2025 Reading Challenge discussion

This is where we will discuss the book after we start reading it in July.

This book isn't what I thought it was, but I think it's a much needed read in a time such as now! I'm enjoying it and I'm feeling rather sad in learning about the history :(

Almost one-third through and loving this! My science nerd self is sooooo happy! So much good historical data as well. And she did a fantastic job of annotating the information in the back, if you're interested. What an amazing job she has done with this, IMHO!

I'm listening to it, so I'm missing the annotations, but I totally love it! My knowledge of US history is weak (if I want to flatter myself "non existent" might put it better), so I'm more than happy to learn about it from the POV of Afroamerican women. The writing is uplifting and engrossing. I'm glad to learn more about the part I liked in Kowal's "The Calculating Stars" best.

I'm thrilled that the book does indeed cover many more people than those included in the movie. I had no idea how that whole area of Virginia was originally populated and no idea of the beginnings of NASA. Fascinating...

Great to know.....

I'm doing Audible for this, and I'm really enjoying the history lesson I'm getting from this (especially as I am not American). I've not seen the movie, but I might after I finish this!

I'm really enjoying this so far. It's so hard to imagine how difficult it was for these brilliant women to be contributing so much, yet kept segregated.

Okay, so I have mixed feelings about this book.

One the one hand I absolutely love the history lession I low-key get while reading this book. On the other hand I am so overwhelmed by all these names and institutions, schools and colleges, and aeronautical terms.
I am already bad with names when it comes to fictional books, where you have 1 protagonist and maybe 3-5 other relevant characters. But this? It's a challenge for me. I am at chapter 19 and now I really want to know how they made it to the moon - but gosh, it's difficult for me to get through this book.

Also: I find it really interesting, how in the movie the three main characters are portrayed as having taught themselves how to use computers - and in the book they fight for going to college and taking evening courses so they can learn from others how to use computers. In a way the movie makes in seem as if there were no people who knew how to use computers, so the women had to learn it themselves. When in reality, there were people who taught computer usage, black women simply weren't allowed to take the courses to learn it. Because the colleges were for white people. Because Virginia 65 years ago put a lot of effort into excluding black people from "their" colleges. They even went as far as paying black students money, just for them to go to college in another state? How crazy is that?

And the fact that Prince Edward County shut down all schools for 5 whole years. I’m amazed the feds didn’t go in with the National Guard or something to force public schools to open and integrate.

For the first time in a long time a book actually touched me so much I stood up and cheered. Literally! When (view spoiler)[Mary Jackson's son Levi, Jr., won the annual soap box derby! (page 200) I was so thrilled for him/her/them! (hide spoiler)] I believe this was in the the very early 60's. That is so amazing!

In 1969 (I was 13 years old, and clueless) NASA employed 400,000 people, including employees, contractors, and military support personnel. That seems unbelievable to me!

Reading the Epilogue now. This was such an amazing read! Shetterly managed to make it flow so well! I am thrilled with this additional (much of it “new-to-me”) knowledge! An incredible read!

Martha wrote: "Okay, so I have mixed feelings about this book.

One the one hand I absolutely love the history lession I low-key get while reading this book. On the other hand I am so overwhelmed by all these na..."

I haven't seen the movie, but I agree with you about keeping up with everything haha. I'm listening to it on audio, and I have never understood physics, so those aspects are going directly over my head. I have absolutely zero understanding of the scientific descriptions provided in the book.

I also agree that the history lesson is amazing, though. I live in Australia for one thing, so we don't really grow up learning a great deal about America history (especially in this detail) so I've learnt a lot from what I've read/listened to so far. It's super interesting and I find myself cheering on these women as they work their way up in a tough world for them.

Finished the book yesterday and going to watch the film tonight.
Very curious to see how it measures up to the book.

Lisanne wrote: "Finished the book yesterday and going to watch the film tonight.
Very curious to see how it measures up to the book."
So how do you think the movie holds up? I haven't seen the movie straight through. I always seem to catch it at some point in the middle, so I don't have a good feel for it. I plan to check it out soon, though!

I just finished the book today, and I was very impressed from start to finish. I had no idea that there were so many Black colleges in the south that long ago, and I was really surprised at how many Black women attended college as long ago as the 1930s, especially given how unusual it was for women in general to go to college in those years.

How unfair it was for them to have to stay in the background, and not really get recognized for their achievenemts while the white men took all the glory! And yet the did so with grace and dignity, motivated by the work and the knowledge that they were breaking ground.

I feel small and unaccomplished compared to Dorothy Vaughn, Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson, and all those brilliant women.

Claire wrote: "Lisanne wrote: "Finished the book yesterday and going to watch the film tonight.
Very curious to see how it measures up to the book."
So how do you think the movie holds up? I haven't seen the movi..."
It was at times difficult for me to engage with the book, because I found the writing a bit dry, so I liked how the film brought these women's stories more to life. I would have liked for the film to include even more details about their lives though, because some parts of the book I thought were really strong unfortunately didn't make the film. I didn't know how accurate the film would be, but Katherine Johnson herself said "[the film] sounded very, very accurate", so it's hard to top that! Think I'd advise everyone to both read the book and watch the film to get the best of both worlds☺

Lisanne wrote: "Claire wrote: "Lisanne wrote: "Finished the book yesterday and going to watch the film tonight.
Very curious to see how it measures up to the book."
So how do you think the movie holds up? I haven'..."

I would agree that both the book and the film give you a really good overall understanding.

I'm glad that I read the book first. It gave more history of the women, where they came from, how they were brought up. The movie was very good, but it really only focused on a few years of working for NASA. Where the book talked more about the civil rights struggle. The county the Dorothy was from they literally shut down schools for 5 years, because they didn't want to end segregation. Not only did they hurt Black children, but they hurt white children as well. I was glad to get to read this book and see the movie. I had never heard about this chapter in the history of USA and it's something that needs to be taught.

Heather wrote: "I'm glad that I read the book first. It gave more history of the women, where they came from, how they were brought up. The movie was very good, but it really only focused on a few years of working..."

Agreed! Unbelievable that a county would just shut its' schools doors to everyone! (Though perhaps private schools were still operating? IDK) And for 5 whole years! I'm amazed (and rather appalled) the federal government didn't step in.

Lynn wrote: "Agreed! Unbelievable that a county would just shut its' schools doors to everyone! (Though perhaps private schools were still operating? IDK) And for 5 whole years! I'm amazed (and rather appalled) the federal government didn't step in."

I think that, at least at that time, the federal government left education up to the state and local authorities. They would step in to enforce federal laws IF there were schools, but it was up to the states to regulate schools.

I guess the State of Virginia felt that segregation was more important than education.

Claire wrote: "Lynn wrote: "Agreed! Unbelievable that a county would just shut its' schools doors to everyone! (Though perhaps private schools were still operating? IDK) And for 5 whole years! I'm amazed (and rat...

I think that, at least at that time, the federal government left education up to the state and local authorities. They would step in to enforce federal laws IF there were schools, but it was up to the states to regulate schools.

I guess the State of Virginia felt that segregation was more important than education."

True. Education is pretty much left to state governments...but still!

I would agree that those who were in control of Virginia at that time definitely gave priority to racism over educational opportunity. I just can't imagine that...it seems so illogical and wrong.