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Showing posts with label discussion guide. Show all posts
Showing posts with label discussion guide. Show all posts

Monday, April 5, 2021

Hidden Figures Book and Movie Discussion Guide

Hidden Figures Book and Movie Discussion Guide 


Note: The movie may be rented on Amazon Prime. It is not on Netflix or Hulu. I do not see a way to watch it free or included in subscription plans other than Disney Plus. I watched it on Disney Plus. 

The movie is a fictionalized version of the nonfiction book and is about 74% accurate. 

Movie Questions

1. The opening scene looks like there may be trouble for the three women when their car broke down in the middle of nowhere. How did the situation resolve? What did you learn about Dorothy Johnson Vaughn to help foreshadow her promotion at work? 

2. NASA was divided into the West and East work areas. In what ways were they segregated? 

3. A library book became the catalyst for worker empowerment. How did this one book contribute to the computer revolution? How was the book obtained? How far did it reach? 

4. Explain the attitudes of the men who were engineers towards other workers. How did these attitudes evolve during the story? 

5. Math was empowering to the main characters. Why? How? Do you think it is still so important?

6. The home lives of the main characters were also shown. How did this help humanize the story against a backdrop of technology and precision? 

7. The movie was set in 1961-62 when civil rights activists were working and demonstrating. How did the film reflect the reasons why changes were needed in society at large? 

8. The movie was about 74% factual. A court order was not needed for one person to attend high school (after receiving a Bachelor's Degree). What were other elements of the movie exaggerated for dramatic effect? 

9. The IBM computer was necessary at that time. Explain how it helped with integration. 

10. Discuss some of your favorite scenes or people in the movie. Tell why you especially liked those. 

Title: Hidden Figures: The Untold Story of the African American Women Who Helped Win the Space Race
Author: Margot Lee Shetterly
Publisher: William Collins
Publisher Website Address: https://corporate.harpercollins.co.uk/
Publisher Email Address: 4thestate.publicity@harpercollins.co.uk

ISBN-10: 0062363603

ISBN-13: 978-0062363602

ASIN: B01MYUTJR7
Price: $9.98 Paperback, $Hardcover $21.99, $12.99 Audio Book, $6.99 Kindle
Page Count: 368 pages
Formats: (PB, Hardcover, Audio Book, Kindle)


The book Hidden Figures: The Untold Story of the African American Women Who Helped Win the Space Race is nothing like the movie. It is more like a textbook with scientific information about aviation and civil rights. The author demonstrates how segregation at NACA (now NASA) compared and contrasted to civil rights issues of the larger society. The book would be a fantastic resource for civil rights studies as it is all nonfiction. People interested in aviation would also find reasons to consult this book in studies of flight. 

The book does include discussion questions at the end. A book club or discussion group could consult the questions to foster discussion. Here are my questions regarding the book, which are different from the authors. I suggest using the author's questions.

Book Discussion Questions

1. The opening scene looks like there may be trouble for the three women when their car broke down in the middle of nowhere. How did the situation resolve? What did you learn about Dorothy Johnson Vaughn to help foreshadow her promotion at work? 

2. NASA was divided into the West and East work areas. In what ways were they segregated? 

3. A library book became the catalyst for worker empowerment. How did this one book contribute to the computer revolution? How was the book obtained? How far did it reach? 

4. Explain the attitudes of the men who were engineers towards other workers. How did these attitudes evolve during the story? 

5. Math was empowering to the main characters. Why? How? Do you think it is still so important?

6. The home lives of the main characters were also shown. How did this help humanize the story against a backdrop of technology and precision? 

7. The movie was set in 1961-62 when civil rights activists were working and demonstrating. How did the film reflect the reasons why changes were needed in society at large? 

8. The movie was about 74% factual. A court order was not needed for one person to attend high school (after receiving a Bachelor's Degree). What were other elements of the movie exaggerated for dramatic effect? 

9. The IBM computer was necessary at that time. Explain how it helped with integration. 

10. Discuss some of your favorite scenes or people in the movie. Tell why you especially liked those. 

Thank you for reading, Carolyn

Hidden Figures Book and Movie Discussion Guide

Hidden Figures Book and Movie Discussion Guide


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