Hidden Figures

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

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.

Coulda Shoulda

I was born in Hampton, Virginia in 1959. My father was stationed at Langley at the time and worked peripherally on the space program. I would love to have been able to pick his brain on the subject but unfortunately he passed several years ago. It was with that backdrop that I picked up this with great enthusiasm. I was hoping that this story would give these women the rich treatment they deserve but it falls short. It just feels like someone reading a text book to me and you never really get to fully know these women. You find out what happened to them and the events that shaped their lives but you never really get to know them, not really. Don't get me wrong, as a historical text it delves into fascinating and very important issues but it just never really lives up to what it could have been.

Right message wrong messenger

This is an important history that needs to be told, but it's not well written. It's dry and not well organized.

See the movie! Then listen to the epilogue.

HIDDEN FIGURES is a necessary lesson in the history of the the US space program and an even more important history of remarkable black female mathematicians. The book is great, but the movie is even better. Although the book has flaws the movie does not, the book's details are much greater than the movie's. The story is well known by now. The movie should be shown to every middle school student and the book should be required reading in every high school. The history is that important.

The flaws of the audio book are substantial. However, I believe a 5 star rating is appropriate.

Very Historical

I wanted to love it, but it was very hard to follow. I felt like I needed to take notes to keep up with what computer she was talking about at any given time.

interesting history

I am glad the author wrote this book. I found it very informative. great read