Book of the Month - February 2023
Margot Lee Shetterly
Writer, researcher, and entrepreneur Margot Lee Shetterly is the author of Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race (William Morrow/HarperCollins). A 2014 Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellow and Virginia Foundation for the Humanities grantee, Shetterly is the founder of The Human Computer Project, an endeavor that is recovering the names and accomplishments of all of the women who worked as computers, mathematicians, scientists, and engineers at the NACA and NASA from the 1930s through the 1980s. She is a native of Hampton, Virginia, where she knew many of the women behind the history in Hidden Figures. She lived for many years in New York and Mexico before moving to Charlottesville, Virginia, where she lives with her husband, writer Aran Shetterly. She is a graduate of the University of Virginia.
Brief Synopsis:
This edition of Margot Lee Shetterly’s acclaimed book is perfect for young readers. It's the powerful story of four African-American female mathematicians at NASA who helped achieve some of the greatest moments in our space program.
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.
This book brings to life the stories of Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden, who lived through the Civil Rights era, the Space Race, the Cold War, and the movement for gender equality, and whose work forever changed the face of NASA and the country.
Insights:
“Black newspapers spoke out on the issue. “Help us to get some of the blessings of democracy here at home first before you jump on the ‘free other people’ bandwagon and tell us to go forth and die in a foreign land,” said P.B. Young, the owner of the Norfolk Journal and Guide, in a 1942 editorial. Should African Americans fight for freedom overseas when they did not experience it for themselves at home?” - pg. 34-35
“The war, however, and the rhetoric that accompanied it created an urgency in the black community to call in the long overdue debt their country owed them. “Men of every creed and every race, wherever they lived in the world” were entitled to “Four Freedoms”: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear, Roosevelt said, addressing the American people in his 1941 State of the Union address.” - pg. 33
Being a “Black First” — the first black person to have achieved a particular goal — was a powerful symbol, Mary Jackson knew just as well as anyone. She embraced her son’s achievement with delight, but she also knew the best thing about breaking a barrier was that it would never have to be broken again.” - pg 158
“Katherine’s husband’s death divided her life in two. As a couple, they had walked side by side through graduate school and marriage, the birth of their children, and their move to Newport News. Now, at just thirty-eight years old, she was a widow and a single mother, as well as a professional woman realizing her intellectual dream. Her husband wouldn’t be there to see those dreams come to fruition, but he had helped get her career launched. All that had come before would connect to all that was to come. In January 1957, Katherine’s daughters went back to school and she went back to work: the second act of her life was about to begin.” - pg 109
Should I read it or skip it?
This review only concerns the young reader’s edition. First, I grabbed this book from my daughter’s bookshelf. Her school required her to read it and so I thought I would read it so we could discuss it together. Second, I am intentionally posting this review at the beginning of February in honor of Black History Month. This book could also cover women’s history. I pray for the day Dr. King dreamed of when we can not be judged by the color of our skin or gender or culture. Until that day comes, I will continue to honor the people who created history and in this case specifically the four black women who this book honors.
I think no one should skip this book. The prose is abridged and at times can feel like it was intended for a sixth grader to read. FYI, it was. The book loses approximately 100 pages so if you are looking for something to share with your kids this would be a great book. In looking at other reviews, the classic version of this book includes much more technical engineering and mathematic language.
My wife grew up in Germany with her dad and mom in military life. However, her family immigrated from Mexico to the United States several generations before her. Because of the examples they have seen, all three of my children have adopted their Mexican Heritage. However, my boys will not know the struggles their mother and sister have and will endure because of the color of their skin. My wife has talked about the moments when people pay her a backhanded compliment, like “You are well-spoken for a Latina.” Based on the climate of our society, my daughter will probably experience the same. This book allows my daughter to see examples of strong, capable, intelligent women who achieved in spite of the men around them who could not see the value they brought to the world. I want my daughter to know she can accomplish things with hard work. She will stand on the shoulders of women like Kathrine Johnson, Mary Jackson, Christine Darden, and Dorothy Vaughn. They not only served our country in the space race, civil rights battle, and the gender equality gap. They served the future generations of young men and women of color who will see their example and follow them into the future. Thank you ladies for enduring hard times so my daughter’s life can go further.
