Hidden Figures
Ratings96
Average rating3.9
15
Ratings96
Average rating3.9
"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, some of the brightest minds of their generation. Originally relegated to teaching math in the South’s segregated public schools, they were called into service during the labor shortages of World War II, when America’s aeronautics industry was in dire need of anyone who had the right stuff. Suddenly, these overlooked math whizzes had a shot at jobs worthy of their skills, and they answered Uncle Sam’s call, moving to Hampton, Virginia and the fascinating, high-energy world of the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory.
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 they faced challenges, forged alliances and used their intellect to change their own lives, and their country’s future." --source: Harper Collins Publishers
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Reviews with the most likes.
Inspiring. I tried to think of the perfect words to describe this book. The women in this book were trailblazers, for their race, for their gender, for the world.
I had never even heard about these women until I heard about the movie that came out based on this book. I often find it hard to think about how long modern technology has been around. I forget that we walked on the moon over 50 years ago, and we've been flying for 100+ years.
I really can't say much about this, but READ THIS BOOK! It's a look into a part of history that I think has been immensely overlooked. I think these women played a huge factor on the sidelines of the Civil Rights Movement, and they most definitely played a huge factor in WWII, the Space Race, and the Cold War.
Oh man this was disappointing. I wanted to love this book because it's about badass women of color (!!!) but damn it was so dry and boring. The message of this book is very important but I didn't feel that the author narrated it very well. There were some interesting bits but overall I felt very underwhelmed.
This book didn't bring me joy, so I didn't finish it. I'll just watch the movie
I read this book after seeing the movie. It is definitely more journalistic rather than non-fiction, but excellent writing. I am so impressed with the author's investigative journalism. She told a story that needed to be told. What amazing women these are! I also hold a degree in mathematics and got so excited reading about their love for their work and the “behind the scenes” work that gave them purpose.
Such a good book - inspiring and uplifting, though with thoughtful criticism and analysis of the periods covered. I did struggle a bit with the more scientific aspects of the book - engineering and physics are probably the least interesting subjects to me - but it didn't subtract from my enjoyment. Looking forward to seeing the movie!
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