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A review by iffer
Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
3.0
I try to remember that works can't be everything to everyone, which is even more true when an author or creator is tackling a woefully under-covered topic that straddles race, gender, politics, and history. I loved the content and subject material, and it's clear that this was well-researched, but I feel that this could've been presented in a more engaging and effective style. Considering the appeal of the characters, as well as the confluence of so many history-shaking events, I anticipated that this would read more like narrative non-fiction, but it was dry. I actually think that the film (which I have yet to see) will be able to present this information in a way more compelling and memorable to audience because of the emotive qualities of good acting and film. The book is interesting and well worth the time to read. I hope that the interest in the movie, and the success of this book starts some discussions and leads to more works dealing with the historical intersection of race, gender, politics, labor, and many other topics.
I hesitate to say this, but, at times, this felt like a book that was being written with stereotypical affluent, liberal, white readers in mind. There were instances in which the author made declarative statements like, "It was common for negroes at the time to have their masks in place to compartmentalize the commonplace racial insults that they endured on a daily basis." However, I have suspicion that this explicitness (not backed by emotional feeling, because the text was dry) was more due to the author's lack of writing finesse, rather than intent. I am a woman, and I am an engineer, but I'm not black, nor did I go to school or work before the Civil Rights Movement, but I feel that most people have at least experienced some of the main personal themes of the book (cognitive dissonance of working for the ideals of freedom and democracy while at the same time realizing that they do not always share in these equally; balancing family and career; having to work twice as hard for half as much), so these types of statements felt heavy-handed to me.
I hesitate to say this, but, at times, this felt like a book that was being written with stereotypical affluent, liberal, white readers in mind. There were instances in which the author made declarative statements like, "It was common for negroes at the time to have their masks in place to compartmentalize the commonplace racial insults that they endured on a daily basis." However, I have suspicion that this explicitness (not backed by emotional feeling, because the text was dry) was more due to the author's lack of writing finesse, rather than intent. I am a woman, and I am an engineer, but I'm not black, nor did I go to school or work before the Civil Rights Movement, but I feel that most people have at least experienced some of the main personal themes of the book (cognitive dissonance of working for the ideals of freedom and democracy while at the same time realizing that they do not always share in these equally; balancing family and career; having to work twice as hard for half as much), so these types of statements felt heavy-handed to me.