Why Did I Listen To Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly?
Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly hit my radar when I went to the movies. I forget which movie we saw because we go a lot. However, I saw the trailer for the movie and was like OMG THIS LOOKS AMAZING. Then my mind went into the direction of I need to read the book! Fortunately, my library had an audiobook version available through Overdrive and because I am such a fan of non-fiction audiobooks, I immediately put it on hold and was absolutely eager to listen to this book.
What’s It All About?
Essentially like every other non-fiction book ever, the subtitle of Hidden Figures tells you exactly what to expect. It is indeed a book about The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win The Space Race. More specifically it delves into the time frame of World War II when there was a shortage of workers and how there were these tests for women to see if their math skills were on par enough to work for the Space program. These women basically originally were teachers and that was as far as they could go with their amazing skills. But then these jobs for the government opened up and the women and their families moved to Hampton, Virginia to work at Langley Field.
Hidden Figures explores the lives of several of these notable Black women. It describes the social political climate of Hampton, Virginia. More importantly, it shows us a piece of Black, American history that hitherto did not get a lot of fanfare. I mean, how often do you hear about Black women killing it in STEM? Not very, so this book was just incredibly interesting and absolutely an absorbing listen.
What Did I Think Of Hidden Figures?
I think that Margot Lee Shetterly’s Hidden Figures is a very important book. Also, it is a very important movie. It’s essential that Black women and girls be able to see themselves reflected in academic pursuits and excelling at things like STEM. I also think it’s important for people like me to see that as well, to be reminded of just how amazing real life Black girl magic is.
This book really captivated my attention. I loved not only the math and science aspect – because I am a geek for that kind of thing even though I am not the most proficient at it. However, I also loved the stories of the individual women and their brains and courage. Much of this book reads as narrative non-fiction and I think it’s so easy to get into the storyline and the subject matter.
How’s The Narration?
The audiobook of Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly is narrated by Robin Miles. I’ve listened to plenty of books narrated by Miles – she seems to specialize in reading non fiction written by women. Anyways, her voice is very scholarly but not boring. She’s easy to listen to and to continue paying attention to. I’d definitely say give the audiobook a shot if you’re interested and want to actually learn something during your commute or while you’re cleaning the house.
Other reviews of Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly:
- Read In Colour – “fascinating to read“
- Literature Lynx – “Overall, I’m glad I read it“
- The Book Fetish Blog – “getting to love the book was a tedious process“
Click here to support Good Books And Good Wine with your purchase of Hidden Figures:
Latest posts by April (Books&Wine) (see all)
- 5 More Audiobooks I’ve Recently Listened To - March 25, 2023
- Five Books I Recently Read - March 12, 2023
- 5 Mini Reviews - January 12, 2023
This was a fabulous read. I did it on audio too and really enjoyed it.
Ah, I’m so glad the source material lives up to the movie! I thought the film was incredible, and I’d love to read more about the women and their lives. Will definitely be keeping an eye out for the book.