Richard Paul (–2015)

3 stars: Enjoyed Parts of It
I purchased this book at the Kennedy Space Center gift shop, to read and pass on to a family member. Having seen Hidden Figures, I wanted to learn more about some people who were passed over due to their race. Unfortunately, what I found was that the authors did not have much depth of information, they spoke about the general time living in the south in the 50s/60s, and the dynamics of the Cape Canaveral area, more than they spoke about individuals. I assume this was because lack of information that they were able to find out. It is also noted that they did not mention any of the three women highlighted in Hidden Figures, which seems like an obvious omission. Because I knew virtually nothing about the subject matter outside what was covered in the movie, I did learn some things, however, not as much as I expected to and this book left me wanting more.

Some excerpts I liked:

“As a southerner, Montgomery grew up under segregation. ‘I had not talked to a white person in my life until I was in the service. No conversation. That’s the way it was growing up.’ But because that segregation was complete, because he never encountered white people, he never had to feel their contempt.”

“Montgomery’s way worked for him. Repeatedly he would size up a situation, and then defuse it. Disarm his opponent with a joke, preferably an audacious one. He took plenty of opportunities to tell his coworkers, ‘Look, I’m part of the educational program to train you guys to act like people. You’ve been acting like rednecks all your lives. So you need training: retraining.’ “
“[Johnson] had been looking for a way to pump massive amounts of federal money into the South, to try to change its economy and its racial dynamic. Space was the key he had been looking for. IT could change the South permanently from an agricultural region to one based on knowledge and technology; it could simultaneously bring glory and honor to the US and to Lyndon Johnson.”
“The important thing about the lack of integration is that it doesn’t give people the chance to be human to each other; and encourages instead the spread of superstitions about the ‘other’ race. Crossley always strived to stay as close to white people as the law and custom would allow. He did this with a purpose, always mindful that he could prove by example the absurdity of superstitions about the ‘other’ race.”
“The civil rights fight had split the country ‘in away that we hadn’t been split since the Civil War’ said Walter Cronkite. These battles, as they became more violent and as they came to coincide with clashes on America’s streets over the Vietnam War, left the country ‘very, very depressed.’ Cronkite said, but the space program was able to bind up the nation’s wounds and reassure people that everything was going to be ok. Here was this one program where people could look up and dream – if you please – of incredible adventure. Pride in the space program had a great deal to do with maintaining some sense of balance in this civilization of ours’.”

“As time passed I fully understood that this was not an effort to get me into space, but was effort to solely inspire Black kids to get educated”- Ed Dwight

“Once the agency realized it could not recruit locally, it decided to strike out around the country and try. Its first effort was a dismal failure… NASA would only send out recruiters who were white. IT would be a difficult problem for black recruiters to talk to a person about coming to Huntsville. They sent out white recruiters [ to Tuskegee Institute] and end up with basically zero.”

“There were few things bigger in 1965 than George Wallace’s mouth or ego but NASA had one- the Saturn V rocket.”… (meer)

Excellent little treatise on how to read a paragraph. This is something everyone should have learned in High School, but few actually do. While most people handle reading fairly well, to many simply skim over writings and don't pay sufficient attention to the meaning of the writing. Thus, while many people have read books, a few years later many people cannot remember anything in-depth about them. This pamphlet is designed to change that, and to teach not only how to understand, but also to remember what has been read. The main points are to paraphrase what has been read, to show that you understand what the writer means. Secondly, the reader needs to identify the thesis of the paragraph, and how it defines the thought. This is interpreting the paragraph. The third step is to analyze the logic of the paragraph, and if it fulfills the logical progression of thought. The fourth step is evaluation, and determining how well the author explains their meaning. The fifth step, role-playing, is used in oral presentations only. The examples given are clear and familiar to most Americans.… (meer)