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Margot Lee Shetterly: Hidden Figures (Young Reader's Version)

 I picked this up because I needed a quick read to get me back on track with my reading goal. It did not have that effect for me. This book (because it's the young reader's edition) is appropriate for about 2nd to 4th grade. While I think it does a fantastic job at what it's trying to accomplish, I would like to get the full version and reread it. This book has been made into a film, and I think its message is excellent.

Hidden Figures follows the story of several African-American women trying to break into the field of aeronautics during and just after World War II. These women started as "computers" which meant that they were checking the math of the predominately white male engineers in other departments. These women were brilliant in their own right, and amazing mathematicians. Eventually, their skills could not be ignored, and many of them were promoted to other departments, and breaking racial barriers that had existed for a century.

Based on the intended audience for this book, the writing is directly pitched to them. It explains, in context, difficult vocabulary, and it's fast paced for a biography. As I'm not the intended audience for this book, I found it difficult to get through. When my daughter starts to be interested in this stuff however, I'm sure she'll love this edition. Again, audience is everything.

I do think it's amazing what these women were able to do at a time and in a field that forced people to be open-minded. I was impressed by their tenacity and willingness to push back against the status quo. In short, I need to go read the adult version of the biography and probably watch the movie!

I rate this G

⭐⭐⭐⭐



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