December’s book club selection is Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly. Described as the untold story of the African American female mathematicians who helped win the Space Race, I cannot wait to read this one.
“Restoring the truth about individuals who were at once black, women and astounding mathematicians, in a world that was constructed to stymie them at every step, is no easy task. Shetterly does it with the depth and detail of a skilled historian and the narrative aplomb of a masterful storyteller.” – TheBookReporter.com
This non-fiction book recounts the golden age of America’s space programme through the experiences of four African American women - Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson and Christine Darden. The book moves from World War II, through NASA’s golden age, the Space Race, the civil rights era and the women’s rights movement. Hidden Figures is the untold story of this group of female mathematicians known as ‘human computers’ who were called into service during World War II when American’s aeronautics industry faced a shortage of experts. They would end up working on trailblazing projects in NASA’s Langley facility and play an instrumental part in launching rockets and humans, into space.
I think this book choice is going to be a really popular one for book club and we are reading it at just the right time, as the story has been adapted for screenplay and the movie is due out in the States this month. We all know that the book is always better than the movie version, so get in there first and download, buy or borrow a copy of Hidden Figures pronto and get reading. This month's book club will be in session on Friday, 30th December.
Happy reading
Frances xx