Roundup (20/1)

Reading

Hidden Figures: : The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly

The book the film was based off, about the black female mathematicians at NACA (later NASA) and how what were supposed to be six-month stints as computers during the war turned into lifelong careers for many of them. I appreciated the contextualizing details the author gave alongside the careers of these women, both the historical (the civil rights movements, the wars, etc.) and the personal (the day-to-day of their lives, the formation of community that spread the word of these opportunities at what would become NASA, and it's eventual disintegration by it's own success too). Sometimes I lost track of the names outside of the ones I knew from the film, but I can't tell if that's a fault of the book or my memory.

My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness by Nagata Kabi

This was a wild read, given that I knew nothing about the contents beyond the title and the cover and some warnings people were giving. I expected it to be a lot heavier than it was, given those warnings. Not to diminish the early chapters covering her depression, eating disorders and other struggles, but overall it felt fairly hopeful. She's not where she wants to be, but she's trying, reaching for something even if it takes her baby steps, and that's a good place to be. (...I also didn't know Japanese love hotels had touch screen interfaces for choosing different kinds of rooms, but I suppose I should have anticipated that)

Writing

Wrote a couple of Starship Iris ficlets, as usual.

Are They or Aren't They - Sana and Arkady discuss our favorite human-Dwarnian couple

Voyeurism - Violet overhears a moment she wasn't supposed to

Links

Steve Gaynor of Fulbright looks back on Gone Home 5 years later