I haven't seen the movie for this book, but I am so glad they did if only to draw more attention to this incredible story.
I know who Grace Hopper and Ada Lovelace are and what they did. But despite this, the modern narrative that computers and math are, and always have been, for (white) men is hard to break. I love how hopeful this book is. Instead of focusing on all the negative things, it captures the forward-looking excitement of the time as so many barriers, both personal, national, and world-wide, were broken. This book covers such a revolutionary period of history, from pencil and paper to computers, from the rarity of dark faces in math and science to having a whole wing of them at Langley, from believing women can't be engineers to men fighting over which women will be on their teams.
I highly recommend this book for everyone. It is a powerful reminder that all those societal rule that you can't achieve your dreams because of what's tucked between your legs or how much melanin you produce is total bullshit.
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