Author: Kimberly

TITLE: My Remarkable Journey
CHARACTERS: Katherine Johnson
AUTHOR: Katherine Johnson, Joylette Hylick, Katherine G Moore
PUBLICATION DATE: 05/25/21
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
The remarkable woman at heart of the smash New York Times bestseller and Oscar-winning film Hidden Figures tells the full story of her life, including what it took to work at NASA, help land the first man on the moon, and live through a century of turmoil and change.

In 2015, at the age of 97, Katherine Johnson became a global celebrity. President Barack Obama awarded her the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom—the nation’s highest civilian honor—for her pioneering work as a mathematician on NASA’s first flights into space. Her contributions to America’s space program were celebrated in a blockbuster and Academy-award nominated movie.

In this memoir, Katherine shares her personal journey from child prodigy in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia to NASA human computer. In her life after retirement, she served as a beacon of light for her family and community alike. Her story is centered around the basic tenets of her life—no one is better than you, education is paramount, and asking questions can break barriers. The memoir captures the many facets of this unique woman: the curious “daddy’s girl,” pioneering professional, and sage elder.

This multidimensional portrait is also the record of a century of racial history that reveals the influential role educators at segregated schools and Historically Black Colleges and Universities played in nurturing the dreams of trailblazers like Katherine. The author pays homage to her mentor—the African American professor who inspired her to become a research mathematician despite having his own dream crushed by racism.

Infused with the uplifting wisdom of a woman who handled great fame with genuine humility and great tragedy with enduring hope, My Remarkable Journey ultimately brings into focus a determined woman who navigated tough racial terrain with soft-spoken grace—and the unrelenting grit required to make history and inspire future generations.

REVIEW:
4.5 Hearts I had not heard of the history of these incredible women until one day on a tv show called “Timeless” (episode Space Race which aired Nov 28, 2016). I actually went and Googled it after the episode and I think maybe a lot of people did because only a short time later the movie Hidden Figures came out. I ran to the theater to see it and was not disappointed. I then picked up the book the movie was based on and absolutely loved it.

But this book is right up there with it. I loved the things that Hidden Figures didn’t tell. First off Hidden Figures is about the three women even though a lot of it focuses on Katherine the book doesn’t really tell her life. It tells the amazing time she helped the astronauts of NASA make it to the moon and come home safe.

This book is more about Katherine Johnson herself. WOW. This woman is a force of nature. She is a brilliant mind that made a huge impact on Earth and in space.

Please go read this book! Not because of what this woman was (an African-American woman) but for WHO she is. An American Hero!

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.