Margot Lee Shetterly

Margot Lee Shetterly is an American nonfiction writer and researcher best known for her 2016 book Hidden Figures, which chronicles the lives and contributions of the African American female mathematicians at NASA during the Space Race. The book was adapted into a critically acclaimed and commercially successful Academy Award-nominated film of the same name. Shetterly's work has been instrumental in bringing to light a pivotal yet overlooked chapter in the history of aerospace engineering, civil rights, and American history.

Early life and education

Shetterly was born in Hampton, Virginia, a community with deep ties to the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) and its successor, NASA. Her father, Robert B. Lee III, was a research scientist at Langley Research Center, and her mother was an English professor at Hampton University. Growing up in the 1970s, she was surrounded by engineers, scientists, and mathematicians, including many of the women who would later become the subjects of her research. Shetterly attended Hampton City Schools before earning a Bachelor of Arts in Commerce from the University of Virginia. She later completed coursework at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.

Career and research

Before becoming a full-time writer, Shetterly worked in investment banking in New York City and later in media startups. She and her husband lived for several years in Mexico, where they founded an English-language magazine. Her career shift to historical research was driven by a desire to document the stories she had heard since childhood about the "human computers" at Langley. This research involved extensive archival work at institutions like the National Archives and Records Administration and interviews with former employees of NACA and NASA, as well as their families. Her investigative approach blends oral history with rigorous analysis of primary source documents to reconstruct the professional and social environment of mid-20th century Virginia.

Hidden Figures

Shetterly's landmark work, Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race, was published in 2016 by William Morrow and Company. The book focuses on the lives and careers of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson, among others, detailing their crucial work on projects like Project Mercury and the Apollo program. It explores the intersection of racial segregation, gender discrimination, and technological achievement during the Cold War. The film adaptation by 20th Century Fox, starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monáe, was released the same year to widespread acclaim, receiving three Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture.

Other works and recognition

Following the success of Hidden Figures, Shetterly established the Human Computer Project, an initiative aimed at creating a comprehensive digital archive of the women who worked in computing at NACA and NASA. She has contributed essays to publications like The Virginia Quarterly Review and has been a sought-after speaker on topics of history, technology, and diversity. Her work has earned her numerous honors, including the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award and the Silicon Valley Reads selection. Shetterly also served as a script consultant for the film adaptation and authored a young readers edition of her bestselling book.

Personal life

Shetterly is married to writer Aran Shetterly, with whom she lived in Charlottesville, Virginia, and Jalapa, Mexico. The couple splits their time between the United States and Mexico. Her personal experiences growing up in the Hampton Roads region and her family's direct connection to the aerospace industry provided the foundational inspiration for her historical work. She is a frequent participant in literary and historical forums, advocating for the inclusion of diverse narratives in the understanding of scientific and national progress.

Category:American biographers Category:American women writers Category:Writers from Virginia Category:University of Virginia alumni Category:1969 births Category:Living people