Hidden figures : the American dream and the untold story of the Black women mathematicians who helped win the space race / Margot Lee Shetterly.
Before John Glenn orbited the earth or Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, a group of dedicated female mathematicians known as "human computers" used pencils, slide rules and adding machines to calculate the numbers that would launch rockets, and astronauts, into space. Among these problem-solvers were a group of exceptionally talented African American women, some of the brightest minds of their generation. Originally relegated to teaching math in the South's segregated public schools, they were called into service during the labor shortages of World War II, when America's aeronautics industry was in dire need of anyone who had the right stuff. Suddenly, these overlooked math whizzes had a shot at jobs worthy of their skills, and they answered Uncle Sam's call, moving to Hampton, Virginia, and the fascinating, high-energy world of the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory. Even as Virginia's Jim Crow laws required them to be segregated from their white counterparts, the women of Langley's all-black "West Computing" group helped America achieve one of the things it desired most: a decisive victory over the Soviet Union in the Cold War, and complete domination of the heavens.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780062363596
- ISBN: 006236359X
- ISBN: 9780062363602
- ISBN: 0062363603
- Physical Description: xvii, 346 pages ; 24 cm
- Edition: First edition.
- Publisher: New York, New York : William Morrow, 2016.
Content descriptions
| Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references (pages 319-328) and index. |
| Formatted Contents Note: | A door opens -- Mobilization -- Past is prologue -- The double V -- Manifest destiny -- War birds -- The duration -- Those who move forward -- Breaking barriers -- Home by the sea -- The area rule -- Serendipity -- Turbulence -- Angle of attack -- Young, gifted, and black -- What a difference a day makes -- Outer space -- With all deliberate speed -- Model behavior -- Degrees of freedom -- Out of the past, the future -- America is for everybody -- To boldly go. |
| Target Audience Note: | 1350L Lexile |
| Study Program Information Note: | Accelerated Reader AR UG 9.7 18 187010. |
Search for related items by subject
| Genre: | Biographies. |
Available copies
- 120 of 142 copies available at NC Cardinal. (Show)
- 3 of 3 copies available at Johnston County Affiliated Libraries.
Holds
- 1 current hold with 142 total copies.
Other Formats and Editions
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenly Public Library | 510.92 She (Text) | 38950611102726 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield | 510.9252 She (Text) | 38955500123360 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Selma Public Library | 510.9252 She (Text) | 38950610920920 | Adult New Nonfiction | Available | - |
