Reaching for the Moon: The Autobiography of NASA Mathematician Katherine Johnson is an interesting look at a life well-lived. Katherine speaks with a genuine voice bringing the reader into her childhood days in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia where she was born in 1918, went to school early and showed an amazing talent for mathematics. She graduated from elementary school at the age of ten and high school at 13. Her fascination with Math and French led her to a summa cum laude graduation from West Virginia State College where she had the benefit of several mentors five years later.
The narration is full of powerful details surrounding Katherine’s experience as a child and an adult with discrimination, the Great Depression, a World War and the struggle for civil rights. Also compelling is her teaching career and her phenomenal 35-years as a mathematician and Data Analyst at Nasa. She worked on the space program where she computed the trajectory for Alan Shepard’s flight into space in 1961, was asked by John Glenn to check the computations for his flight in 1962( or he wouldn’t fly), and was an integral part of the team that put Apollo 11 on the moon in 1969.
Katherine’s graceful life was built upon her daddy’s saying, “You are no better than anyone else, and nobody else is better than you.”
Reaching for the Moon: The Autobiography of NASA Mathematician Katherine Johnson is a fine piece of writing told in a friendly, dignified voice. It will engage readers 11-14 years of age (Atheneum Books for Young Readers/Simon and Schuster, 2019).
The Children’s Bookshelf is a production of WCMU. A link to the podcast and activity questions can be found at Children’s Bookshelf dot org.
Questions and Activities for Reaching for the Moon
Katherine Johnson talks about the people who made a difference in her life. What did her parents do once they discovered she was gifted in Math? What did her father say to her that was so crucial to her that she went on to live her life by its message? Design a colorful poster with this message on it and post it in your room.
Who turned out to be a wonderful mentor to her in College? Who mentored her at the Greenbrier hotel? Have you ever had a mentor? Think about your parents, grandparents and teachers. What did they say or do for you? Write a thank you note to this person for encouraging you and making a difference in your life.
What situations of racial discrimination were Katherine Johnson and her family subject to during the time that she was a child and a young girl? Go back and read carefully. Make a list. Discuss it with your parents and grandparents.
Go online and find footage that shows Katherine Johnson getting the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama in 2015.
