He moved his family 125 miles from their White Sulfur Springs home to Institute, West Virginia so that Katherine and her older siblings, Charles, Margaret, and Horace, could attend school beyond the eighth grade. Johnson’s mathematical prowess led her to assist NACA’s all-male team of engineers tasked with finding solutions to America’s space-flight navigation problems.īorn to Joshua and Joylette Coleman, Katherine’s father was a farmer and janitor who quit school after the sixth grade. Twenty years later, married with three children, she transitioned from a teaching career to a coveted research mathematician position, at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA, 1915-1958), the predecessor to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA, 1958- ). In 1937, she graduated summa cum laude (with highest distinction), with a Bachelor of Science in French and Mathematics, from West Virginia State University (formerly West Virginia State College). Highly recommended for purchase in any school library.Katherine Goble Johnson, heralded as the first African American woman in Aerospace Engineering, was born on August 26, 1918, in White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia, a city where schooling for “colored” people ended with the eighth grade. Johnson's story is easy to follow and hard to put down. Larger ideas such as white supremacy are broken down with ease for younger readers. She neatly and accurately weaves in significant historical events that had profound effects on our country and the African American community, including the murder of Emmett Till, lunch counter sit-ins, and school integration. Johnson makes her own story available for tweens, hoping to inspire the next generation to always do their best., * "Johnson's story is captivating, informative, and inspiring. Katherine's intelligent, softly confident voice helps readers get to know her personally. From a long-lived American legend, this rich volume is a national treasure.", In this most authentic, highly personal account, Katherine writes her own story at the age of 100!. Her writing style is comfortable and conversational, like a visit over tea that you wish would never end. Black-and-white photos illustrate this highly accessible memoir by a groundbreaking woman., * "Johnson artfully weaves in the heart of how African American communities have survived and advanced-through "self-help and sacrificing" for the next generation. Kids will be excited to learn more about her journey., Alternately warmly personal and coolly observant, Johnson is always clear in her explanations. loose narrative style feels conversational, which will draw in readers, and an interesting afterword compares the movie Hidden Figures to her actual experience. Now in Reaching for the Moon she tells her own story for the first time, in a lively autobiography that will inspire young readers everywhere. Katherine Johnson's story was made famous in the bestselling book and Oscar-nominated film Hidden Figures. She worked on many of NASA's biggest projects including the Apollo 11 mission that landed the first men on the moon. Still, she lived her life with her father's words in mind: "You are no better than anyone else, and nobody else is better than you." In the early 1950s, Katherine was thrilled to join the organization that would become NASA. As an African American and a girl growing up in an era of brutal racism and sexism, Katherine faced daily challenges. But ability and opportunity did not always go hand in hand. In school she quickly skipped ahead several grades and was soon studying complex equations with the support of a professor who saw great promise in her. As a young girl, Katherine Johnson showed an exceptional aptitude for math. "This rich volume is a national treasure." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Captivating, informative, and inspiring.Easy to follow and hard to put down." - School Library Journal (starred review) The inspiring autobiography of NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson, who helped launch Apollo 11.
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