Scan barcode
mikmercado's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
My favorite read of 2023
jeffersoneverestcrawford's review against another edition
4.0
By being a history of the Harvard College observatory and the many woman that advanced astronomy in those years it’s also a general history of astronomy between 1850s and the end of WW2, which is an amazingly strange era of developing knowledge and techniques
rexsavior's review against another edition
4.0
As with Longitude, Dava Sobel does such a great job of elevating the life and work of lesser known people who, despite their obscurity, have contributed greatly to scientific progress. For me, it was a useful reminder that given a longer view all of us have an opportunity to contribute to a larger story of progress and change.
creativelifeofliz's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
4.0
A very interesting and informative look at the Harvard College Observatory in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries and the women that were integral to both its functioning and astronomy as a field.
earth_anduniverse's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
Pioneering women making a place for them selves in science. Focus on there work the observetry
laura1564's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book and learned a lot, both about the history of how photography and spectroscopy contributed to our understanding of the structure of the universe, and the ways in which a pioneering group of women “computers” at Harvard made significant contributions to the field of astronomy across the period from the 1880s until about the 1950s.
The book is beautifully researched and covers an impressive amount of both astronomical and social history. It is a book that I think will not appeal equally to all readers. If you’re a person who isn’t particularly interested in science per se, but intrigued by a story that will provide an introduction to ways in which women contributed to science as human computers who did the complex calculations before we had reliable machines to do that work, Hidden Figures is going to give you a much more immediate and relatable narrative to hold on to, and this book may seem too “dry” as other reviewers here have suggested.
If you have a real interest in scientific ideas and the history of the science itself, even as just an amateur, then I think this book will be much more compelling. It really is structured around a chronological account of the astronomical discoveries the Harvard women and their “glass universe” of photographic slides (which were made of glass pre-plastic) made possible. Sobel then does a lovely job of weaving in quotes from letters, diaries and other primary sources to bring in some facts and insights into the lives of many of these women and the men they worked with. The book takes the approach of primarily presenting facts about the large number of people who participated in the Harvard Observatory projects for a large period of years, so it does not give a detailed biography of any one main person or provide much commentary on how the reader might interpret these facts. Again, I found this a strength, but I am coming from the prospective of an historian who enjoys contemplating prospective ways to interpret primary sources, whereas I can imagine some readers wanting a more established point of view to bounce ideas off of.
I thought this book really reached its peak as it neared the end because all the cumulative details about people and their research from across a couple of generations started showing the patterns of how the long, tedious labor of literally trying to map and define the characteristics of all the stars in the heavens as well as the tedious battle of women looking for equal recognition of their intellectual talents both slowly begin to pay of and yield incremental results.
As both a feminist and a supporter of minorities and other under-represented groups, I have always maintained that the most important thing that needs to happen to effect real change is to have representation. This book was an interesting case study for how representation actually works on the ground. The initial decision to hire women as computers for the Harvard observatory was complex. Pickering, the head of the observatory was, indeed, a more open minded than average man for someone in the 1880s. He was also working with a female donor, the wealthy widow of a prominent astronomer, who approved of the idea of women assisting with the work. Clearly, however, the biggest factor was that his budget was tight and women were cheap. The book explores from there how getting this initial group of women in the door slowly morphs into a woman curator for the collection in 1899,Wiliamina Fleming, also making her the first woman to hold an official title at Harvard University. In time the book documents the women getting masters and doctorate degrees in astronomy, and, ultimately, Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, an astronomer with long ties to the work of the Harvard observatory, who became the first female full professor at Harvard.
The gradual account of these triumphs in the book is inspiring, but I think even more moving is the way it documents the unsung heroes, the women computers who could advance only so far in terms of title, recognition, or (likely most important to them) pay, but who nevertheless demonstrated their prodigious intellectual abilities through groundbreaking discoveries and insights into the stars. It is a wonderful reminder to honor the women who could have shined brighter with better opportunities and to keep pushing to let the full potential today’s women shine more and more.
The book is beautifully researched and covers an impressive amount of both astronomical and social history. It is a book that I think will not appeal equally to all readers. If you’re a person who isn’t particularly interested in science per se, but intrigued by a story that will provide an introduction to ways in which women contributed to science as human computers who did the complex calculations before we had reliable machines to do that work, Hidden Figures is going to give you a much more immediate and relatable narrative to hold on to, and this book may seem too “dry” as other reviewers here have suggested.
If you have a real interest in scientific ideas and the history of the science itself, even as just an amateur, then I think this book will be much more compelling. It really is structured around a chronological account of the astronomical discoveries the Harvard women and their “glass universe” of photographic slides (which were made of glass pre-plastic) made possible. Sobel then does a lovely job of weaving in quotes from letters, diaries and other primary sources to bring in some facts and insights into the lives of many of these women and the men they worked with. The book takes the approach of primarily presenting facts about the large number of people who participated in the Harvard Observatory projects for a large period of years, so it does not give a detailed biography of any one main person or provide much commentary on how the reader might interpret these facts. Again, I found this a strength, but I am coming from the prospective of an historian who enjoys contemplating prospective ways to interpret primary sources, whereas I can imagine some readers wanting a more established point of view to bounce ideas off of.
I thought this book really reached its peak as it neared the end because all the cumulative details about people and their research from across a couple of generations started showing the patterns of how the long, tedious labor of literally trying to map and define the characteristics of all the stars in the heavens as well as the tedious battle of women looking for equal recognition of their intellectual talents both slowly begin to pay of and yield incremental results.
As both a feminist and a supporter of minorities and other under-represented groups, I have always maintained that the most important thing that needs to happen to effect real change is to have representation. This book was an interesting case study for how representation actually works on the ground. The initial decision to hire women as computers for the Harvard observatory was complex. Pickering, the head of the observatory was, indeed, a more open minded than average man for someone in the 1880s. He was also working with a female donor, the wealthy widow of a prominent astronomer, who approved of the idea of women assisting with the work. Clearly, however, the biggest factor was that his budget was tight and women were cheap. The book explores from there how getting this initial group of women in the door slowly morphs into a woman curator for the collection in 1899,Wiliamina Fleming, also making her the first woman to hold an official title at Harvard University. In time the book documents the women getting masters and doctorate degrees in astronomy, and, ultimately, Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, an astronomer with long ties to the work of the Harvard observatory, who became the first female full professor at Harvard.
The gradual account of these triumphs in the book is inspiring, but I think even more moving is the way it documents the unsung heroes, the women computers who could advance only so far in terms of title, recognition, or (likely most important to them) pay, but who nevertheless demonstrated their prodigious intellectual abilities through groundbreaking discoveries and insights into the stars. It is a wonderful reminder to honor the women who could have shined brighter with better opportunities and to keep pushing to let the full potential today’s women shine more and more.
bhurlbut's review against another edition
4.0
This book arrived in stores just as I was introduced to the women of the Harvard Observatory by Lauren Gunderson's play Silent Sky. The play stands on its own merits as a fictionalized version of the life of Henrietta Leavitt, one of the more important figures from that time, but it cannot by any stretch be considered good history as it takes many liberties. Ms Sobel, on the other hand, provides a solidly researched history of the women who, under the leadership of Dr. Edward Pickering, pioneered the use of photographs to map the stars. Along the way these women made some very important discoveries of their own. The book seeks to correct some notions about these women and their employment by the Harvard Observatory by considering them within the context of their time. As a work of history it is not obliged to satisfy our need to connect with the women as people, but it does an admirable job of this, despite the limited sources available on some of the women.