Hidden Figures Summary

Stepping into the Light: The Message behind Hidden Figures In the review of Margot Lee Shetterly’s Hidden Figures, called “Review: Hidden Figures” by Evelyn Lamb, Lamb highlights the never-ending saga of white culture stealing and relabeling black culture as their own or as in the case relating to the book, stealing black people’s work and neglecting African Americans right’s to receive the credit they deserve because most of their fellow white community members saw them as less deserving. I agree with her point and feel that it is important because it provides a strong argument as to why the book is such a ground-breaking piece of literature. One of the ways Lamb supports her thesis is when she elaborated her viewpoint on white culture

Even though this idea is presented within the book, it is better visualized in the movie with scenes comparing Katherine to John Glenn, the first American astronaut who orbited the Earth. It was not until her late 90s when Katherine received the Medal of Freedom from President Obama for her work at NASA in 2015 but only years after John Glenn received the same medal in 2012. Hidden Figures was written and filmed to shine a light on the work these African American women did in contributing to the Space Race Era and so on. As mentioned by Lamb, “there’s nothing wrong with celebrating their bravery and achievements, but Hidden Figures makes it clear that there were more brave people working behind the scenes” yet I think the film misinterpreted Shetterly’s intentions of the book and found a way to downplay the work and importance of African American women and men who served as trail blazers in the book , such as the iconic colored sign situation by Miriam Mann which in the film is replaced by a knocking down of a colored ladies restroom sign by a white man. Little changes such as this further support Lamb’s argument and Shetterly’s reasoning for writing the book, it is time for African Americans to step from behind the curtains and into the light and be recognized for the work we