About the Book
Even as Virginia's Jim Crow laws required them to be segregated from their white counterparts, the women of Langley's all-black West Computing group helped America achieve one of the things it desired most: a decisive victory over the Soviet Union in the Cold War and complete domination of the heavens.
Starting in World War II and moving through to the Cold War, the civil rights movement, and the space race, Hidden Figures follows the interwoven accounts of Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden, four African American women who participated in some of NASA's greatest successes. It chronicles their careers over nearly three decades as they faced challenges, forged alliances, and used their intellects to change their own lives - and their country's future.
Review
What specifically stood out to me is how this story shows that math and science are not just a field for men. Women can also be brilliant. Class, race, and gender should not be dividing us and limiting our potential.
I think I would have enjoyed this more if I'd have read it. The issue I face with many audiobooks that focus on different people is that I can't always keep up with which person I'm supposed to be focused on. Ultimately I do not recommend the audio version of this story.
If it was longer and there was more focus on each of the women I think it wouldn't have felt as dry as it did. I can see people with little or no knowledge on the subject would have found this book as difficult to read. Still, I found the story to be fascinating. I will eventually watch the movie and see how the book compares.