SuitabookHidden Figures
Margot Lee Shetterly
- Reading
- Read it as both biography and history. Pause to unpack unfamiliar terms such as “computer”, segregation and orbit, and discuss how technical work connects with the society around it.
- Themes
- Recognition of Black women’s expertise: Four African American women earn mathematics degrees and work on aircraft and spacecraft research despite exclusionary conditions. The book presents this favourably.
- Segregation and unequal access: The women cannot use the same bathrooms as white co-workers and sit separately in the lunchroom; they also studied at segregated institutions. These restrictions are presented as barriers that the women confront while proving their capabilities and asserting their rights.
- Science within historical events: The book addresses science within historical events; the detail of how it is developed remains unclear. The book is described as providing historical and scientific information rather than simply presenting achievement apart from its wider setting.
- Worth knowing
- Expect direct historical discussion of segregated workplaces, restricted facilities and racial discrimination, alongside technical explanations. The book may prompt questions about whose achievements become recognised and why.