Hidden Figures

Margot Lee Shetterly, Hidden Figures (2016)

The recognition of the film adaptation of Hidden Figures (2016) says a lot about its inspirational and compelling basis. In an interview after the publishing of the book, the first question concerns the delicate blend of historical work couched as a novel. This is a story heavy in contextual history concerning the racist and segregationist past. The amazing women followed through Hidden Figures demonstrate the difficulty of overcoming societal obstacles that served to limit their advancement and opportunities.

The racist and patriarchal environment that faced the women in Hidden Figures evolves within the story. Their successes mark a triumph of persistence, commitment and hard work. Ultimately this story can also be a more personal historical education of the past in the US and how this was felt by the black women that played a pivotal role in the iconic space race of the Cold War. Shetterly pieced together the story from a large number of historical sources and articles, the inclusion of details that surrounded school segregation, the Red Scare and evolving Cold War add to the positive elements of the book. As a history buff, the sections concerning these periods, trends and events of a tumultuous time in American history were just as fascinating as the compelling lives of the protagonists. The three women that are the fixtures of Hidden Figures show all the qualities mentioned earlier when the Second World War opens up opportunities for women in otherwise patriarchal spheres and environments. Overcoming the obstacles of patriarchy and racism did not remove the obstacles but the story highlights the innane logic of such structures.

Women, on the other hand, had to wield their intellects like a scythe, hacking away against the stubborn underbrush of low expectations. (p.83)

As the women’s lives unfold in the book it is inspiring to see the messages that they spread empowering others and preaching the virtues of persistence, tenacity and hard work. Inspirational messages and teachings adorn Hidden Figures and it only serves to make it that much more of a compelling read.

Mary didn’t have the power to remove the limits that society imposed on her girls, but it was her duty, she felt, to help pry off the restrictions they might place on themselves. (p.98)

There are many threads of history weaved into the book and the story offers a timeline concerning so many aspects of American history from the 40’s through to the 60’s. The civil rights movement, the aforementioned Red Scare, the Cold War, and its space race that ultimately defined the book’s narrative. The description of the civil rights movement figureheads fighting on two fronts not only denouncing American imperialist foreign policy but also their enemies domestically is thought-provoking and an interesting historical learning point. These systemic issues have continued to manifest themselves in American society and the messages in Hidden Figures become even more pertinent in light of the recent Black Lives Matter protests.

The cruelty of racial prejudice was so often accompanied by absurdity, a tangle of arbitrary rules and distinctions that subverted shared interests of people who had been taught to see themselves as irreconcilably different.

Shetterly, Hidden Figures, p.145

While the obstacles faced by the women in Hidden Figures are very much still in place and serve to blunt the potential of so many people not only in America but around the world, this book offers a point of hope and inspiration. The uphill struggle faced by the women in the book is said to not be as closely represented in the screen adaptation (which I have not watched yet!). The book makes clear that these women faced difficulty with perseverance and tenacity that allowed them to not only overcome systemic barriers but also successfully adapt to technological changes and other developments in their work environment. The collection of interviews and epilogue at the end of the story serves to extend the contextualization and sentiment that surrounded the book. It was interesting to see the personal nature of the book for Shetterly as well as the events that followed the end of the stories narrative and see the lasting impact of these three iconic women (Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson, Dorothy Vaughan).

I must now watch the adaptation as a point of comparison but I wholeheartedly recommend this book not only as a historical foundation for elements of the period concerned but more importantly as a point of hope and inspiration. Even more so with the recent and ongoing protests, the book offers pertinent messages and points of education about the background on systemic inequalities that have shaped contemporary society.