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Hidden Figures

The Untold Story of the African American Women Who Helped Win the Space Race

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Hidden Figures

By: Margot Lee Shetterly
Narrated by: Robin Miles
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The Top 10 Sunday Times Bestseller

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE
Oscar Nominated For Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay

Set amid the civil rights movement, the never-before-told true story of NASA’s African-American female mathematicians who played a crucial role in America’s space program.

Before Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, a group of professionals worked as ‘Human Computers’, calculating the flight paths that would enable these historic achievements. Among these were a coterie of bright, talented African-American women. Segregated from their white counterparts, these ‘colored computers’ used pencil and paper to write the equations that would launch rockets, and astronauts, into space.

Moving from World War II through NASA’s golden age, touching on the civil rights era, the Space Race, the Cold War, and the women’s rights movement, Hidden Figures interweaves a rich history of mankind’s greatest adventure with the intimate stories of five courageous women whose work forever changed the world.

 Aeronautics & Astronautics African American Studies Americas Astronomy & Space Science Professionals & Academics Science Science & Technology Social Sciences Specific Demographics United States Women Social justice Civil Rights
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Critic Reviews

A TIME Magazine Top 10 Nonfiction Book of 2016
‘Much as Tom Wolfe did in ‘The Right Stuff’, Shetterly moves gracefully between the women’s lives and the broader sweep of history … Shetterly blends impressive research with an enormous amount of heart in telling these stories … Genuinely inspiring book’ Boston Globe
‘A fascinating and important document about the hitherto unknown impact of NASA’s endeavours’ BBC Sky at Night magazine
‘Shetterly’s highly recommended work offers up a crucial history that had previously and unforgivably been lost. We’d do well to put this book into the hands of young women who have long since been told that there’s no room for them at the scientific table’ Library Journal
‘Inspiring and enlightening’ Kirkus
‘Exploring the intimate relationships among blackness, womanhood, and 20th-century American technological development, Shetterly crafts a narrative that is crucial to understanding subsequent movements for civil rights’ Publishers Weekly
‘This an is incredibly powerful and complex story, and Shetterly has it down cold. The breadth of her well-documented research is immense, and her narrative compels on every level. The timing of this revelatory book could not be better, and book clubs will adore it’ Booklist
‘Meticulous … the depth and detail that are the book’s strength make it an effective, fact-based rudder with which would-be scientists and their allies can stabilise their flights of fancy’ Seattle Times
All stars
Most relevant
I loved it the story of what they had to contend against and how far they went was just amazing.

loved it

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This story is one of the best I've listened to and it gave me tremendous insight into America's odd racist history, and the huge achievements of the ladies who helped make NASA what it is today. Well read, and a pleasure to listen to.

Fanstastic story, well presented

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one of my new favourite books. so interesting hearing the women grow with the science and visa versa.

what a delight

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What i liked - average story narrated amazingly.

What i disliked - the story is about what happened to the african-american women who helped NASA win the space race and not on how they helped win the race. If you want to read about the how each one of the characters evolved on a personal front rather than what challenges they faced and how they resolved it, then read along.

Average story but Robin did a great job narrating it. Will definitely go down as one of the best narration i have heard on audible.

Amazing narration but weak story

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A fascinating account that shine some well earned recognition onto the women who did so much for the American space industry. Are really important story. But for me, I would've liked a bit more in-depth exploration of the people to build a better narrative. I found it just a little bit dry. Still, worth a read.

Good account of real people in real offence, but…

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