeth of the wartime mandate that had helped bring West Area Computing into existence. The new law went further than the measure brought to life by A. Philip Randolph and President Roosevelt by making the heads of each federal department ‘personally responsible’ for maintaining a work environment free of discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, or national origin” (pg. 104). Discussing the lines of segregation, Shetterly writes, “At Langley, the boundaries were fuzzier. Blacks were ghettoed into separate bathrooms, but they had also been given an unprecedented entrée into the professional world. Some of Goble’s colleagues were Yankees or foreigners who’d never so much as met a black person before arriving at Langley. Others were folks from the Deep South with calcified attitudes about racial mixing. It was all a part of the racial relations laboratory that was Langley, and it meant that both blacks and whites were treading new ground together” (pg. 123). Shetterly points out that Southern segregation limited options for both poor whites and African-Americans. She writes, “Throughout the South, municipalities maintained two parallel inefficient school systems, which gave the short end of the stick to the poorest whites as well as blacks. The cruelty of racial prejudice was so often accompanied by absurdity, a tangle of arbitrary rules and distinctions that subverted the shared interests of people who had been taught to see themselves as irreconcilably different” (pg. 145). Further, “As fantastical as America’s space ambitions might have seemed, sending a man into space was starting to feel like a straightforward task compared to putting black and white students together in the same Virginia classrooms” (pg. 185). In this way, “Virginia, a state with one of the highest concentrations of scientific talent in the world, led the nation in denying education to its youth” (pg. 204).

Shetterly brilliantly juxtaposes both the promise of American ingenuity and the cultural place of the space race against the reality of Jim Crow and racial violence. All those looking to reconcile the paradox of America must read this book. This Easton Press edition is gorgeously leather-bound with gilt page edges and signed by the author. It makes a lovely gift for recent college or university graduates studying history. show less

Although the story of the black women mathematicians who helped win the space race has been left untold for far too long, the fact of it being told at all is a heartening one. Shettlerly is the ideal author to tell their story, too, having grown up in the town where it all happened. Her passion for the story leapt off the page and filled this reader with admiration as well. I am in awe of their strength and determination in the face of deeply entrenched, systemic discrimination. The only thing that could have made this book better was photos, particularly the group photo that Shetterly refers to in either the epilogue or one of the final chapters. Nevertheless, this is a very good read that is recommended for those who like to read show more about awesome women or the space program. show less

There's a cottage industry for books about female trailblazers. Although, now that white dudes have started to infiltrate it (Fly Girls), it probably has run its course. Hidden Figures was one of the first, and it's one of the best. Shetterly's emphasis on the intersections of racism and sexism especially resonates because we still have many of the same deep inequalities embedded in our society.

4.5 stars

Years ago, while staying with friends, we were discussing a movie to watch one night, and they suggested we watch Hidden Figures, since that was a new one for me. I enjoyed the story and determined that I’d pick up the book whenever I had a chance to do so. That took a while, but I found the audiobook recently, and took the time to listen to it. What a good story!

As someone who was born at the tail-end of the 20th century, my knowledge from the 1950s on was rather scanty. I learned a few broad brush strokes of history while in school, but there’s nothing like learning the stories of people who lived through those times to really help it sink in. This book is the perfect combination of history and biography. I loved learning show more about these three women’s lives, and through their experiences, the broader story of the Civil Rights Movement, the Cold War, and the Space Race were given much more nuanced meanings.

I admit; there were parts of the book that I struggled with, to some extent. It is quite feministic, and there’s a certain amount of critical race theory mixed into the message. That took down the rating for me, which otherwise would easily have been a five-star read.

Overall, I enjoyed this story. Shetterly does an incredible job bringing us into these women’s lives. Though I may not agree with all their decisions, it’s easy to understand why they chose the paths they did. This book is an easy, gripping read—I had a hard time putting it down most of the time! That impressed me, especially because I often find nonfiction to be slower-going than fiction. If you enjoy history and are interested in learning more about some of the historical events I mentioned above, or just enjoy reading about space and the people who helped to get a man on the moon, I’d highly recommend you check this book out. show less