April 15, 2021
Made famous by Margot Lee Shetterly's Hidden Figures (2016) and later portrayed by Taraji P. Henson in the Oscar-nominated film, Katherine Johnson, who died in 2020 at age 101, was a mathematician whose career at NASA was crucial to the early successes in space travel. While plenty of pages are devoted to those achievements, this engaging memoir, completed by Johnson's daughters, also delves into much that has been left out of public coverage. Johnson writes of her childhood, early achievements in the classroom, and a dedicated group of African American educators as well as her indomitable parents, who supported her academic interests. Johnson does not simply wax poetic here, she names names, keenly portrays colleagues, and cites specific interactions that set her on her way to her triumphs at NASA. She also writes poignantly of her first husband, who died terribly young, and the solace she took in work and parenthood until she found love again. Johnson is a warm and compassionate author, filling her pages with the most personal of stories while also illuminating the times she lived through with an appreciation for all the dramatic changes occurring around her. Truly a lovely read, this is an important addition to every bookshelf devoted to great Americans.
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Starred review from May 1, 2021
In the 1940s, Johnson began working in mathematical research at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). As a "human computer," she, along with many other men and women, performed complicated calculations that assisted engineers in aeronautical safety. After NACA transformed into NASA in 1958, her work came to include calculating space trajectories, flight ascension, shuttle reentry, and shuttle safety. Johnson's work at NASA is only one part of her extraordinary life, as recounted in this lovely posthumous memoir, co-written with her daughters. The memoir chronicles Johnson's childhood in the mountains of West Virginia, her love of learning, her prodigious talent for math and music, and her career as a mathematician. Especially touching are Johnson's recollections of historical events, such as World War II and the civil rights movement, and her relationships with her family, coworkers, and educators. VERDICT Readers will enjoy Johnson's personal accounts of the space race and the roles of Black women in STEM. This wonderful, insightful memoir is the perfect companion piece to Margot Lee Shetterly's best-selling Hidden Figures, which recounted the lives of Johnson and her colleagues Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson.--Leah Huey, Dekalb P.L., IL
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