There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
on April 4, 2017
I find the concept of rating non-fiction books to be very difficult for me because the review is no longer about the story, characters and plot, but about how the information is presented to the reader.
Shetterly's material is fresh; it's raw, and at least for me, untouched on. There are so many things in her book I was surprised by. Never in my wildest mind could I begin to imagine the scope of black history as it relates to the all American dream of space flight and even before that to the fields of science and math. I like that Shetterly chose a subject that deals not with a single person but with a collective group and how each person's strides, their small battles with segregation, work place inequality, and sexism helped pave the way for future generations. That this isn't just a story about these hidden black women and men, but about white women who had their own struggles as well as white men who were forced to tackle and come to grips with the fact that gender and color don't define intelligence. For this and this alone I feel that this subject matter is something that all people should become acquainted with.
Having said that I found my actual reading of this book to be less fun that I originally thought it would be. The book starts out strong, introducing us to the early life of Dorothy Vaughn, how she struggled with employment even with the level of intelligence she had. I was fully invested at that point, about learning what constitutes as a "good black job" and a "very good black job". The problem for me is that as Shetterly adds more characters, I begin to loose track of the original characters. Some people such as Christine Darden are mentioned in passing in the very beginning and we don't learn of their importance or their stories until hundred's of pages later (or in her case, the epilogue.) And because of the age differences between the women Shetterly staggers them into her plot, but in doing so it leaves some women missing from the book for many chapters and upon their return leaves me wondering what woman did what when. I think that the information would have been more interestingly presented if each chapter showed the women and what they were doing relative to each other based on the timeline.
Another thing I felt Shetterly struggled with was focus. Having read her prologue I can understand that she has close ties to this topic and that it's very near and dear to her heart. As such I felt like she had a hard time separating out Langley from the world around it. She wanted us to know everything that fascinated her through her entire life but as such makes it harder to her readers to follow along. All of the history is important to tell but there is a time and place for it. Sometimes I felt I had a better understanding of what A. Randolph Philips and M.L.K were doing than what Mary Houston was accomplishing. Also I wanted her to focus of the specifics of what these women were accomplishing. Later in the book when it mentions Katherine Johnson's paper on "what if the computers fail" the book focuses more on the training of astronaut Jim Lovell to guide Apollo 13 home than the effects her paper had on the field of science. For these figures who have spent so much time hidden in the annals of history, I want to know about their accomplishments. How did Johnson calculate using the stars as guidance in lieu of a computer? How was this theory actually tested correctly during the Apollo 8 mission? In essence I wanted more minute history mixed with their over reaching accomplishments and less world history which was so present that at some points almost felt as if Shetterly was trying to marry two books into one.
Having said this, by the time I reached the end of this short history I was more than happy to be done reading it. It's lack of focus kept me from focusing as I tried to digest these important stories. I found myself zoning out at points and having to reread. When I set out to read this book I had no thoughts as to whether I would watch the movie, preferring to have the unadulterated truth as opposed to the Hollywood spin, but having finished I actually want to watch the movie just to see if the information is better organized and if the visual will help me digest better the remarkable accomplishments of these women.
**2.5 stars **
Shetterly's material is fresh; it's raw, and at least for me, untouched on. There are so many things in her book I was surprised by. Never in my wildest mind could I begin to imagine the scope of black history as it relates to the all American dream of space flight and even before that to the fields of science and math. I like that Shetterly chose a subject that deals not with a single person but with a collective group and how each person's strides, their small battles with segregation, work place inequality, and sexism helped pave the way for future generations. That this isn't just a story about these hidden black women and men, but about white women who had their own struggles as well as white men who were forced to tackle and come to grips with the fact that gender and color don't define intelligence. For this and this alone I feel that this subject matter is something that all people should become acquainted with.
Having said that I found my actual reading of this book to be less fun that I originally thought it would be. The book starts out strong, introducing us to the early life of Dorothy Vaughn, how she struggled with employment even with the level of intelligence she had. I was fully invested at that point, about learning what constitutes as a "good black job" and a "very good black job". The problem for me is that as Shetterly adds more characters, I begin to loose track of the original characters. Some people such as Christine Darden are mentioned in passing in the very beginning and we don't learn of their importance or their stories until hundred's of pages later (or in her case, the epilogue.) And because of the age differences between the women Shetterly staggers them into her plot, but in doing so it leaves some women missing from the book for many chapters and upon their return leaves me wondering what woman did what when. I think that the information would have been more interestingly presented if each chapter showed the women and what they were doing relative to each other based on the timeline.
Another thing I felt Shetterly struggled with was focus. Having read her prologue I can understand that she has close ties to this topic and that it's very near and dear to her heart. As such I felt like she had a hard time separating out Langley from the world around it. She wanted us to know everything that fascinated her through her entire life but as such makes it harder to her readers to follow along. All of the history is important to tell but there is a time and place for it. Sometimes I felt I had a better understanding of what A. Randolph Philips and M.L.K were doing than what Mary Houston was accomplishing. Also I wanted her to focus of the specifics of what these women were accomplishing. Later in the book when it mentions Katherine Johnson's paper on "what if the computers fail" the book focuses more on the training of astronaut Jim Lovell to guide Apollo 13 home than the effects her paper had on the field of science. For these figures who have spent so much time hidden in the annals of history, I want to know about their accomplishments. How did Johnson calculate using the stars as guidance in lieu of a computer? How was this theory actually tested correctly during the Apollo 8 mission? In essence I wanted more minute history mixed with their over reaching accomplishments and less world history which was so present that at some points almost felt as if Shetterly was trying to marry two books into one.
Having said this, by the time I reached the end of this short history I was more than happy to be done reading it. It's lack of focus kept me from focusing as I tried to digest these important stories. I found myself zoning out at points and having to reread. When I set out to read this book I had no thoughts as to whether I would watch the movie, preferring to have the unadulterated truth as opposed to the Hollywood spin, but having finished I actually want to watch the movie just to see if the information is better organized and if the visual will help me digest better the remarkable accomplishments of these women.
**2.5 stars **
on January 13, 2017
Couldn't put it down. A story of excellence and persistence in the face of incredible odds. Should be required reading for all high school students and everyone who is a student of American history, especially the history of the Civil Rights Movement. Excellently written and researched in tremendous detail. Kudos to author Margot Lee Shetterly for telling the story of these remarkable American women and filling in a gaping hole in the history of the contributions of African Americans to the greatest that is America.
on March 27, 2017
I am so glad that I read this after seeing the movie. I loved the movie, but it's a drop in the bucket compared to the lifetime of achievement of the women featured in the movie plus there are more women mentioned in the book whose accomplishments aren't evident in the film. It's an amazing story and Shetterly relays it beautifully.
I loved every minute of reading this book and it needs to be in all school libraries. I get that schools don't have the time to devote to each historical topic, but having something like this (there is a Young Readers version available here) for them to read would be great. I wish I had spent more time in the non-fiction section back when I was in school but I'm trying to make up for it now. I love the stories of women throughout history, seeing that we've been contributing to the world in more than 2 ways, and promoting those stories when I see them. Fortunately, this one doesn't exactly need my help. It's been great to see all the notoriety this story has gotten, it's well deserved.
Shetterly goes a long way to giving the reader an understanding of not only the important nature of these women's work, but the sacrifices they made to do the work and the pressures they were under from several sources. The difference in the way they were treated at work and at home, by coworkers and by passersby on the sidewalk, is well delineated and it paints a good picture of what it must have meant to be there, to be breaking down barriers and to be given credit for their incredible intelligence. I appreciate that they all say they were just doing their jobs, which I'm sure is true, but there's always more to it than that. I've known people who "just" do their jobs and there's a difference between them and people who love the work. It's this difference that breaks down the barriers that these women took on, purposefully or not.
I appreciated Shetterly's inclusion of the timeline with the Civil Rights movement. I am familiar with the events from school and other reading, but it helped me out to have it overlaid on the timeline of the events at NACA and NASA, to understand the shifting sands the women found themselves on. She did a great job too of delineating the cultural and workplaces differences with being African American, a woman, or an African American and a woman. The African American men got to come in as engineers and the women had to fight for that too. White women were also given advantages over African American women, which caused the women featured here to deal with twice the problems the others had.
This is a book that everyone should read, but especially if you watched the movie, which really only covers half. The book carries the story of the three central women all the way to the moon landing, while the movie stops at John Glenn's orbit. Shetterly's writing style is impeccable and the story itself is astounding.
I loved every minute of reading this book and it needs to be in all school libraries. I get that schools don't have the time to devote to each historical topic, but having something like this (there is a Young Readers version available here) for them to read would be great. I wish I had spent more time in the non-fiction section back when I was in school but I'm trying to make up for it now. I love the stories of women throughout history, seeing that we've been contributing to the world in more than 2 ways, and promoting those stories when I see them. Fortunately, this one doesn't exactly need my help. It's been great to see all the notoriety this story has gotten, it's well deserved.
Shetterly goes a long way to giving the reader an understanding of not only the important nature of these women's work, but the sacrifices they made to do the work and the pressures they were under from several sources. The difference in the way they were treated at work and at home, by coworkers and by passersby on the sidewalk, is well delineated and it paints a good picture of what it must have meant to be there, to be breaking down barriers and to be given credit for their incredible intelligence. I appreciate that they all say they were just doing their jobs, which I'm sure is true, but there's always more to it than that. I've known people who "just" do their jobs and there's a difference between them and people who love the work. It's this difference that breaks down the barriers that these women took on, purposefully or not.
I appreciated Shetterly's inclusion of the timeline with the Civil Rights movement. I am familiar with the events from school and other reading, but it helped me out to have it overlaid on the timeline of the events at NACA and NASA, to understand the shifting sands the women found themselves on. She did a great job too of delineating the cultural and workplaces differences with being African American, a woman, or an African American and a woman. The African American men got to come in as engineers and the women had to fight for that too. White women were also given advantages over African American women, which caused the women featured here to deal with twice the problems the others had.
This is a book that everyone should read, but especially if you watched the movie, which really only covers half. The book carries the story of the three central women all the way to the moon landing, while the movie stops at John Glenn's orbit. Shetterly's writing style is impeccable and the story itself is astounding.
on October 31, 2016
First heard about this story when I saw the movie preview. Yet another hidden part of African Americans contribution which has been conveniently overlooked by those who refused to give credit. I was intrigued by the true story of these exceptional ladies. Well written with intimate details about each lady. I'm anxiously waiting for the movie.
on January 30, 2017
It's very good, though also very different from the movie (which was also very good). The movie focuses on just three of the women in the book, and a short span of time (and compresses a few events and switches around some experiences between people). The book is more of a history than a biography. Sometimes it's a bit hard to keep track of the individuals, as the author shuttles back and forth in time between stories. But the prose is eloquent and the stories are worth reading (and inspiring). As with the movie, the book is nicely balanced to portray the absurd indignities of racism without assuming any particular role on the part of the audience (e.g. complicity or identification), which I think increases its appeal. Highly recommended.
on January 27, 2017
I haven't seen the movie yet, and probably wouldn't have read the book had it not been for a book club. It started slow and incredibly dry, so I thought of it as homework. But little by little, the story emerged. While it was not a page-turner, I did find myself wanting to read just one more page. As the story of the women's work with the apollo program developed, the pace slowed again to a snail's pace. And then, following the moon landing, it became torture to finish.
But finish I did. And it is a marvelous, compelling story. And yes, in a non fiction accounting, the dry details of the federal bureaucracy must be included. And I did want to know what happened to these amazing women after....... But frankly, I wanted more for the book to be over.
It IS an amazing story, and for that, I give it three stars. But even though I've not seen the movie, and movies are never as good as the books from which they came, this one might be the exception.
But finish I did. And it is a marvelous, compelling story. And yes, in a non fiction accounting, the dry details of the federal bureaucracy must be included. And I did want to know what happened to these amazing women after....... But frankly, I wanted more for the book to be over.
It IS an amazing story, and for that, I give it three stars. But even though I've not seen the movie, and movies are never as good as the books from which they came, this one might be the exception.
on March 15, 2017
While I completely enjoyed the movie I had a very hard time getting through the book. The movie was very well done and did a great job of telling the ladies story. In my opinion the book bounced around to much and was poorly written. It also seems a little deceptive when reading on a kindle. It says the books is 351 pages, but the actually book is only 267 pages. The remainder is citations and bibliography. I highly recommend the movie over the book.
on July 11, 2017
I wanted to read this book based on the excellent reviews of book and movie. I wanted to love this book. I planned to love this book. Instead, I found myself avoiding my reading time (I think I will clean under the refrigerator!) because I was not excited about this book. I contemplated not finishing it. The book contains some of my favorite themes like people fighting for equality, smart women, and the power of talent and perseverance. It is possible that this was just the wrong book at the wrong time for me.
The book begins during WWII and moves through the space race. NACA (now NASA) in Hampton Virginia was hiring mathematicians to improve fighter planes. Since most men were fighting in the war, the Langley lab was hiring anyone with math skills--even African American women. These young ladies loved math and science and were fighting to be educated at "colored" colleges. There most likely career path was as teachers. Because of Jim Crow laws, the women were segregated in their offices, the cafeteria, and of course the restrooms. Langley also build segregated housing to accommodate the new hires. The book specifically profiles four of these women: Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson (the most well-known for her work on the Apollo space ship) and Christine Darden. They fought for advancement and equal treatment and earned respect with their intelligence and determination.
This sounds so good, but I was disappointed. I was hoping for a more in depth look at the early personal lives of the women and more details about their day to day work life and interactions with male coworkers. The women never came to life for me. I know that this is a work of non-fiction, but fact does not have to be boring. Hidden Figures, especially in the first third of the book, contained a lot of detail on math and physics, how planes fly, and the nuances of sending a man to the moon. To be fair, aeronautics and physics have never interested me, so I personally found those sections both dull and too inclusive. I skimmed a lot. As I was reading this, I kept making the comparison to Boys in the Boat. This is a non-fiction book about rowing crew, another thing that does not really interest me. That book had long sections about the precision required to both build and man one of those boats. In contrast, I found that fascinating. I think the difference is that Boys in the Boat told the personal stories of the "boys" and the writing style was gorgeous and evocative.
Hidden Figures is well written and thoroughly researched by an author who is passionate about her subject. I did enjoy the historical perspective. I grew up in Virginia during the mid-1960's through the early 1980's and I remember some of these things. I was particularly interested in the path toward desegregation. The author puts this into the context of occurring during the Cold War. She implies that desegregation occurred in part, not because it was the right thing to do, but because it would make the US look better to other nations with predominately non-white populations. I always appreciate it when an author gives me a new perspective or a different way to think about something. In conclusion, there were some good bits, but overall, this was not the book for me.
The book begins during WWII and moves through the space race. NACA (now NASA) in Hampton Virginia was hiring mathematicians to improve fighter planes. Since most men were fighting in the war, the Langley lab was hiring anyone with math skills--even African American women. These young ladies loved math and science and were fighting to be educated at "colored" colleges. There most likely career path was as teachers. Because of Jim Crow laws, the women were segregated in their offices, the cafeteria, and of course the restrooms. Langley also build segregated housing to accommodate the new hires. The book specifically profiles four of these women: Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson (the most well-known for her work on the Apollo space ship) and Christine Darden. They fought for advancement and equal treatment and earned respect with their intelligence and determination.
This sounds so good, but I was disappointed. I was hoping for a more in depth look at the early personal lives of the women and more details about their day to day work life and interactions with male coworkers. The women never came to life for me. I know that this is a work of non-fiction, but fact does not have to be boring. Hidden Figures, especially in the first third of the book, contained a lot of detail on math and physics, how planes fly, and the nuances of sending a man to the moon. To be fair, aeronautics and physics have never interested me, so I personally found those sections both dull and too inclusive. I skimmed a lot. As I was reading this, I kept making the comparison to Boys in the Boat. This is a non-fiction book about rowing crew, another thing that does not really interest me. That book had long sections about the precision required to both build and man one of those boats. In contrast, I found that fascinating. I think the difference is that Boys in the Boat told the personal stories of the "boys" and the writing style was gorgeous and evocative.
Hidden Figures is well written and thoroughly researched by an author who is passionate about her subject. I did enjoy the historical perspective. I grew up in Virginia during the mid-1960's through the early 1980's and I remember some of these things. I was particularly interested in the path toward desegregation. The author puts this into the context of occurring during the Cold War. She implies that desegregation occurred in part, not because it was the right thing to do, but because it would make the US look better to other nations with predominately non-white populations. I always appreciate it when an author gives me a new perspective or a different way to think about something. In conclusion, there were some good bits, but overall, this was not the book for me.
A Very Well-Written Biography (Not Historical Fiction) about African American Women Mathematicians and the "Space Race"!
TOP 50 REVIEWERon February 24, 2017
Over a month ago, I heard about the movie Hidden Figures coming out and wanted to know more about it. Once I found out there was a book that the movie is based on, I purchased it in case I get the chance to see it in the theaters (I haven't seen it yet). My personal rule of thumb is that I need to read the book before I see the movie because there are so many more details in books that movies aren't able to cover. Personally, I feel I get more out of the movie if I've read the book first. I didn't know much more about "Hidden Figures" other than the fact that it's about African American women mathematicians who played big roles in the "space race" but that was enough to intrigue me.
"Hidden Figures" is considered a biography about the many African American women mathematicians who worked for NACA, NASA's predecessor, and did the work of computers before they were developed. These women were educated and striving to succeed in the 1940s and later during a time when most of the engineering and mathematician jobs were held by white men. "Hidden Figures" covers the unique stories of four women, Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden, who were instrumental in figuring out complex equations to successfully land John Glenn and company on the moon, as well as other major endeavors.
The main thing I would like to make known for anyone considering purchasing this book is that the book is not considered historical fiction or fiction of any kind. It's considered a biography and covers areas of science and math as well. There are a lot of facts and interesting descriptions and I learned a lot about a subject I knew next to nothing. That being said, I'll be honest and admit I had a hard time reading this book. It isn't because of how it is written because it is very well-written. Margot Lee Shetterly did an outstanding job writing, researching, and painting a picture of history which opened my eyes and helped me learn more about this subject. The reason I had a hard time reading it is because I generally read fiction and there are so many facts in this book that I had a hard time digesting all of them. I really could only read a chapter or two each day so this book took me about two weeks to read. Again, I'd like to reiterate that it's not as much about the book but about how my interests and reading preferences mixed with the book's subjects.
It's obvious the book is very well-researched and I was able to imagine myself during the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. I wasn't born until the early 80s and it was nice to hear how the parts of history I knew about intertwined with what I was learning to create a bigger picture of everything that happened. I'd say the book is a good mixture of NACA/NASA history and how the women fit into the big picture. The book doesn't solely focus on the women and it helps to describe a big part of history that is good to know.
Overall, I liked this book and learned a lot from it but I had a hard time reading it only because I don't typically read a lot of nonfiction. I'm still happy I read it and would still have read it, regardless of how the content is presented, but I would've probably been better prepared if I had known more about how the book is written. The actual book itself is 265 pages, followed by acknowledgements, notes for further information (divided up by chapter and page number), an extensive bibliography, index, and reading group guide. If you are interested in reading this book, just know that it isn't historical fiction, but it's very well-written and you will learn a lot from it. I recommend reading this book and hope to see the movie soon!
"Hidden Figures" is considered a biography about the many African American women mathematicians who worked for NACA, NASA's predecessor, and did the work of computers before they were developed. These women were educated and striving to succeed in the 1940s and later during a time when most of the engineering and mathematician jobs were held by white men. "Hidden Figures" covers the unique stories of four women, Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden, who were instrumental in figuring out complex equations to successfully land John Glenn and company on the moon, as well as other major endeavors.
The main thing I would like to make known for anyone considering purchasing this book is that the book is not considered historical fiction or fiction of any kind. It's considered a biography and covers areas of science and math as well. There are a lot of facts and interesting descriptions and I learned a lot about a subject I knew next to nothing. That being said, I'll be honest and admit I had a hard time reading this book. It isn't because of how it is written because it is very well-written. Margot Lee Shetterly did an outstanding job writing, researching, and painting a picture of history which opened my eyes and helped me learn more about this subject. The reason I had a hard time reading it is because I generally read fiction and there are so many facts in this book that I had a hard time digesting all of them. I really could only read a chapter or two each day so this book took me about two weeks to read. Again, I'd like to reiterate that it's not as much about the book but about how my interests and reading preferences mixed with the book's subjects.
It's obvious the book is very well-researched and I was able to imagine myself during the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. I wasn't born until the early 80s and it was nice to hear how the parts of history I knew about intertwined with what I was learning to create a bigger picture of everything that happened. I'd say the book is a good mixture of NACA/NASA history and how the women fit into the big picture. The book doesn't solely focus on the women and it helps to describe a big part of history that is good to know.
Overall, I liked this book and learned a lot from it but I had a hard time reading it only because I don't typically read a lot of nonfiction. I'm still happy I read it and would still have read it, regardless of how the content is presented, but I would've probably been better prepared if I had known more about how the book is written. The actual book itself is 265 pages, followed by acknowledgements, notes for further information (divided up by chapter and page number), an extensive bibliography, index, and reading group guide. If you are interested in reading this book, just know that it isn't historical fiction, but it's very well-written and you will learn a lot from it. I recommend reading this book and hope to see the movie soon!
