Hidden Figures Young Readers’ Edition
Margot Lee Shetterly (J Non-Fiction)
The newspaper ad caught the attention of many women. It read: “Reduce your household duties! Women who are not afraid to roll up their sleeves and do jobs previously held by men should call the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory.”
It was one thing to break the gender barrier—to perform jobs exclusively held by men—but four women would heed the call and begin crumbling racial roadblocks as well. While Americans were fighting for freedom overseas, these women were fighting their own war at home: overcoming impossible odds, challenging societal norms, and battling racial prejudice to ensure that the United States of America would be the first to land a man on the moon.
The stories of Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden were likely unknown to most before the movie—of the same title—hit the big screens. Stories such as theirs should be celebrated and studied because of their importance to American history. These women’s rise through the ranks of a segregated government are both inspirational and affirmational: Dorothy Vaughan joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) in the first year they began hiring African American women as “computers” (or mathematicians) and was the first to be promoted into a management position; Mary Jackson became NASA’s first African American female engineer in 1958 and worked to make supersonic aircraft fly higher and faster; Katherine Johnson worked on the numbers to successfully plot the trajectory of an orbital mission around Earth and to land on the Moon; and Christine Darden became one of the world’s leading experts on supersonic flight. Each were remarkable not only for their knowledge, courage, and determination, but also because they never hesitated to support and elevate other women in their careers and offer them opportunities that would otherwise have been unattainable and unimaginable.
This book took me an unnecessarily long time to finish as it read more like a textbook than a story, which is the reason why I enjoy reading historical fiction so much. The publisher’s recommended reading age for this book is listed as 9 to 12, although I really can’t imagine that age bracket sticking with this book long enough to finish it. Although it spanned many pivotal events in history: World War II, V-J Day, the breaking of the sound barrier, the Rosenburg trial, IBM’s first computers, the Cold War, the “Little Rock Nine”, the Space Race, Sputnik, Brown v. Board of Education,the Mercury 7, the “Greensboro Four”, punch cards, MLK Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, the tragedy of Apollo 1 and more stuffed onto just 216 pages (using large typeface) presents an overwhelming challenge for readers of any age. I do appreciate Shetterly providing backgrounds on our four groundbreakers, although Christine Darden’s story got the least amount of coverage as she was born about a generation after Dorothy, Katherine, and Mary and represented the next generation of female space scientists. If young readers had to provide an in-depth book report on the vital role that these women played in the advancement of space exploration, then this is the book for them; otherwise, if they are looking for an engaging and immersive read, it’s just too fact-heavy for the casual reader.
A common theme throughout the book is the idea of breaking barriers. As soon as these women conquered one obstacle, another would quickly form and take its place. Wall after wall was broken down by these women and their tireless efforts paved the way for those that followed. When Shetterly was describing Mary Jackson’s son’s accomplishment of being the first black boy to win the Hampton Road area’s soap box derby, she relished in the idea that the best thing about breaking a barrier was that it doesn’t have to be broken again. Hidden Figures is not just a remarkable story of four women, it’s also an homage to all individuals who make a sacrifice and are willing to pay the ultimate price in order to break walls so that others may walk through.
Rating: 4/5
* Book cover image attributed to: www.abebooks.com
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