Hidden Figures

 Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly 368 pages

 

I cannot remember the last time I said a movie was better than the book. I am saying it now about Hidden Figures though. So much better. My book club selected this title, but after three evenings and only getting to page 25, I knew this one wasn’t for me. And because I didn’t want to go to book club without some knowledge of the book, I listened to the Audio CD. It was easier to listen to than to read, but I still found it BORING!

 

My biggest complaint is that the book didn’t focus on the women. Its focus was the history of race relations in the aerodynamics industry from World War II through the Space Shuttle Program. It was interesting, but I wanted to know more about the women the book highlighted (Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn and Mary Johnson). And while their stories are woven into the text, they aren’t centerstage. And that is a shame. The stories of these courageous and intelligent women had been buried for so long, it was a miracle that their accomplishments became known before they passed away.

 

However, the movie took those random bits of real life and turned them into a fascinating and enlightening movie.

 

In the book, there wasn’t a reason to turn the page; nothing compelling was written---except for the small sections on the women. The movie got off to a slow start, for me, but soon picked up to warp speed, keeping me on the edge of my seat.

 

It’s obvious that a lot of research went into this story. It is well done though. Therefore, for the book, I give it 2 stars and for the audio gets 3 stars. However, the movie receives ten out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.