Hidden Figures” – The book before the movie

The bookHidden Figures, written by Margot Lee Shetterly, tells the story of African American women who worked at NASA and helped make space exploration possible.

Before this book, very few people knew their names.

The book came out in September 2016, after six years of writing, and it was adapted into a movie right after, in the same year.

Here, literature helps show that these women were talented and brave scientists, even if they were often invisible at the time.

Excerpt from the book :

“Knowing that only a handful of these 'girls’ had earned the title of 'mathematician’ — a professional label that put them on equal footing with the lowest-level male employees — the fact that most of the calculators were kept in 'assistant’ positions could only help the lab’s budget.”

— Margot Lee Shetterly, Hidden Figures

Image of a book

The Importance of Storytelling

Telling these stories in books or articles matters. It helps bring justice to those who were forgotten and shows that science was never meant to be just for men.

In these books, women scientists come back into the light.

These stories also inspire younger generations and encourage girls to get interested in math, physics, or engineering.

Slogan #no more matildas

The “Matildas”

This bad habit of society pushing women scientists aside, minimizing them, or forgetting them has a name: the Matilda Effect.

Through storytelling, literature can fix these injustices and make long-ignored talents visible again.

Today, even though society is changing and trying to make things right, it’s still important not to forget the women scientists of the past.Books are a perfect way to do that.