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  • Reaching for the Moon

  • The Autobiography of NASA Mathematician Katherine Johnson
  • By: Katherine Johnson
  • Narrated by: Heather Alicia Simms
  • Length: 5 hrs and 18 mins
  • 4.9 out of 5 stars (20 ratings)
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Reaching for the Moon

By: Katherine Johnson
Narrated by: Heather Alicia Simms
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Summary

The inspiring autobiography of NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson, who helped launch Apollo 11.

As a young girl, Katherine Johnson showed an exceptional aptitude for math. In school, she quickly skipped ahead several grades and was soon studying complex equations with the support of a professor who saw great promise in her. But ability and opportunity did not always go hand in hand. As an African American and a girl growing up in an era of brutal racism and sexism, Katherine faced daily challenges. Still, she lived her life with her father’s words in mind: “You are no better than anyone else, and nobody else is better than you.”

In the early 1950s, Katherine was thrilled to join the organization that would become NASA. She worked on many of NASA’s biggest projects, including the Apollo 11 mission that landed the first men on the moon.

Katherine Johnson’s story was made famous in the best-selling book and Oscar-nominated film Hidden Figures. Now, in Reaching for the Moon, she tells her own story for the first time, in a lively autobiography that will inspire young listeners everywhere. 

©2019 Katherine Johnson (P)2019 Simon & Schuster Audio

What listeners say about Reaching for the Moon

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Disappointing narrative and poorly narrated.

Struggled to keep interest,. Narrator irritating. Always negative about good people who helped her succeed.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

easy listen

Good story! interesting and similar to hidden figures the film.
Narrator upturns voice at ends of sentences though.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • KG
  • 12-07-21

Engaging and insightful.

This is exactly the book I'd expect such a talented lady to write. I enjoyed it from start to finish.

I wonder if we'll go to Mars on Katherine Johnson's maths. It seems likely.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic Read

I really enjoyed this book. What a story of hardship. Very well presented and thoroughly enjoyable, highly recommended

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