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just_one_more_paige's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I've been meaning to pick this book up for awhile. And my recent read of The Tenth Muse got me all inspired to read more about female mathematicians, so it seemed like the time to finally read this piece of nonfiction on that exact topic.
This glorious work of historical nonfiction illuminates the true story of the Black female mathematicians (and engineers) that, working for NASA in the pre/early computer days, were the pen-and-paper mathematical equation solving force behind the success of America's space program. These women, known as "human computers," were the calculating power that moved airplane flight proficiency forward in WWII through the success of Neil Armstrong's first steps on the moon, and beyond. The book follows five Black women in particular, who not only played this momentous (and under-recognized) historical role, but did so while also being on the workplace front lines of desegregation/the civil rights era and the (in their case, intersectional) feminist movement.
In the "Acknowledgements" at the end, Shetterly says the title of this book is actually a bit of a misnomer, as the "figures" in question were just more secret, waiting to be dug back out of history and shared widely with the world, as opposed to hidden. But either way, I want to make it clear that none of this behind-the-scenes story of aviation and space race math was ever known to me. Worth mentioning: is that when I was in school, history class sort of "ended" around the Cold War/Civil Rights Movement, so this period was not really covered in any kind of depth. However, based on the way the rest of history was taught, I can only assume even with more time/attention, I still wouldn't have gotten any of this story. All that being said, this was fascinating and, considering that I know (knew) most of the framing "story" already, surprisingly inspiring.
I loved the human face(s) this book put on these major recent history events that, for the most part, kind of blur into one big moment (or big, but separate, moments) when I think about them. Like, I have a conceptual idea about the effort and propaganda of the space race, but having not lived through it, my perception is mostly of the "we were in a fight against Russia and won and it was big for national morale" vibe. Similarly, in my quick/distant consideration of the time, the civil rights era focuses in on Rosa Parks and MLK Jr's speech and the marches and sit-ins, and the feminist movement boils down to women having to fight to be allowed to hold the same titles and pay as men. (Side note: eye roll that so much of this seems to not have made enough progress since then.) Anyways, while those are definitely highlights, the way this novel shows the way those major/well-known events played out for "normal" people living then, in an everyday sort of sense, was really fascinating and eye-opening to read about. The focus on this five (among many others) primary women's stories allowed that personal feel to really shine, and seeing their varied paths to a similar "end" was just super interesting.
It was at times deeply frustrating, the way America's institutional insistence on inequality was essentially shooting our own progress in the foot, and at times deeply motivating, to see the way that on a more individual (and intermittent) level, people's skill/merit was recognized and given the space to shine. To this end, I appreciated, deeply, the way Shetterly wrote about the interplay of the events/movements of the time. Considering the complexity, presenting it in the succinct and accessible way she does is very impressive. A primary example of Shetterly's slotting this story into its historical context: covering the protests of excessive government spending on the space race, while myriad people are still living in poverty at home (a theme that, again, still remains a deep thread in our country today and is not one I'd ever heard/read about in the context of us "beating" the Soviets).
I feel like this review is either really repetitive or wildly unorganized, but I'm just gonna keep pushing forward making sure I cover all my feelings/reactions. This is sort of related to the depth of context Shetterly provides, but this is not the first place where I did read about the internal reactions of Black Americans to the national pride/defense and the fact that their nation is not providing them all the democracy it purported to stand for. Starting with WWII, she notes the national contradiction of condemnation of German treatment of Jews while having no cognitive dissonance about the exact same racist/segregationist policies enacted against Black people in America. (I also loved that she started the story here, to give readers a full vision of how these “human computers” were integrated into the scientific/mathematical workforce in such an invaluable way.) Shetterly follows that up with the progression of growing international contempt for US internal policy related to systemic/policy-based racism during the Cold War/Red Scare era, the way that we needed to address our own demons in order to be more fully accepted with respect abroad. It’s a long road that, as I’ve said already and will continue to point out, we have traveled some ways on, but are nowhere near reaching the end of. And then towards the end, there is a short but important recognition/critique of this first break in racial/gender based opening of the workforce and power dynamics in the country (with the WWII and following years *need* for workers), followed by many dashed hopes of continued and consistent forward movement on those fronts. Devastating to read about, especially considering how much we are shorting our own overall progress as a result of digging our heels into this “need” to maintain marginalization.
Overall, this was just a really compellingly written nonfiction, a deft mixing of individual human stories into groundbreaking historical achievements/moments, with the honorable goal of finally giving deserved recognition to these “hidden” American heroes. I have to admit that, while I love sci-fi in the imaginative/fictional sense, I am not necessarily one for the intensity of “real-life” space science and math, but Shetterly made this reading experience approachable and engrossing. I am glad it got the attention (and movie adaptation) that it did, because it’s a story that deserves all that and more.
“Ideals without practical solutions were empty promises.”
“They knew democracy’s every virtue, vice, and shortcoming, its voice and contour, by its profound and persistent absence in their lives. The failure to secure the blessings of democracy was the feature that most defined their existence in America.”
“Newly independent countries around the world, eager for alliances that would support their emerging identities and set them on the path to long-term prosperity, were confronted with a version of the same question black Americans had asked during World War II. Why would a black or brown nation stake its future on America’s model of democracy when within its own borders the United States enforced discrimination and savagery against people who looked just like them?”
“Throughout the South, municipalities maintained two parallel inefficient school systems, which gave the short end of the stick to the poorest whites as well as blacks. The cruelty of racial prejudice was so often accompanied by absurdity, a tangle of arbitrary rules and distinctions that subverted the shared interests of people who had been taught to see themselves as irreconcilably different.”
“…they had to get over the high hurdle of low expectations…”
“The decision to prioritize a victory in space over problems on Earth was the most widespread criticism of the space program. But even those voices in the black community who expressed admiration for the astronauts, who supported the program and its mission, took NASA to the woodshed for its lack of black faces.”
“There’s something about this story that seems to resonate with people of all races, ethnicities, genders, ages, and backgrounds. It’s a story of hope, that even among some of our country’s harshest realities – legalized segregation, racial discrimination – there is evidence of the triumph of meritocracy, that each of us should be allowed to rise as far as our talent and hard work can take us.”
“That even Katherine Johnson’s remarkable achievements can’t quite match some of the myths that have grown up around her is a sign of the strength of the vacuum caused by the long absence of African Americans from mainstream history. For too long, history has imposed a binary condition on its black citizens: either nameless or renowned, menial or exceptional, passive recipients of the forces of history or superheroes who acquire mythic statues not just because of their deeds but because of their scarcity, The power of the history of NASA’s black computers is that even the Firsts weren’t the Onlies.”
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Racism, and Sexism
Minor: Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, and War
cherryvillegirl's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
This book blew my mind!
I tried to read it last year, but the state of the world flipped upside down and I fell into a reading slump. Unfortunately, this book was a victim to that slump and was placed back on my TBR for another year as I wasn't in the headspace to read a non-fiction.
However, I was sooooo glad I read it! It was such an informative read and way better than the movie (though that is also incredible). There was a much wider breadth of focus in the book vs. the movie and it was able to not only focus on getting John Glenn into space, but also set up the events that it possible, as well as continue the story all the way to the moon landing.
I learned so much, not just about the horrific racism of the time, but also of the growth in aeronautics and space technology throughout the 20th century. That was fascinating! I appreciated learning more about the motivation for getting to the moon, as I always viewed it as a big ego competition. Now that I realize what world events played into it, I understand it a lot more.
Additionally, it was so cool to see what all went into getting man into space. The calculations. The engineering. Everything. It was incredible.
Finally, I was blown away by the strength and dignity of these women. If it were me in their shoes, fighting against such hatred and barriers while also trying to get ahead in life and take care of my family, I would probably have laid down and rolled over. I know I would not have faced such challenges head on like they did, with their heads held high, and didn't stoop to the level of those pitted against them. But they pressed on, kept their gaze on what they wanted and didn't cower. I'm sure it was incredibly tough and I bet there were days where they wished they could just give up, but they didn't and I applaud them for that fact.
My only complaint is that there was a lot packed into this book and I think I'll have to reread it several times to really absorb the information given. There were a lot of names, events, and terminology thrown in and it was often hard to keep everything straight. That's okay, in my book, as I'm definitely planning on reading this one over and over!
I tried to read it last year, but the state of the world flipped upside down and I fell into a reading slump. Unfortunately, this book was a victim to that slump and was placed back on my TBR for another year as I wasn't in the headspace to read a non-fiction.
However, I was sooooo glad I read it! It was such an informative read and way better than the movie (though that is also incredible). There was a much wider breadth of focus in the book vs. the movie and it was able to not only focus on getting John Glenn into space, but also set up the events that it possible, as well as continue the story all the way to the moon landing.
I learned so much, not just about the horrific racism of the time, but also of the growth in aeronautics and space technology throughout the 20th century. That was fascinating! I appreciated learning more about the motivation for getting to the moon, as I always viewed it as a big ego competition. Now that I realize what world events played into it, I understand it a lot more.
Additionally, it was so cool to see what all went into getting man into space. The calculations. The engineering. Everything. It was incredible.
Finally, I was blown away by the strength and dignity of these women. If it were me in their shoes, fighting against such hatred and barriers while also trying to get ahead in life and take care of my family, I would probably have laid down and rolled over. I know I would not have faced such challenges head on like they did, with their heads held high, and didn't stoop to the level of those pitted against them. But they pressed on, kept their gaze on what they wanted and didn't cower. I'm sure it was incredibly tough and I bet there were days where they wished they could just give up, but they didn't and I applaud them for that fact.
My only complaint is that there was a lot packed into this book and I think I'll have to reread it several times to really absorb the information given. There were a lot of names, events, and terminology thrown in and it was often hard to keep everything straight. That's okay, in my book, as I'm definitely planning on reading this one over and over!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Sexism, Xenophobia, and Antisemitism
Minor: Mental illness