Hidden Figures: Young Reader Edition

This is an edition of the now famous book that inspired the even more famous movie, "Hidden Figures."  It follows the lives and careers of several pioneering black female mathematicians as they break through color and gender lines in military aeronautics research facilities. I loved the movie, and I found this immensely inspiring as well.  These woman fought prejudice just by being amazing in science and math. Even more inspiring is their confidence and bravery in gradually and gracefully claiming the opportunities and recognition that was their due.  They were good at what they did, they knew it and they found ways to help others realize it, too.

It was interesting to compare the book to the movie.  The actual events in the woman's lives were much more spread out over time than portrayed in the movie. Some of my favorite scenes in the movie, like when the one supervisor takes the "Whites Only" sign off of the women's bathroom, were not described in the book.  It makes me wonder if the movie makers just added that in because it was visually impactful, or if they did more research and portrayed what actually happened.  Or maybe the scene is in the adult version of the book, and just edited out of the kid's version.  If any of my readers know, add a comment. Anyway, it is a great book to share with any child, but especially with science nerd girls. (240 p. 2016)