Traveling Brains Book Review: Counting on Katherine
In my last blog post, I shared that I had attended a gifted conference last fall in Indianapolis and these books were recommended on Renzulli’s “Global Awareness through Book Inquiry in the Renzulli Learning System” poster (see below). In my last blog post, I looked at Nothing Stopped Sophie by Cheryl Bardoe. For this post, I have the pleasure of reviewing Counting on Katherine by Helaine Becker.
Book Summary: Counting on Katherine is about Katherine Johnson. Many people know her from the movie Hidden Figures. The book begins with all the things Katherine liked to count as a child. Katherine loved learning. She loved it so much that she skipped three grades. At the age of 10, Katherine was ready for high school, but schools were segregated and there was not a high school for black students where she lived. Her father saved up and moved the family to a town where there was a high school for black students. Katherine dreamed about becoming a research mathematician. Katherine began her career as an elementary teacher. When the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics began hiring mathematicians, Katherine applied, but it took her a year to get the job after applying. Katherine worked as a “computer” with NASA. As a result of her excellent reputation, she was promoted to work on Project Mercury and then she worked on the Apollo missions. When an explosion happened on Apollo 13, Katherine was asked to do the calculations that would get the Apollo crew back to earth. The Apollo crew followed her calculations exactly and they made it back to Earth!
So why should I get this book?
Many students are passionate about space. Once they become interested, they cannot get enough of it. This book would be a great resource for kids interested in space.
For families that have read or watched Hidden Figures, this picture book is good for the younger kids in the family to read along, so they can still be a part of the family conversations.
As I have said before, representation matters… young women need to read about women who are academically successful and are proud of it. Katherine was not ashamed of the fact that she was intelligent and loved math and she was not afraid to fight for her place in the space program. Kids need to read about women like that.
Where Do I Want to Visit as a Result of Reading This Book?
Brown vs Board of Education National Park- This national park provides information about the Brown vs Board of Education court case. The building for this museum was once one of the segregated school in Topeka, KS. This court case was key to bringing segregation to an end.
Space Center Houston- Space Center Houston provides the following experiences for a full day itinerary: NASA Tram Tour, Starship Gallery, Independence Plaza, The Food Lab, Mission Mars, Astronaut Gallery, Space Center Theater Film, International Space Station Gallery, and New Perspectives Presentation. I think this would be a great field trip after reading Counting on Katherine, reading Hidden Figures, or watching Hidden Figures.
