Much has been written about the black women mathematicians who worked behind the scenes at NASA; now young readers can hear Katherine Johnson's story in her own words.Johnson begins her autobiography with her decision, at the age of 4, to start attending school with her brother so she could help him with his math. Impressed, the teacher opened a kindergarten class, but soon Katherine was skipping entire grades. Her family relocated so that she and her siblings could attend high school and college (beyond seventh grade, there was no school for "colored" youth in their hometown). Johnson graduated college at 18 with degrees in French and mathematics before going on to teach and pursue her now-famous career at NASA, yet she comes across as humble and warm, passing on to her children the refrain her father taught her as inoculation against racism: "You are no better than anyone else, but nobody else is better than you." Johnson describes the culture and way of life in each of the places where she lived and worked, with an honest portrayal of the common racial injustices and indignities alongside the shared humanity that also existed. She artfully weaves in the heart of how African American communities have survived and advanced—through "self-help and sacrificing" for the next generation. Her writing style is comfortable and conversational, making the book feel like a visit over tea that you wish would never end.From a long-lived American legend, this rich volume is a national treasure. (Memoir. 9-adult)

Johnson, the groundbreaking NASA mathematician who was featured in the book and movie Hidden Figures, tells her own story in this middle-grade autobiography. The book, featuring many photos, spans from her childhood through the 1969 moon landing, with follow-up on her family members from that point forward. Johnson contextualizes her journey with information about Jim Crow laws, the education and training of African American teachers, and segregated schooling. Her loose narrative style feels conversational, which will draw in readers, and an interesting afterword compares the movie Hidden Figures to her actual experience. While filled with fascinating tidbits about space research and featuring a time line of space travel, much of the book focuses on Johnson's family life ere could have been even more emphasis on her life inside NASA terpersonal dynamics, intricacies of research, and challenges faced readers will also seek that detail. Johnson has had a tremendous life, and with her recent pop-culture representation, as well as the overall popularity of STEM, kids will be excited to learn more about her journey.

To help her older brother with his math work at school, Katherine Johnson hatched a plan. She joined his class for a day and quietly tutored him. Katherine was--get this!--four years old at the time. "Math had always come easily to me. I loved numbers and numbers loved me," she writes in this down-to-earth, conversational autobiography. In 1926, to support her education--and that of her three older siblings--Katherine's parents moved the family to Institute, West Virginia, which had a high school for Black students; Katherine started there at age ten. Eight years later, she graduated from West Virginia State with a clear goal: to become a research mathematician. After teaching school and having three daughters, Katherine landed her dream job at NACA (NASA's predecessor), joining a computing unit staffed entirely by African American women. Katherine's analytic geometry expertise soon made her the go-to expert for calculating flight paths, including Apollo 11's Lunar Lander trajectory. Johnson's writing is clear, warm, and candid, and she smoothly weaves in details about Plessy v. Ferguson, the Ku Klux Klan, Emmett Till, etc., to give context for her and her family's personal experiences with segregation and racism. Humble and inspiring, the math genius notes: "Mine is just one tale in a long and unending chain of Black heroism and excellence that began long ago." Black-and-white photographs are included.

Much has been written about the black women mathematicians who worked behind the scenes at NASA; now young readers can hear Katherine Johnson's story in her own words.Johnson begins her autobiography with her decision, at the age of 4, to start attending school with her brother so she could help him with his math. Impressed, the teacher opened a kindergarten class, but soon Katherine was skipping entire grades. Her family relocated so that she and her siblings could attend high school and college (beyond seventh grade, there was no school for "colored" youth in their hometown). Johnson graduated college at 18 with degrees in French and mathematics before going on to teach and pursue her now-famous career at NASA, yet she comes across as humble and warm, passing on to her children the refrain her father taught her as inoculation against racism: "You are no better than anyone else, but nobody else is better than you." Johnson describes the culture and way of life in each of the places where she lived and worked, with an honest portrayal of the common racial injustices and indignities alongside the shared humanity that also existed. She artfully weaves in the heart of how African American communities have survived and advanced—through "self-help and sacrificing" for the next generation. Her writing style is comfortable and conversational, making the book feel like a visit over tea that you wish would never end.From a long-lived American legend, this rich volume is a national treasure. (Memoir. 9-adult)