Shetterly’s debut nonfiction book, “Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race,” chronicles the story of mathematicians Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson and Christine Darden, four African-American women who worked at NASA in the 1960s at the Langley Research Laboratory in Hampton, Virginia. Because segregation was alive and while during this time, these “human computers” were segregated in their work and, essentially, wiped from public memory of how John Glenn was sent into orbit.
Shetterly will be visiting Phoenix to present her New York Times bestseller this evening, April 4, at Orpheum Theatre at 7 p.m. The author is presented by the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing as part of their Distinguished Visiting Writers Series. Shetterly will give a presentation, followed by a Q&A led by Piper Center Interim Director Matt Bell and a book signing. “It’s an extraordinary and inspiring story, which we believe is both a necessary correction of the historical narratives surrounding NASA’s achievements as well as an inspiration to young Americans today interested in science, engineering, and mathematics,” Bell says.
“Hidden Figures” has been critically acclaimed and adapted into a film, which was nominated for three Academy Awards.
About the event:
Tuesday, April 4, 7 p.m.
Orpheum Theatre
203 W. Adams St., Phoenix
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/behind-hidden-figures-with-margot-lee-shetterly-registration-30869820464
The event is free and open to the public, but we recommend registering in advance. Seating is first-come, first-serve.
