Book Review of Hidden Figures; review by Isha Patel

Book Review of Hidden Figures : The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly

I heard a lot about Hidden Figures in general so when I started to watch the movie in Algebra ll, I needed to get my hand on the book. I did and I read it for my US History book study.

I really wanted to like this book. I love space and anything to do with space. But honestly the movie was much better then the book. The book really did not give me the rhythm and the vibe that I was looking for. But I would say this, that the movie did have an unfair advantage as it is easier to visualize some concepts then actually describe them in words. It is easier to see Katherine, only African American women in NASA, to go to the colored bathroom in a different building in the rain. It is also easier to see the complex math problems being solved rather then describing them in writing.

I loved that it was centered around raising awareness about the struggle that African American women and women in general faced in the past. As a result, we have many opportunities today. They opened the door of opportunities. This is the reason that there are so my women in NASA today.

I would recommend this book but would say this, that everyone who reads this book needs to watch the movie as well.