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

Written by Margot Lee Shetterly

Narrated by Robin Miles

The phenomenal true story of the black female mathematicians at NASA whose calculations helped fuel some of America’s greatest achievements in space. Soon to be a major motion picture starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae, Kirsten Dunst, and Kevin Costner.

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Sep 6, 2016
• ISBN: 9780062472076

Margot Lee Shetterly

Margot Lee Shetterly grew up in Hampton, Virginia, where she knew many of the women in her book Hidden Figures. She is an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellow and the recipient of a Virginia Foundation for the Humanities grant for her research on women in computing. She lives in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Reviews for Hidden Figures

[Clarissa LaRue · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Well written biography of these amazing women, though the timeline jumps back and forth a bit so it can be confusing.

[John Foldberg · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I never knew, but I'm beginning to now
Thank you

[Siegfried herrmann · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Tremendously inspiring!!!...everyone (The Black Community in particular)...needs to hear about and read about these fascinating women!!!

[Dee-Ann Hudak · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A story that is inspiring for women of any color!

[Mariana Egurrola · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fantastic way to learn about amazing women who made history!

[Hildy Jackson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great read. Hidden history revealed. Amazing brilliant women in a man’s world changing that very thought and opening doors for women in mathematics and sciences.

[Vanessa liu Vanessa · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Is a good story behind it.. you can enjoy the film of this too...

[Destinee Medina · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

black people is very very powerful beings .... don't underestimate them because of them many thing we have today will not have been here !!!

[Lucia Garcia · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Incredibly interesting.
I had to hear more about all these wonderful, smart, hardworking women, breaking everyday social as well as scientific barriers with their conviction, their hard work and their smarts.
Amazing.

[Noah Everett Braley · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved it! So incredible to hear the stories of those incredible women that made SUCH large impacts on history. I’m so happy they finally got some of the credit they deserved although much more was deserved. Humble and incredible whit thank you for your aid

[fhudnell-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

During WWII, women performed the complex calculations required by the US military aeronautics program. Some of them were African American women. I wish that I had known about these women when I was growing up, when I had zero role models for a career in the sciences. While I found this book a little dry and dull at times, I am so glad that the story of the colored computers is being made known (and I'm sure the movie version will liven up the story).This book was inspirational, educational and infuriating. The female mathematicians and engineers "had to be twice as good to get half as far". It didn't help that their Langley work site was in Virginia, a state that was inordinately determined to defy every decision of the Federal government or Supreme Court to lessen segregation. Rather than integrate its grad schools, Virginia agreed to pay for their education so long as negro students got it some place other than Virginia. When buses crossed the border into Virginia, negro passengers had to move to the back or get off of the bus. Negro computers were in a separate office space and had a designated table in the cafeteria with a sign over it for the Colored Computers. The space for the white computers did not provide bathrooms for the colored computers or engineers, even though some were temporarily assigned to work there. The outrageous indignities just went on and on.Despite the racism and sexism, these women managed to make careers out of what started out to be temporary jobs. Their work extended into the sixties and the Mercury and Apollo space programs. I was much more interested in the struggles and achievements in the professional lives of the women as a whole than I was in their personal lives, and I found it difficult keeping their stories straight. I thought that the epilogue didn't really add anything useful to the book and it inexplicably added new characters. All in all however, I am very glad that this book was written.I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, however after reading a few chapters I switched over to the audiobook borrowed from the library.

[Graciela Maleh · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

So inspiring! Excellent book beautifully read! A reading - listening must.

[brokenteepee · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It always amazes me when I come upon stories such as these – women basically lost to history. I had no idea about this cadre of women who worked for the nascent NASA. They were actually called computers; but in essence they were early engineers. They did this vital, valuable work and yet the credit fell on the men. How about that? The book singles out four women to profile – this is not historical fiction by the way – but it is the story of so many more women.Even though this is non-fiction the book reads like a novel. Ms. Shatterly introduces her heroines and the reader learns about these amazing women in the context of their time. Despite living in horribly restrictive times – as women and as women of color they break so many barriers. They still deal with being all of the other issues women are still dealing with today – motherhood, discrimination, men claiming their work. But this all happened at a time when blacks were still being relegated to separate bathrooms, water fountains, etc. In fact one of the issues was finding a building for them to work in so they wouldn’t “mix” with the white workers. It does make for some uncomfortable reading at times. As it should.I was utterly fascinated by the stories of the times, of the women, of the work they did and of how Ms. Shetterly wove it all together. I didn’t know about the movie when I chose to review the book but now I admit I’m looking forward to seeing it. It will add fictional elements of course but I’m sure it will be fascination. These women deserve to be celebrated and it is long overdue.

[Bhoomtawath Plinsut · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The book told stories of important figures behind Apollo program, but it focused too much in minority and inequality in work place, while not enough on what motivated them and their achievement.

[bogopea · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Beginning with WWII and the need for women to fill jobs during wartime, the government hired human "computers", black and white females, to calculate math equations to aid in the aeronautical and space industry. Langley Aeronautical Lab in Hampton, VA was the facility on the east coast. Most of the blacks hired went to segregated colleges, majored in math, anticipating a career in teaching which was a "typical" career for a black woman at that time. Another recent book, "Rocket Girls", explores a similar group of computers, though primarily white, on the west coast and is a fascinating read just for the perspective of the rise of women in the workplace and the injustices they faced. In "Hidden Figures" the road to equality is even more daunting, given that race was added to the equation. Margot Lee Shetterly, a black woman, grew up in (the "comapany" town) of Hampton, VA and her father worked at Langley. It was not til a visit home as an adult that she learned the story of these women. It's a fascinating book, well-researched and well-written. Though it focuses on four of the African-American women, the author adds historical perspective to the story that enhances the reading experience. Though I do plan to see the movie, I'm glad I read the book first and would recommend it.

[grlintrrptdrdng · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm late to the party, but still enjoyed this book very much. The author really did her research and wrote the story about NACA/NASA's black female computers in a smooth and informative way. There was enough explanation without getting lost or over simplified to follow along what Katherine, Dorothy and Mary did at their jobs and the issues they faced living in the segregated south.

[chance · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very interesting book. A must read! Great story and compelling view.

[C. Brooke Caldwell · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I either read the book or watch the movie. Glad I picked the book for this title, as it gets into details a movie just can’t cover.

Though at times the book is detail heavy with names, it was a great read.

[Maite · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very well written. Entertaining. I enjoyed listening and learning about these magnificent women. However, in the audio version, some parts are missing at the end of each chapter.

[gllyons-120926 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Interesting, but it sometimes read like the Author just wanted to make sure she told a few facts about everyone who was involved. Focusing in a few stories might have worked better.

[ladypembroke · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Found History

This book reveals a rich history that was seemingly lost amongst other stories. In an age of war heroes and space heroes, very little attention was paid to the women in the background. I'm so glad we have this wonderful book to tell the stories of the hidden figures so that they are no longer hidden. Bravo!

[tlcooper_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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 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.

[rubygarnet · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The movie didn't do this magnificent story justice.

[amy de Kanter · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Uplifting story of Black women whose genius was recognized in a time and country not known for doing either. Incredible women, beautifully told story, excellent narration. I didn’t want to take away from that by giving this fewer than five stars, but be warned, the recording itself has issues. One jump swallows up nearly an entire chapter. The last two chapters are listed as being nearly an hour long but end after a few minutes. I hope this is resolved so future listeners can enjoy Hidden Figures in its entirety.

[begivens · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I had a very difficult time reading this book an the only reason I was able to get as into it as I did was because I had a lot of time on my hands one day and read about 80 pages of the book in that one day. The writing is fine, but it is very boring. The importance of the story is incredibly lost in the writing style and that really bothered me.

I researched the author around halfway through the book and found that Shetterly said growing up in Langley she thought that being an engineer or human computer was just what black people did. I think this speaks to why the account did not highlight the right information. The author is jaded by seeing black people do amazing things every day.

I also had an issue with how the civil rights movement was brought into the book. I felt that in the capacity it was presented, it could have just as easily have been left out. Everybody knows (I hope) that segregation went beyond the schools. Segregation in the school was an important element in understanding the story. However, the bathrooms and water fountains did nothing to add to the story. I did not feel like they helped paint a picture of being outcast and lessened as they were likely meant to.

Finally, there is this issue of being a "double minority"- a woman in STEM and a black woman at that. There are challenges that come with each of those identities, and those challenges are multiplicative when you put them together. However, I felt like the book just highlighted everything these women did well with very little regard for how hard they had to fight at work for the recognition. I am not saying it was absent, because it definitely was not. I am saying that the conviction with which it was described was lacking.

I would still love to see the movie and I would love to feel confident enough giving this book more than two stars. I just don't feel that I am honestly describing what I felt while I was reading and how I feel looking back on the information in the book if I use any other rating.

[math_foo · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The story is great - the book is not.

I was really, really inclined to like this. I am a computer programmer and a woman; but this was not well written. No central narrative stood out.

[castlelass · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Non-fiction about a group of black American women working for the US government’s defense program, during 1943 to 1969, as human “computers.” Prior to this book, and the subsequent movie, this group was not well known. At the time, women rarely worked in mathematics, science, and technology. Black women faced additional obstacles that came with living in the American South (near Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia) during segregation and the beginning of the civil rights movement. They played key roles in “landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth."

The biographical information centers on Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, and Christine Darden (who entered the scene later), though many other contributors are mentioned. I have seen the movie, and quite a bit of dramatic license is taken, but they do a nice job of translating non-fiction into a storyline. The book is more technical and not as tightly focused. It jumps around quite a bit, which proved more challenging to follow when listening to the audio book (which is beautifully read by Robin Miles). Margot Lee Shetterly does a nice job of shining a light on these brilliant and dedicated, but previously overlooked, women.

[siok-76276 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I saw the movie and decided to read the book. Though the movie dramatised the story, it brought it to life. In comparison, Margot Lee Shetterly's writing was rather dry. Nevertheless, without her, most of us wouldn't have known the role of both black and white women in NASA's development.

[Chau · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Messy, unorganized, difficult to follow narrative, with too many characters, timeliness and tidbits. I loved the movie, but the book was a disappointment. Yikes

[FabianaLectora · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I found it spectacular. I devoured it in 2 nights. Amazing!!! (Translated from Spanish)