Hidden Figures
Before Hidden Figures was an Oscar-nominated film, it was this book. The true, jaw-dropping story of the Black women mathematicians whose pencil-and-paper genius helped fire America's first astronauts into space. Margot Lee Shetterly digs up a history that nearly got erased and tells it like a thriller you can't put down. Grab it for yourself, or hand it to someone who loves a real-life underdog story with serious brains behind it.
The details
Where it's from
Shetterly didn't research this from a distance. She grew up in Hampton, Virginia, where the whole thing happened, and her own father was a NASA research scientist who worked alongside many of the women in the book. So this is partly her neighbourhood, her childhood faces, finally getting their due. She started the project in 2010 and the finished book landed in 2016, topping bestseller lists and inspiring the hit film starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae.
Good to know
- What is the price of Hidden Figures?
Hidden Figures is KSh 1,249 at Oaks & Corks. Order online for delivery in 30 minutes for most areas in Nairobi, or next day countrywide.
- What is Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly?
It's a bestselling non-fiction history book, and the basis for the hit film of the same name. Full title: Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race.
- What is the book about?
The true, long-overlooked story of African American women who worked as 'human computers' at NASA, doing the maths that helped launch America's astronauts into space. It runs from the 1930s through the 1960s, set against the segregation of the era.
- Did it inspire the movie?
Yes. The book inspired the 2016 film Hidden Figures, which earned three Academy Award nominations and starred Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae and Kevin Costner.
- Who is it good for?
Anyone into true stories, history, science or a proper underdog tale. It also makes a brilliant gift, and there are separate Young Readers' editions if you're buying for a younger reader.
- Who wrote it?
Margot Lee Shetterly, who grew up in Hampton, Virginia near the NASA facility where the story unfolds. Her father was a NASA research scientist who knew many of the women in the book.
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Hidden Figures price in Kenya
Buy Hidden Figures online in Nairobi, Kenya for KSh 1,249. Order now for fast delivery across Nairobi — usually within 30 minutes — or next-day delivery countrywide.
