What's the function of popular nonfiction? To inform? Entertain? Captivate? All 3? This book does the first well and the latter two terribly.

The information presented in this book is amazing. How did we ignore this piece of history so completely for so long? Why isn't "Katherine Johnson" a household name? Where was she in "Apollo 13"? The spectacular growth of aviation technology and ubiquity, the Cold War space race, the moon missions, the Space Shuttle -- these are so central to the sense of American identity that it is frankly shocking the West Computers were so completely erased from the narrative of 20th century American history. At this point I really shouldn't be surprised at the extent and the effects of systemic racism and sexism, and yet here I am, surprised again.

I pushed through because the history felt important and worth it. But I really did have to push through. Compelling writing this is not. I was --and remain, 2 years after the fact -- incredibly frustrated and disappointed that this book is so profoundly dull. It's organized poorly. It seems underwhelmed by its own subject. I've had more fun cleaning the bathroom.

Some random thoughts:

1. Not every hero is flashy. Anyone can take a small step, and together, small steps make a big difference. Miriam Mann's daily effort to get rid of the segregating lunch table sign was small but a critical step in organizational desegregation.

2. Once the trajectory from computer/mathematician (job without power) to engineer/research scientist (job with power) became better established, men started to seek these jobs as well, and women were pushed out of a field that they essentially created. No wonder there's such a dearth of women in STEM.

3. The book discusses a black male engineer who, as a man, had advantages women at NACA/NASA did not have; but he started drinking due to the challenges, and the stress, of being black in this segregated work environment. I wonder how many women -- black or white -- at NACA/NASA also developed self-injurious habits to help cope with a deeply segregated, sexist environment. It cannot be zero. However, the author does not speculate or even suggest that this might have been an issue; on the contrary, she pointedly notes of all the women under discussion in the book that they determinedly acted as role models in all aspects of their lives (girl scout leaders, guest lecturers, activists, church elders, etc in addition to their work as mathematicians).