After a careful selection process that included public voting for the first time, Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly has been selected as the eighth One City, One Book title, according to Greensboro Public Library Director Brigitte Blanton.
The book, also an Oscar-nominated hit movie, is the untold story of three African-American women working at NASA who served as the mathematical brains behind the successful launch of America’s first astronaut into orbit, John Glenn.
The community-wide read, scheduled to begin with a kickoff August 26, has several Greensboro connections. Many of the women recruited for the Space Task Group came from Woman’s College (now UNCG). Author Margot Lee Shetterly was NCG’s commencement speaker recently. Mathematician and physicist Katherine Johnson’s daughter, Katherine Moore, is a Bennett College alumna and Greensboro resident.
Other planned events include: memoir writing workshops, panel discussions on women in science, programs on the space race, and films, also including music of the era.
The selection process began last fall when library staff and community members reviewed a long list of titles. Four books were chosen then reviewed by an executive committee. Once the finalists were selected, the public was invited to vote online and at local Library branches. Over 500 votes were cast; Hidden Figures was the overwhelming winner.