My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Prior to reading this book I was not aware that there were professions known as computers, like mathematicians and physicists. This book follows the lives of black women who began their working careers as computers in the Aerospace industry during and after the war era. This is not just a book about diversity and women in STEM. I gained insight into American history during that era, from the segregation conflict to the space race.
I cannot but feel admiration for the women mentioned in the books. Not just for their intelligence, but also their resilience, professionalism and impact on society. For example, Dorothy Vaughan was a steady rock in the department. Amongst her many achievements, she influenced the promotion of both black and white females.
I must confess I found it confusing at times. There were several names and I struggled to remember them. The flow not always continuous. Just as I was getting used to one person, the narration moves on to someone else, without any obvious connections. By the time that first person comes back in, I’d already forgotten the facts surrounding them.
A question I’ve had to answer many times is how we can apply mathematics to the real world and what mathematician jobs there are. The author has carried out a tremendous amount of research and goes through in details the projects that went on in the Langley Aeronautical Laboratory. From wind tunnels to jet propulsion, this gives a good feel to the world in aeronautics. It is a good book for those who want to know what a career with maths and physics could entail. Whilst I enjoy solving mathematical problems at school, I don’t think I could have stomached pages and pages of calculations, with the numerous variables surrounding gravity and the Earth’s shape, every day in my working life, as these women do. But if you know of someone who loves numbers and symbols and variables, this book would show where their interest could take them.
I liked how the book ended. It sheds light on the title of the book. Christine Darden had spotted the imbalance to where men and women were allocated. “-a white male engineer who had started at the same time, with similar quality performance reviews, had already hit the GS-15 level”, which was the glass ceiling for computing women. Christine created bar charts to demonstrate it to a very senior member, who was shocked at the disparity. “Langley just needed someone who could help it see the hidden figures.”
Hidden Figures is a book on history, space and STEM. Naturally, about the amazing people too.
Goodreads Blurb
The #1 New York Times Bestseller. Set amid the civil rights movement, the never-before-told true story of NASA’s African-American female mathematicians who played a crucial role in America’s space program. Before Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, a group of professionals worked as ‘Human Computers’, calculating the flight paths that would enable these historic achievements. Among these were a coterie of bright, talented African-American women. Segregated from their white counterparts, these ‘coloured computers’ used pencil and paper to write the equations that would launch rockets and astronauts, into space. Moving from World War II through NASA’s golden age, touching on the civil rights era, the Space Race, the Cold War and the women’s rights movement, ‘Hidden Figures’ interweaves a rich history of mankind’s greatest adventure with the intimate stories of five courageous women whose work forever changed the world.
My Thoughts after Reading
Justine Laismith 