Bibliograph

Hidden figures, the American dream and the untold story of the black women mathematicians who helped win the space race, Margot Lee Shetterly

Type

Label

Hidden figures, the American dream and the untold story of the black women mathematicians who helped win the space race, Margot Lee Shetterly

Language

eng

Form of composition

not applicable

Format of music

not applicable

Literary text for sound recordings

other

Main title

Hidden figures

Medium

sound recording

Music parts

not applicable

Oclc number

956882140

Responsibility statement

Margot Lee Shetterly

Sub title

the American dream and the untold story of the black women mathematicians who helped win the space race

Summary

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."--, adapted from publisher website

Target audience

adult

Transposition and arrangement

not applicable

Classification