The uplifting, amazing true story — a New York Times bestseller
This edition of Margot Lee Shetterly’s acclaimed book is perfect for young readers. It is the powerful story of four African-American female mathematicians at NASA who helped achieve some of the greatest moments in our space program. Now a major motion picture starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae, Kirsten Dunst, and Kevin Costner.
Before John Glenn orbited the earth, or Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, a group of dedicated female mathematicians known as “human computers” used pencils, slide rules, and adding machines to calculate the numbers that would launch rockets, and astronauts, into space.
This book brings to life the stories of Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden, who lived through the Civil Rights era, the Space Race, the Cold War, and the movement for gender equality, and whose work forever changed the face of NASA and the country.
Hidden Figures: Young Readers Review
I am such a fan of space. Man on the moon and space expeditions in general are incredible intriguing to me.
With the recent Space X and NASA launch, I finally took the time to pick up Hidden Figures: Young Readers’ Edition. It is such an insightful, engaging and educational read!
Hidden Figures: Young Readers’ Edition tells the story of four African-American mathematicians. Each woman was instrumental within NASA’s space program and played an important role in landing man on the moon.
All four of these woman are so wonderful. I particularly enjoyed learning more about Katherine Johnson! But each of these four woman are inspiring to me. Its educational to read about the barriers they had to overcome in order to succeed.
Since this is a non-fiction book, the flow of the book is great. There is a lot of insight into each of these woman’s lives as well as what led them to work for NASA. I think that the book explains this true story perfectly, especially for a young audience.
I think this is a great book for young readers. It can help to introduce young readers to different elements of space as well as what it’s like to work for NASA. I think it’s also a great book for young girls because it highlights strong female figures.
All four of these woman overcame barriers because of their skin colour, background and gender. Hidden Figures: Young Readers’ Edition is a great way to show young readers that anything is possible.
Overall, I highly recommend Hidden Figures: Young Readers’ Edition. It’s a perfect way to introduce children and students to man on the moon as well as important figures inside the space program.
Rating: ★★★★☆
Favourite Quote
For ambitious young women with mathematical minds, there wasn’t a better job in the world.
About the Author
Margot Lee Shetterly is a writer who grew up in Hampton, Virginia, where she knew many of the women in Hidden Figures. She is an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellow as well as the recipient of a Virginia Foundation of the Humanitites grant for her research into the history of women in computing. She lives in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Buy Hidden Figures: Young Readers’ Edition
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