irislise's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
erinwrites's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
There are certain histories that, as a white person educated in American public schools, I wasn't actively taught. Or, when I did encounter them in a classroom setting, they were been taught in a way that seemed so removed as to be ancient. Books like this one, that give accounts of direct experiences by still living people, yank these histories forward to seem as recent, important, and still relevant as they actually are.
The stories and people of this account build a clear and personal history of the women who worked for NACA and, later, NASA. We see how these women handled the racism and sexism of the time, and how the structures in place designed to stopper their ambitions were slowly, when possible, dismantled.
A powerful, brilliant read.
The stories and people of this account build a clear and personal history of the women who worked for NACA and, later, NASA. We see how these women handled the racism and sexism of the time, and how the structures in place designed to stopper their ambitions were slowly, when possible, dismantled.
A powerful, brilliant read.
kayeness's review
3.0
This was a fascinating unknown story that I was glad to learn about. However, the writing was dry and I never really felt like I knew the women computers as people.
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
3.0
Finished reading: February 8th 2021
“Women, on the other hand, had to wield their intellects like a scythe, hacking away against the stubborn underbrush of low expectations.”
Spoiler
I absolutely love the movie adaptation, and I've been wanting to read the original book ever since... The role of NASA's African-American female mathematicians in America's space program is simply fascinating to read about, and Hidden Figures not only gives us that, but also shines a light on the years leading up to the program as well as how African-American female mathematicians were first incorporated as 'computers' during WWII. It's an absolutely intriguing and powerful topic and I enjoyed learning more about the women and their past as well as the historical development in Langley and the program. I do have to say that it can get considerably dense as it's a true non fiction account with an overdose of facts and technical terms, which slowed down the pace considerably and made it less enjoyable to read as a whole. The tone and writing were quite dry, almost like a bored history teacher reciting facts in points, and especially where there are lots of technical details are involved. I was expecting a bigger focus on the women themselves too, but as a whole this was still an interesting read.
P.S. Find more of my reviews here.
ghostmuppet's review against another edition
4.0
I knew about the film being nominated in the Oscars, and of course i knew a little about the early American space program. A lot of what i knew i was told during my school years (in the 80's) and never really had the need to question them. Yes, i knew there was segregation in America with Blacks Only and Whites Only signs.
This book concentrates on the minorities in the agency that would eventually be known as NASA. The story follows some key personal who blazed the way for future generations to work at the agency. They were bought on board as human computers (as electronic computers were not really available at that time).
The book mainly concentrates on the women when they were working for the Aeronautics part of history. Propeller planes, jet engines, flight maths etc. The Nasa portion happens a lot further in the book - but the build up is important.
I really liked this book as it was an eye opener to a portion of history that was not portrayed well at all.
Now i really want to see the film.
This book concentrates on the minorities in the agency that would eventually be known as NASA. The story follows some key personal who blazed the way for future generations to work at the agency. They were bought on board as human computers (as electronic computers were not really available at that time).
The book mainly concentrates on the women when they were working for the Aeronautics part of history. Propeller planes, jet engines, flight maths etc. The Nasa portion happens a lot further in the book - but the build up is important.
I really liked this book as it was an eye opener to a portion of history that was not portrayed well at all.
Now i really want to see the film.
jhahn's review
2.0
This is probably the only book that I would say.. skip the book, see the movie. There was some really interesting information but it was written in a way that was hard to follow. It wasn't chronological and she introduced new people in a way that was hard to follow. It is a shame because if written differently it could have been a great book.
mpetruce's review against another edition
4.0
An important story that needed to be told. And likely needs to be told some more. I was glad the author had access to some of the women themselves for primary source material. As the book went on, it was hard to distinguish between the different people and what particular time period it was. this may have been a function of listening on audio though, and might not be as much of an issue if reading the print book. Still, a must read for these women's contributions to American scientific, political and social culture.