Shetterly,
L. Margot. (2016). Hidden Figures: The
American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who
Helped Win the Space Race
1. Where is the book on the narrative
continuum?
It is highly narrative (reads like fiction)
2. What is the
subject of the book?
It is about three African American women, Dorothy Vaughan,
Mary Jackson and Katherine Johnson who worked at Langley Field for the National
Advisory Council for Aeronautics in the segregated Jim Crow era of the 1940’s
through the 1980’s.
3. What type of book is it?
It is a biography of Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson,
Katherine Johnson’s lives before and during their careers from the 1940’s to
date to at the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Lab (renamed later to NASA).
4. Articulate appeal
o
What is the pacing of the book?
It is slow because of all the
historical information presented in the book.
o
Describe the characters of the book.
The main characters are as
follows:
Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson and
Katherine Johnson were all math teachers in segregated schools, married and
with children. They were also confident,
very smart, and extremely hardworking and dedicated to their jobs and family
even when they were far away from them.
o
How does the story feel?
o
It was a very detailed, thoroughly researched
story but it felt sterile and impersonal.
The author just wrote the facts and details but didn’t include any
descriptive characterizations that would have brought these incredible women to
life!
What is the intent of the author?
The author is a daughter of a
NASA scientist and grew up in the community where NASA is located at (formerly
known as NACA- National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics) in Hampton,
Virginia. She wants to tell the unknown
true story of African American women who
worked as ‘human computers’ for NASA and made lasting contributions in the
United States history of Space Science.
She focuses on the lives of three of these women in her book.
o
What is the focus of the story?
The book discusses
the women’s lives before and after being hired at the Langley Research Center and the projects they were
on. It also includes social injustice
issues that were taking place during
that time such as segregation in all areas of life and the Jim Crow law. In addition, the author mentions other
historically significant facts such as the Cold War,
scientific developments and the advent of the first generation of IBM computers.
o Does the language matter? Yes
o Is
the setting important and well described?
Yes, the author
describes the different areas in great detail.
The Langley Memorial Center where the women worked as well as the
town, Hampton, Virginia where it is located
is important to the narrative of the women’s story.
o Are
there details and if so, of what?
The author uses a
descriptive style to describe the Langley Memorial Center and the campus of the
military base and the town where both resides in. The details that stayed with me was the
description of the wind tunnel that were three stories high and called the
sixteen foot high-speed tunnel and it stretched over three hundred feet wide
and one hundred feet deep!
o Are
there sufficient charts and other graphic materials? Are they useful and clear?
None
o Does
the book stress moments of learning, understanding, or experience?
Yes, it’s a part of
history which was unbeknownst to the
general population for decades.
5. Why would a reader enjoy this book (rank appeal)?
o Inspiring
o Compelling
subject
o Historical
facts throughout the book
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