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Quick answer: If you liked Hidden Figures, read Rise of the Rocket Girls, The Radium Girls, Code Girls and The Glass Universe. All tell true stories of women whose work in science and history went unrecognized for too long.
Margot Lee Shetterly's book follows the Black women mathematicians who helped NASA reach space. Readers often want more narrative nonfiction about overlooked people, science and the space race. The books below mix history, science and biography, with a few for young readers too.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rise of the Rocket Girls | Nathalia Holt | Adult | space history |
| The Radium Girls | Kate Moore | Adult | workers' rights |
| Code Girls | Liza Mundy | Adult | wartime history |
| Headstrong | Rachel Swaby | Adult | bite-size biographies |
| Lab Girl | Hope Jahren | Adult | memoir and science |
| The Glass Universe | Dava Sobel | Adult | astronomy history |
| The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks | Rebecca Skloot | Adult | science and ethics |
| The Right Stuff | Tom Wolfe | Adult | the space race |
| The Astronaut Wives Club | Lily Koppel | Adult | home front |
| Women in Science | Rachel Ignotofsky | 10+ | young readers |
| Counting on Katherine | Helaine Becker | 6-9 | picture book readers |
| Hidden Figures Young Readers' Edition | Margot Lee Shetterly | 8-12 | kids and families |
| The Warmth of Other Suns | Isabel Wilkerson | Adult | history of America |
| A Black Women's History of the United States | Daina Ramey Berry and Kali Nicole Gross | Adult | big-picture history |
| Almost Astronauts | Tanya Lee Stone | 10+ | young adults |
1. Rise of the Rocket Girls by Nathalia Holt
The women who worked as human computers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory helped launch the first American satellite. A lively history of female engineers.
Best for: space history.
2. The Radium Girls by Kate Moore
Young women painted watch dials with radium paint and then fell ill. Their fight for justice changed workplace safety.
Best for: workers' rights.
3. Code Girls by Liza Mundy
Thousands of American women worked as codebreakers during World War II. Little known and absorbing.
Best for: wartime history.
4. Headstrong by Rachel Swaby
Short biographies of 52 women who changed science, from Marie Curie to lesser-known names. A great way to discover new heroes.
Best for: bite-size biographies.
5. Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
A geobiologist tells the story of her life in science and her friendship with a lab partner. Funny, honest and beautifully written.
Best for: memoir and science.
6. The Glass Universe by Dava Sobel
Women at the Harvard Observatory mapped the stars in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A quiet and clear story of patient work.
Best for: astronomy history.
7. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
The story of the woman whose cells were taken without her knowledge and became essential to medicine. Powerful and thought-provoking.
Best for: science and ethics.
8. The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe
A classic account of early test pilots and astronauts in the Mercury program. Vivid, energetic and long.
Best for: the space race.
9. The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel
The wives of the early astronauts supported each other through fame and fear. A different view of the space program.
Best for: home front.
10. Women in Science by Rachel Ignotofsky
An illustrated book that profiles 50 women in science. Bright, simple and good for sharing.
Best for: young readers.
11. Counting on Katherine by Helaine Becker
A picture book about Katherine Johnson, who calculated flights for NASA. A great way to introduce her to younger kids.
Best for: picture book readers.
12. Hidden Figures Young Readers' Edition by Margot Lee Shetterly
A version of the original for middle-grade readers with the same stories and a lighter tone. Good for classrooms.
Best for: kids and families.
13. The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
The Great Migration told through three people who left the South. Long, moving and beautifully reported.
Best for: history of America.
14. A Black Women's History of the United States by Daina Ramey Berry and Kali Nicole Gross
A broad history that puts Black women at the center. Clear and accessible, from the colonial era to today.
Best for: big-picture history.
15. Almost Astronauts by Tanya Lee Stone
The story of the women who trained for space in the 1960s but never flew. An important and quick read for older kids.
Best for: young adults.
How to Choose
If space history is your favorite part, begin with Rise of the Rocket Girls, The Right Stuff or The Astronaut Wives Club. For women who changed science, choose Headstrong, Lab Girl or The Glass Universe. For justice and history, read The Radium Girls, The Warmth of Other Suns or A Black Women's History of the United States. Parents and teachers can start with Counting on Katherine, Women in Science or the young readers' edition of Hidden Figures. You could also pair a book with the film: watching Hidden Figures after reading the first few chapters shows how the story was adapted and what was left out.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hidden Figures a true story?
Yes, it is nonfiction about Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson and other women at NASA.
Is the book different from the movie?
Yes, the 2016 film condenses events and focuses on three women, while the book covers many more.
What age is Hidden Figures for?
The original is for adults and older teens, and a young readers' edition is available for ages 8 to 12.
Are there other books about Black women in STEM?
Yes, A Black Women's History of the United States and the young readers' edition are good places to start.
Which book is the easiest to read?
Women in Science and Counting on Katherine are the quickest.
Who was Katherine Johnson?
She was a NASA mathematician whose calculations helped send astronauts into orbit and to the Moon, and she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015.