"Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly book review

“There wasn’t one day when I didn’t wake up excited to go to work.” Katherine Goble Johnson Epilogue page 248.

“Mary Jackson wasn’t wired to take the easy road or be satisfied with the status quo,” Epilogue page 256.

“What I changed, I could; what I couldn’t, I endured,” Dorothy Vaughan Epilogue page 263.

“Christine’s success was supported by the work of the women who had come before her…” Christine Darden, PhD, was a published author by 1975, but it was not until the 1980s that the long overdue promotion came, Epilogue pages 260-263.

Why is this book review in a genealogy blog? The author offers the reader a glimpse into the lives of these special ladies, their families, their culture and their daily affairs.  Inspiring! Must read! Would provide a great textbook for a required reading class! The author’s research has been very well documented. “Hidden Figures” by Margot Lee Shetterly presents pages of bibliography and chapter end notes. “The title of this book is something of a misnomer. The history that has come together in these pages wasn’t so much hidden as unseen—fragments patiently biding their time in footnotes and family anecdotes and musty folders before returning to view,” acknowledgments page 267.

Two examples:

On page 222, the author is writing about the success or failure of the John Glenn’s orbital flight, “if disaster did befall John Glenn one secret military document proposed blaming it on the Cubans, using it as an excuse to overthrow Fidel Castro.” Notes page 311 James Bamford, Body of Secrets (New York: Anchor Books, 2001) Kindle ed., loc. 1525.

On page 168-169, the author is writing about the Brown v Board of Education ruling and the backward stance of Virginia on education and the horror of Sputnik. These views are opposing and confusing.  “Integration anywhere means destruction everywhere,” January 1958 Virginia governor inaugural address by J. Lindsay Almond. Several sentences later “…the southern Democrats who ruled the state passed a package of laws that gave the legislature the right to close any public school that tried to integrate.” On page 204 the reader learns that the schools of Prince Edward’s, Virginia, were closed from 1959 through 1964. Notes page 304, Archival footage of Almond’s 1958 inaugural speech can be viewed at https://vimeo.com/131577357. Smith, They Closed Their Schools. All of the author’s end notes are worth checking for further insight.

Favorite lines:

“Every day I watched my father…demanding the best from himself in order to give his best…” Prologue page XIV.

“And not because they are black, or because they are women, but because they are part of the American epic,” Prologue page XVIII.

“You are no better than anyone else, and no one is better than you.” These words from Katherine Goble’s father followed her all through her life, Turbulence page 135.

“They matched their male colleagues in curiosity, passion, and the ability to withstand pressure,” Outer Space page 181.

Favorite chapter:

To Boldly Go July 1979, “Katherine Johnson knew: once you took the first step, anything was possible,” page 246. In this chapter, the author pulls everything together; work including the moon walk, family moving and growing up; sorority and community service.

 A book for everyone, Margot Shetterly writes about the Azimuth Angle report for readers who want technical research to peak their interest or a relaxing description of the fall day in Asheville, North Carolina complete with the trees and their colors for readers with a vivid pictorial imagination. For me, this is not a book about race; it is a book about culture. In age, we are very close. In skin color, we are very different. And culturally we are very different, I was raised to sit in a corner, not to speak nor ask questions. “Speak only when spoken to!” I am so thankful for the parents and community that raised these ladies, the community that encouraged imagination and exploration!

I’ll end with this: we all need support. The ladies talked about neighbors, Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, family and church. These all intertwined and helped to produce the brilliant results that could not have been possible if separated. Proverbs 12:24 “Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and become a slave.” [Holy Bible: New Living Translation, 1996]