Hidden Figures

Publication Date: 6 September 2016

Publisher: William Morrow & Company

Pages: 368

Summary:

Space is wrapped in a void of mystery. Millions of questions are imbued within its endless sense of continuum. Few are brave enough to try and answer these questions. Those who are often arrive at unsuccessful conclusions. Yet there are some that solve the galaxy's equations, though their contributions remain largely overlooked. Margot Lee Shatterly remedies such injustices by sharing the story of three remarkable women, and how they changed the history of humanity forever.

Plot:

History is a textbook of information. It preserves the fame of renowned incidents for all eternity and shares the lives intervene within its frame. Though history is not foolproof. People and places have been forgotten among history's age-torn pages, leaving them up to humanity to mend. Shatterly chose to rise to this occasion, and succeeded in every possible way. I highly enjoyed reading about the lives of Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson, and Dorothy Vaughan, as well as the fundamental contributions their brilliance made on America's victory over the "space race". I found Shatterly's information to be very informative. However, I did feel that the writing style could be a bit slow at some points and may have benefitted from less attention on description.

Characters:

I highly enjoyed reading about the lives of Johnson, Jackson, and Vaughan. Shatterly does a remarkable job at balancing the character's struggle towards success with the constant prejudice and bigotry they face within their environment, upholding them as true American heroes. Reading the story of these three women reminded me of the dangers prejudice views play in the making of history and how they only serve to devoid society of true accounts of intelligence and bravery.

Setting:

I found the novel's setting to be quite pleasing to read. I was able to visually imagine the scene of NASA within my mind while reading, as well as the tireless efforts of its employees. I could tell that SHatterly

spent a great amount of time researching the context of this story, serving to provide acute attention to the novel's sensory details.

Review:

My overall review for this book is three and a half stars out of five. I would recommend this novel to fan of autobiographies, such as Undocumented by Dan-el Padilla Peralta. Thanks for reading :)