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Book Review

Margot Lee Shetterly wrote the book “Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Who Helped Win the Space Race” in 2016. It revolves around the lives of three black women in the United States in the 1930s and 60s. These women worked as human computers for NASA. The Jim Crow laws were still in force in the South, and this is what makes women’s achievements particularly significant.

Most mathematicians at the time were women. They were referred to as computers, because of racial discrimination; blacks had their office in the west area while the white computers had theirs on the east end. At that time the war was still going on, and as part of the war effort, the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory in Hampton sought to hire physicists and mathematicians.

The laboratory hired Dorothy Vaughan in 1942. She was working as a math teacher and in the military laundry as well. Although the job as a mathematician for the National Authority Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) required her to move away from her family, she accepted it. Dorothy is a strong and determined woman eager to advocate for equality of women at a time when women were considered to be inferior to men, and black people inferior to whites (Shetterly).

The second woman, Katherine Coleman, learned about the opportunity at NACA from a friend after dropping out of West Virginia where she was a mathematics major. She was moved from the computing division into Flight Research Division. Although she was promoted, her salary was not raised, and Vaughan stepped in to fight for Katherine to get a raise. Katherine solved the cause of a small propeller crashing and makes discovery on the effects of turbulence in one place can affect another plane. She was quite brilliant, and this gained her acceptance among her white peers.

Mary Jackson is the third main character in the book, a black woman at NACA. She had to fight to get more education to become an engineer at the time of racial discrimination. Her son makes history as the first African American child to win the local soap box derby race. Although there is still a lot of discrimination based on gender, Mary Jackson appreciates that the racial barrier has at least been broken (Shetterly).

The book’s timeline spans many important historical events such as the ban on racial segregation in schools made in 1954. Such advances met fierce resistance especially in the South but eventually succeeded. Social conditions for the black people and women looked up. Technological advancements took place such as the use of computers and launching of the first satellite, Sputnik, into space.

Several themes run through the book, the most obvious of which is racism and hard work. Virginia was NACA’s home location, and it was also a state in which racism and racial prejudice were quite prevalent (Allen 70). Despite the fact that women of color were among the most brilliant mathematicians, they were made to sit in a different office, and use separate bathrooms from their white peers. The state of affairs was no better outside work in restaurants, schools, parks, and other social amenities. Even though the United States actively fought oppression and injustices abroad, the same ills went on unchecked in its soil. Discrimination at NACA kept black employees from doing their best. The instance where Katherine greeted a white man who walked away showed just how bad the situation was (Shetterly).

A second theme is hard work and persistence. The black women had to overcome a lot of obstacles including racism and gender-based discrimination. Katherine Johnson made a lot of contribution to aviation but was still forbidden from sitting in editorial meetings. She did not give up but kept asking many questions and eventually broke through. The author also emphasizes that hard work coupled with luck will ultimately lead to success; this is described as serendipity (Allen 71). Vaughan did the same. She taught herself how to code when she felt that computers would take over her job. The women were lucky to secure employment at NACA, not because they were not qualified but because of the segregation at the time. Gloria Champine put to clinch a job as Technical Assistant to the Division Chief of Space Systems. This position had previously held only by men, and she had to be interviewed severally but excelled each time. All these women put themselves in a position to succeed.

The events in the book happen during World War II at a time of contrasting advances in technology but contrastingly reluctant reforms in the social situation. Countries such as the Soviet Union and the United States carried out research geared towards landing the first man in the moon, a feat which they accomplished (Allen 70). However, the United States was quite reluctant to make similar efforts towards achieving equality in terms of gender and race.

Hidden Figures is an enthralling story about black women who rose when all the odds were stacked up against them. The author tells a story of perseverance, hard work, persistence, and luck. It is an inspiring story that helps other women in difficult and overwhelming situations to never give up. It also teaches us about our country’s history and how hard people had to fight for the equality and freedom that we now enjoy. It inspires the reader to never give up hope even when they feel they have no chance of success.

Works Cited

Allen, Kera Jones. “Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly.” IEEE Annals of the History of Computing 39.3 (2017): 70-71.

Shetterly, Margot Lee. Hidden Figures: The Story of the African-American Women Who Helped Win the Space Race. William Morrow, 2016.