I am a Social Science major and I had never heard of these
women! That is disgraceful. Katherine
Johnson even grew up in West Virginia, my home state and still I heard and
learned nothing of her contributions to the space race. My interest in the
seeing the movie led me to read the book first. I know myself well enough that
if I see the movie first, I am less likely to read the book.
Whenever I hear Langley, I think CIA, not NASA. The book is well written. I will admit that
much of the technical and math stuff I did not comprehend as fully as someone
who is good in those areas might. I enjoyed the book from the personal aspects
it includes which allows the reader to get to know these ladies better. Most women would have given up but not these
ladies. I also found it interesting that
they were referred to as computers. John Glenn and others relied on their
computations to get them into orbit and back home. Even after the computers we know today began
to appear, the human computers were considered more trustworthy. It was also
fascinating that the men working in the field did not trust the women until
they proved themselves smarter than they were!
I can not imagine being told not to go into a field simply
because I was a woman, let alone having to do it as a person of color. Their fortitude in following their dreams is
amazing. The family sacrifices are extreme.
The lack of equal pay and access unfortunately was the norm then. I
enjoyed reading that these women stood up for themselves in days when that could
have made their lives more difficult.
Other things I enjoyed about the book include learning about
the community development of the Hampton Roads area. I wonder what these neighborhoods look like
today? My guess is that most are still well kept middle class communities.
Since reading the book I have seen the movie and also
watched the interview between Barbara Harris and Katherine Johnson. At 99, Mrs.
Johnson is still sharp as a tack and can calculate math with the best of
them. She cleared up a couple of things
about the movie that had been added for theatrical effect such as bathrooms in
separate buildings and who made the coffee.
