Sue Bradford Edwards

You may have heard of the movie Hidden Figures, based on Margot Lee Shetterly’s biography of five African-American women who worked as NASA “computers”. Sue Bradford Edwards and Duchess Harris’ book Hidden Human Computers tells the story of those and many other computers who worked for NACA and NASA from the 1940s to the 1960s, and traces their influence to the present. (Harris is herself the granddaughter of one of the computers, Miriam Daniel Mann.) The book is rich with quotes and stories from the women and their relatives. Edwards and Harris detail the diverse types of research that the computers’ work facilitated, and draw direct parallels between the kinds of work (and wages) available to white men, to white women, and to black women of equal skill. Sidebars on nearly every page provide historical and cultural context and technical explanation that enrich the text but can also be skipped if the reader becomes engrossed. I was captivated by the stories of all these women who contributed so much to the development of space technology and human spaceflight, shifting to programming jobs as computers became more capable. They also contributed to opening up wider opportunities for other women. All in all, an inspiring book that belongs in every school library for kids 12 and older.… (mer)

Race and racism may seem like easily defined topics, but Sue Bradford Edwards presents the actual depth and meaning behind these terms. Her book is more than a timeline, but less than a history book, making it simpler for young readers to comprehend and even form opinions on these issues. While the book only contains eight chapters, they are divided in such a way that breaks up the pivotal moments in history concerning the definition of race, as well as occurrences of racism in our nation's history. The book is easy for adolescents to follow, containing a concise summary and presentation of various examples of racism in America, without coming across too daunting for young readers to understand. However, the book does seem to drift a bit here and there, allowing the reader's mind to drift as well when reading. Right when the slight boredom begins to trickle in, though, the chapter wraps up and the next issue appears with the next chapter. Although I do not see this book making its way into a standard school curriculum, it does define historical and modern-day ideals of race and racism well, without being too difficult for adolescents to grasp.… (mer)