There's Something Weird Going On: Ten Existentialist Science Fiction Stories by ego_bot; Science Fiction Stories Reflect Tropes and Human Condition

There's Something Weird Going On: Ten Existentialist Science Fiction Stories by ego_bot; Science Fiction Stories Reflect Tropes and Human Condition 

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: There is very little information that I can find about ego_bot, the author of the Science Fiction anthology, There's Something Weird Going On: Ten Existentialist Science Fiction Stories. All that I have found is that he is human and in this day and age that is not always a certainty with AI being able to reproduce the arts. 

He is also very private with very few details available online. Somehow the scant information on him adds to the overall eeriness of this anthology’s tone. It also plays into many of the book’s themes, particularly about the contrast between artificial intelligence and human experience. The book is about technology, space travel, the cosmos, simulated reality, colonization, social media, AI, love, family, tyranny, faith, rebellion, creativity, and what it means to exist. It's a wonderful anthology that does what all good Science Fiction does: uses Science Fiction concepts to comment on our current world state 

The stories are all wonderful but the best are:

“Parable for the Lovelorn”-This beautiful descriptive story about intergalactic travel and the nature of love puts you in the driver’s seat, literally. The story is in second person addressing the Reader and putting them on this fantastic journey to a distant planet filled with lush forests, cobblestone walkways, gorgeous waterfalls, and a wise friendly guide named Nath. Nath once lived on Earth and spent some time in Ancient Egypt. She gives the Protagonist/Reader a few words about love, the concept of soulmates, and the nature of existence in a vast Universe. 

This story is like a conversation with a wise guru as Nath’s words prove to be contemplative and meditative, making one think and feel. Since we aren’t given any details over who the person is that Nath is speaking to, the Reader can insert their own previous broken relationships and bad experiences making the story very personal but also universal. It is simultaneously about anyone and everyone. 

“Idle Eyes”-Many of these stories have fun with multiple narratives and this story is the most inventive for its points of view. It alternates between an Employee Instructional video for Ethitech Solutions’ newest Cognitive Systems Technician and various moments in the life of an unnamed protagonist who discovers that his life isn’t what he thought that it was. 

The technician’s job is to facilitate emotional intelligence into Ethitech Solutions’s social viability software and run the simulated reality of a customer’s consciousness. The Protagonist’s quest for answers runs counter to and overlaps with the Technician’s video in interesting ways.

The multiple narrative style puts us ahead of the Protagonist so we have at least some idea, if not a perfect understanding of the whole picture, before he does. The video’s descriptions give a wry commentary on the Protagonist’s life by predicting what will happen to him. For example, the video talks about other people in a customer’s life who are simply code or just there to provide atmosphere for the customer’s experience. This is revealed before the Protagonist meets Ricardo, a man who could be the love of his life. It is both amusing and heartbreaking to read about this man’s whole life including interests, romances, friendships, occupation, hobbies, and free time that are planned to the last detail. 

The quest for the Protagonist’s existence culminates in him experimenting with drugs, meditation, dream therapy and other sources. This is also predicted by the video as something that would be a fluke problem but isn’t worth worrying about. That is until it is.

“Mom's Message” -Despite the constant presence of technology, space travel, and other Science Fiction tropes, these stories never lose sight of the human element. This short story is a good example of interesting characters living in a futuristic world. Minnie recounts her relationship with her loving but intrusive mother over Konvo, an outdated app as compared to Holorift which is the latest in Social Media technology.

This novella provides the world of the 2050’s as a backdrop to comment on the constant use of social media. Holorift is connected to people’s brain waves and through visors. Working from home is the norm and working outside is the oddity, unlike the opposite in real life. People like Minnie invest their time in Sims-like games which hover close to reality. Since people live, work, date, and receive sustenance online, they never have to leave their homes. Technological addiction runs rampant as Minnie observes it in her roommate who looks at her with a dead expression and in people on the air transits who don’t have their devices present but are clearly mentally focused on them. Not that Minnie has room to talk. She admits that her simulated reality is more comfortable and real to her than her physical reality. 

While “Mom’s Message” is a witty and savage satire of modern technology and the dependency that it can bring, it is mostly a family story between mother and daughter. Minnie and her mother’s online conversations are both warm and funny. Mom’s insistence on wanting grandchildren and Minnie’s resolution on not having any children are among their conversations that are humorously repetitive and intimately revealing. They imply and reveal much about their previous experiences and generational outlooks that are the sources of much of their conflict. Their love for each other is present as well, particularly when Mom’s messages become more desperate and a worried Minnie learns about her troubled health.

“Trinity”-This story is a Cosmic Horror filled with suspense and terror from otherworldly destructive creatures and the darkest side of humanity in its struggle to survive them. On what might be her last night alive, the unnamed narrator is huddled in a shed hiding from terrifying aliens. They are a terrifying bunch that the Narrator calls the Trinities because they have three long arms that spread out in clockwork spirals and three eyes which peer down on their victims that may be the last things that they ever see. 

The Trinities have the power to fire electromagnetic pulses so any type of technology or communication ends the second that the Trinities become aware of it. Because of this, humanity is left unprepared and instantly weakened. Now, it’s simply a question of mere survival as the Narrator has to run from her alien captors.

As terrifying as the Trinities are, the toll it takes on humanity is far worse. The Narrator converted to Christianity right before the Trinity's arrival and she thinks of the aliens in strictly Biblical terms as signs of the Book of Revelation. Her faith gives her courage in these troubling times but becomes a detriment when she passively accepts circumstances as part of God’s plan. When she is faced with these creatures, they contradict everything that she once believed in: that Earth was created by God so he could be worshiped and that humans were to be the dominant beings. The Narrator’s constant repetition of Biblical concepts reveal her as someone who clings to her faith but never gives it any serious thought. 

Religion takes on an even more sinister tone as Earthlings create a cult based on their new Trinity overlords. Their loyalties shift from friends, family, their Gods, their country, even their own planet towards the Trinities. The Trinity worshippers travel in threes and carry walkie talkies to alert the Trinities of the presence of any human that has not assimilated into the Trinity Cult. It’s terrifying how quickly they break all ties and become willing worshippers and killers just to live a few extra days under the authority of aliens who will probably kill them anyway. 

“Paint the Stars”-One of the current controversies is AI technology being used for creative means like art, music, and literature. Naturally, many involved in arts and entertainment are worried about what it could mean for the future. Luckily so far AI produced art is pretty easy to discover since many of these works still lie in the Uncanny Valley and are riddled with errors that require decent revision and editing. But that day may come when consumers may not be able to tell the difference. 

Artemis, the newest AI artistic companion is programmed to work one on one with creators to collaborate on their works. She works alongside Alex, a painter, Sonja, a musician, and Pari, an author, to bring their works forward. Each has his or her own personal experience with the difficulties in an AI-run artistic world. Alex is disconcerted by the substandard art and his own internal debates about his creativity. Sonja is irate because Artemis sampled her music for other songs and worries whether she actually owns them or not. Pari relies on Artemis to help her write her books but she longs to write something meaningful and substantial rather than the quick formulaic books that she and Artemis pursue. 

This story is a strong character driven narrative that puts the protagonists on different sides of the AI debate and makes them individuals instead of simply microcosms reflecting different points of view. Even Artemis is well written as an almost maternal figure willing to cooperate with her human artists and helping them pursue their deepest potential even if it means pursuing them without her. 

Alex, Sonja, and Pari recognize that AI helps make their presences known but to what extent? Are they really creating or just typists with Artemis as the real artist? Are they producing real art or just products for people to buy? If there was no AI, could they make art on their own and would the public know the difference? Would they? 

 What is particularly meaningful is how the story presents different perspectives and opinions about this issue and lets each character speak for themselves. This suggests, like many controversies, there are different people who have different beliefs and opinions to say about AI and creativity. Just like in real life, opinions change and people on one side shift towards another when faced with alternative information.

 In some ways, this whole anthology presents a height of creativity: looking at some aspect of the human condition, creating a meaningful plot, setting, and characters around it, and finding a new way to say it.

 

Lit List Short Reviews: Exiles by Miles Watson; The Kuiper Rogue by C.P. Schaefer The Mango-Lion: The Mangoes Have Fallen by J'yren Christenvie

 Lit List Short Reviews: Exiles by Miles Watson; The Kuiper Rogue by C.P. Schaefer; The Mango-Lion: The Mangoes Have Fallen by J'yren Christenvie

Exiles (The Chronicles of Magnus) by Miles Watson 

Spoilers: Miles Watson’s previous short work, Deus Ex, was a gripping story about the dramatic fall of tyrant Magnus Antonius Magnus. In my review, I suggested that there was enough interest to write another installment or even a full series set in this universe. Apparently, Watson thought so too. The follow up is Exiles which tells of Magnus’ reign of terror from two people who are right in the thick of it. One is an outsider in every sense of the word and the other  was the ultimate insider, the one who helped turn Magnus into the tyrant that he later became.

Marguerite Bain is the pirate/smuggler captain of the ship, Sea Dog. Her crew despises her for being a woman but they follow her anyway. She is hired by an anonymous employer who wants her to deliver supplies to a man who is exiled on a small remote abandoned island. She is not to interact with him nor allow him anything with which to communicate. However, her curiosity gets the better of her and she enters the cabin to see the Exile. Upon arriving, Marguerite wakes the Exile and runs in surprise. While inspecting the return cargo, Marguerite finds a notebook that tells of the Exile’s life story. The Exile explains who he is, Enitan Champoleon, and how he changed history by fighting against the Order and allying with an idealistic young man named Magnus Antonius Magnus who had his own sights set on leadership.

Through Marguerite and Enitan, we get the full account of life under Magnus’ rule and the government before it that Magnus fought against and took over. Marguerite is someone who may have lived most if not all of her life under Magnus' governance. She knows no other life. She had been abused, abandoned, left in squalor, and sold into prostitution and smuggling. She has been forced to survive on her own in a world of corruption, tyranny, and abuse. 

Marguerite is part of an organization called the Brotherhood, but that name appears to be a mere suggestion rather than demonstrating anything resembling allyship or brotherhood. In fact, she is warned that one of her crew members is a spy and potential assassin. She has to ferret out the traitor amongst her band of misogynistic murderous scum while learning about how Enitan helped put the Lead Scum in charge.

Marguerite’s story is that of the outsider, the effects of Magnus' reign and how it affected the lowest level of people in this society. Enitan’s story is from a different place. He is the one who has been there and shaped history. His actions are the cause, the one who helped Magnus obtain power and saw the tyrant that emerged from the front row.

Enitan recounts a life of intellect but also abandonment, where he had a great mind but little opportunity to use it. The only way he can use his mind is to read escapist adventure novels that mentally take him places that he wants to go. (In one of the saddest reveals, Enitan confesses that he still has those books, even in exile, because all he has left is the imaginary world that was nothing like the real one that he helped change). 

Enitan goes AWOL from the military and runs into a group of activists protesting the current government, The Order. They claim that the Order must end and they are the Solution. At first, Enitan sees a quick way to earn money and gives a stirring speech to open up activists’ hearts and especially wallets. He doesn't really believe in the rebel cause, though he hates the Order. He just sees some people who can keep him safe and earn him money.

Enitan changes his tune when he meets the eloquent, firy, idealistic Magnus. The man who wants to put an end to the old Order. Like many rebels before and since, Magnus has a just cause when he sees people getting hurt and being degraded as second class citizens. His far reaching vision promises a better future and his active aggressive personality shows that he's not afraid to fight alongside the soldiers. Enitan is sold, especially when Magnus is impressed by his friend's intelligence and strategic thinking. Unfortunately, that strategic thinking is unable to see the future tyrant's manipulative nature and true ambition until it's too late and Enitan realizes the full scope of what those plans lead to and how much Magnus has changed or rather how much he kept hidden until his true nature emerged. To quote The Who’s “Won't Get Fooled Again,” Enitan “meets the new boss same as the old boss.” Spending years in exile on this tiny island, Enitan feels the weight of remorse and regret for the world that he helped create.

While Deus Ex gave us a glimpse into the Magnus dictatorship, Exiles strengthens it by showing us the people who suffered through it. History is often written on the blood of those who were crushed under the dictator's boot and those who gave the dictator power to do the crushing.

The Kuiper Rogue by C.P. Schaefer 

C.P. Schaefer's The Kuiper Rogue is a tech heavy Hard Science Fiction novel that is perfect for that type of Science Fiction fan. Those who are more interested in character and world building, well there is some of that too.

On the Gaia 3 Titan Moon Base, hopes are high for a new Earth based space colony. There have already been bases established on Earth’s moon and on Mars. Saturn’s moon is the latest. However, something in the sky might put those plans to a screeching halt. Will Vandoloh, astronomy prodigy and son of Margaret, Gaia 3’s captain, sees a curious object in a computer simulation. An enormous comet passes through Saturn and triggers a chain reaction of catastrophic events including oxygen depleting on the base, crew members acting delirious and succumbing to insanity, and radiation levels rising to fatal levels. Worse, this comet is heading for Earth and even worse according to ancient writings from Earth’s history, this happened before and the results weren't good. It may lead to the extinction of not only Titan’s population, but maybe Earth’s as well.

The technical details in Kuiper Rogue are plentiful. They are very reminiscent of a Star Trek episode where one of the crew members, like Spock or Data, will go into a long winded explanation of what is going on and what if anything can be done to stop it.

For the tech heavy Sci-Fi fan, there is a lot of talk about orbital singularities and the schematics of the Gaia 3 project. Sometimes those passages can be a bit dense and unwieldy for the less scientific minded. 

The most memorable aspects of the book are the rare moments of characterization underneath all of the science hardware. There are some chilling chapters when the crew goes insane because of the high radiation, low oxygen levels, and the comet’s arrival. One appears to be eating human flesh and another’s eyes glow red and face distorts into a very monstrous appearance. It's like a horror movie in outer space.

Some of the best moments are between Margaret and Will. Margaret is the tough as nails strong willed head of her crew but also a loving mother. There are many times when she has to walk a tightrope between those roles, worried about the danger that her son is in but knowing that he can help save the rest of the crew.

Will is a brilliant young man who finds his niche in examining space and working on other worlds. He also wants to make his mother proud. The duo’s love for each other is paramount throughout the whole book.

While the technical detail in The Kuiper Rogue is massive, so is the human element, particularly the family ties between mother and son.

The Mango-Lion: The Mangoes Have Fallen by J'yren Christenvie.

J’yren Christenvie’s book, The Mango-Lion: The Mangoes Have Fallen, is one of the strangest allegories that I have ever read. It is about the youth and maturity of a mango. Yes, a mango, the fruit. Once you get past the odd premise, you will find an uplifting story about growing up and striving for one's goals.

Liligu is a young mango spending his days on a tree with his mango family and friends. His mother tells him that one day, he will become a big beautiful mango tree. Before he can ask how, the tree is invaded by humans, called “bigmouths.” They eat some of Liligu’s friends and family and pluck him, carrying him away from the tree and his mother. He is then given to a human girl named Lilibeth and through her and the new friends that he makes, Liligu learns exactly what he needs to become a big beautiful mango tree.

Liligu starts out like a small child. He is curious but afraid of everything. He wants to become a tree but is afraid of the Bigmouths. Left on his own, he is scared, uncertain, shy, and nervous about everyone around him. 

He befriends two stuffed animals, a giraffe named Girigu and a pig, Piligu. Because their memories come from being made in factories alongside their “brothers and sisters” (other stuffed pigs and giraffes), Liligu gives them his memories of having a mother and being close to family. 

He also learns to trust some bigmouths. They aren't all bad. Lilibeth is very kind to him and treats him like a favorite toy or pet. Through her, Liligu learns to trust those even if they are part of people that he thinks that he won't like.

During his journey, Liligu obtains knowledge. He has dreams of his mother and wants to know what they mean. He wants to be educated. He receives wisdom from Mr. Wateru, a watermelon, Dr. Uki, an apple, and Bozero, a dog who advise him based on their own experiences. They only give him some information, which while helpful, is incredibly limiting. It takes his friendship with an orange named, Orange where he learns about love, sacrifice, independence, and what it takes to fulfill one's dreams. 

Liligu learns that it takes growing up, experiencing the world, and making a positive choice to make it better.

Weekly Reader: Crackle and Fire (An Angela Hardwicke Mystery Book 1) by Russ Colchamiro; Science Fiction Detective Angela Hardwick is on Fire in Her First Mystery

 Weekly Reader: Crackle and Fire (An Angela Hardwicke Mystery Book 1) by Russ Colchamiro; Science Fiction Detective Angela Hardwicke is on Fire in Her First Mystery

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Last year, I was introduced to Russ Colchamiro's Angela Hardwicke Science Fiction Mystery Series, a series that combines the wry narration, duplicitous characters, and biting commentaries on human nature of the Hard Boiled Mystery with the technological and intergalactic settings, the sense of far reaching wonder of questions yet undiscovered, and larger expansive themes of interconnectivity of Science Fiction. These two seemingly different genres worked together to produce a great book in Fractured Lives and work again to create its equally well written predecessor, Crackle and Fire, the first book in the Angela Hardwicke series.

Just as a reminder: Angela is a sardonic, cynical private detective living in Eternity, the cosmic realm that is responsible for the creation, design, and maintenance of the Universe. Her job is to chase after criminals or search for missing people and make sure that the crimes don't affect the smooth run of the Universe. Angela is a single mom whose son, Owen, has been taken by Milo, one of the Minders,the three individuals who are in charge of the entire Universe. Technically, he couldn't be in better hands but Angela worries and is in anguish when the boy is away. For now, all she can do is wait for him to return, go through withdrawals from dRops, a drug in which she was once addicted, and bury herself in work.

In this book, Angela has two intriguing cases. Gil Habersau, an accountant for the firm of Breslin, Anders, & Li hires her to look for his colleague, Arthur Hanson, who disappeared and took some incriminating files with him. Things get even more interesting when it is revealed that Gil and Hanson do not work for a simple accounting firm. Instead, they work for the Visitor Consulting Program, a semi secret but sanctioned organization that identifies all beings, recruits them to Eternity, and trains them to observe the Cosmos. In fact, Arthur Hanson was the latest recruit from Earth.

The second case involves Jamie, the only Minder currently on duty and CEO of the Rubicon Hotel. Eternity recently celebrated Astropalooza, a series of celebrations including fireworks displays that bring The Fourth of July, Guy Fawkes' Day, and New Year's Eve to shame. Jamie informs Angela that thousands of caches of fireworks have been unreported. Concerned, that the fireworks are being rerouted to the black market, Jamie wants Angela to locate them. ("I can't let it be known that I can be taken for granted, Jamie declares.") These two cases end up tied together through the Ashanis, an organized crime family that is after Angela for revenge after their cousin died in prison, and the MinderNots, a terrorist group that vows to rid Eternity of the Minders once and for all.

What is the most fascinating about this series is the existence of Eternity itself. The idea that there is a realm in which various species design and create the universe is exciting and even overwhelming. In fact, many state how difficult the concept is for newcomers to accept. People from Earth especially are prone to breakdowns and existential crises because of their sternly held beliefs in religion or science. Gil says that even explaining the concept to an Earthling recruit drove her to have a nervous breakdown and Hanson had some serious emotional and psychological issues after his arrival and during his time working. Angela, who the book implies may have come from Earth herself, is understanding of this. 

There are some pretty interesting passages that describe the process of organizing the Cosmos. In one chapter, two Universe designers put on an illuminated spectacular exhibit in the style of Las Vegas-style illusionists to show how they position the stars and planets. It's a thrilling section to read and imagine the idea that beings are able to move celestial bodies with a wave of their appendages, suggesting an actual order in design rather than the randomness that often characterizes  the universe.

Everyone takes a part in making the Universe run and everything from work, to education, to entertainment, to recreation is centered around the entire universe. Even something like taking drugs lends itself to an intergalactic perspective. Angela's drug of choice, dRops, allows the user to feel like they are everywhere in the Universe. It seems to be the largest high imaginable.

Even transportation is governed by the Universe's omniscience. In one chapter, Angela dissolves across dimensions to enter Earth right after Hanson left. After all that she has experienced, she is rather underwhelmed by this planet and acts almost like a big city cop working in a small town for the first time. After being in a place where she is practically sitting at the right hand of gods and seeing the cosmos move about like marbles, yeah Earth would seem pretty boring (though no less dangerous as she learns during her investigation). 

In this amazing setting, Angela is also a great character. She goes through personal struggle such as her worry over Owen and trying to recover from her addiction (at one point sliding back in). But she still makes for an excellent lead detective. She is able to boldly stare down and fight against antagonists like the Ashanis siblings and even cleverly turn their animosity towards each other.

Perhaps because of the loss of her son, she also has a maternal side which she especially shows to her sidekick Whistler who acts as an informant and gofer. She teases him but also shows concern when an investigation puts him and a suspect in harm's way. 

Angela is definitely a compelling lead full of fire and determination to find solutions and see justice done.

With an impressive setting and protagonist, the first Angela Hardwicke Mystery crackles with excitement and is fired up with originality.

Classics Corner: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle; Classic Newbery Winner Science Fiction Fantasy About Conformity and Individuality

Classics Corner: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle; Classic Newbery Winner Science Fiction Fantasy About Conformity and Individuality




By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews


Spoilers: The best YA books are the ones that realize that their Readers are young, but intelligent. They don't talk down to them. They aren't afraid to discuss topics like death, desertion, separation, even higher concepts about faith and individuality. They do all that and still provide their Readers with an engaging read that captivates their imagination.

Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time is that type of book.

A great book has to have a great protagonist. Meg Murray is a great protagonist. She is not a model of perfection. She is insecure, impatient, unsure of herself, and often confused about the world around her. She is smart but doesn't do well in school because she follows the “shortcuts” her genius father encouraged her to take in Math. She deeply loves her family and even communicates with her selectively mute brilliant brother, Charles Wallace but is concerned about the whereabouts of her father who has been missing since Charles was a baby. It's not easy being Meg but that's what makes her so understandable.


One night (“a dark and stormy night,” yes, L'Engle bravely used that as her opening line.), Meg and her family encounter a strange visitor, Mrs. Whatsit who tells them that there is such a thing as “a tesseract.” A tesseract is a wrinkle in time, similar to a wormhole, in which someone can travel vast distances very quickly. It also happens to be what Meg's parents were studying and maybe where her father disappeared into.

Before too long Meg, Charles Wallace, their new friend Calvin O'Keefe, Mrs. Whatsit, and her companions Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which travel through the tesseract to another dimension.

A Wrinkle in Time is filled with imaginative situations and characters. The three Mrses. are a fascinating trio, and certainly the most memorable characters of the bunch. Mrs. Whatsit appears as a cloaked character and of the enigmatic three is the most human in behavior and appearance. Mrs. Who constantly speaks in quotations particularly from literature and philosophers because she can't use human terms for what she means. Mrs. Which is a being composed of light whose speeches are written in a stilted manner like “Qqquiettt chillldd.”

The three Mrs. are the kinds of characters that are so intriguing that they steal every moment they are in. Fortunately, they don't get too overdone. L'Engle knew when to use them such as tessering the children, giving them explanations, and bestowing them gifts. She also knew when they should back off. After all, such powerful seemingly omnipotent beings could make the quest too easy or make Meg nothing but a mere observer in her story. But Meg isn't. She, Calvin, and Charles Wallace are the real heroes of the story. It is their journey to go on, their lesson to learn, and L'Engle (and the Mrses.) let them, especially Meg, learn it.


As with many quests, each step on their journey is designed to teach the children something and not always are the lessons happy ones. When they encounter a dark cloud like spirit hovering over called The Black Thing, the kids learns that there is evil and darkness around or rather beings that do horrible things for selfish and cruel reasons and that there are people that want to stop that evil. (Their father is an example of a hero wanting to stop The Black Thing.)

When they encounter such characters as the Happy Medium and Aunt Beast, they learn not to take everything at face value. They also learn about appreciation and unconditional love, things that they will need in their final test on Camazotz, a very strange sinister planet.

To retrieve Meg and Charles Wallace's father, the children visit Camazotz, where the houses all look alike, residents move in the same exact formation at the same exact time, and everything is rigidly controlled by rules, regulations, and paperwork. Seeing that A Wrinkle in Time was first published in 1962, this was probably L'Engle's commentary about 1950’s-’60’s suburbia and conformity. If so it was a dire situation that she saw.

The people of Camazotz do the bidding of IT, a creature who runs the world with precision and sameness. He believes that individuality must be removed and that everyone must be alike. (“Like and equal are not the same thing,” Meg declares.)

What Meg realizes as she encounters IT is that she needs to use her compassion, love, acceptance and even her flaws like impatience, anger, awkwardness-all the things that make her an individual to fight IT and save her brother, friends, and father.
A Wrinkle in Time is a Newbery Medal Winner and deservedly so. It is an engaging fantasy adventure with brilliant characters and a lesson that Readers of all ages need to learn.

Weekly Reader: Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win The Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly; A Wonderful True Story of A Group of Brilliant Trailblazing African-American Women

Weekly Reader: Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win The Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly; A Wonderful True Story of A Group of Brilliant Trailblazing African-American Women


By Julie Sara Porter


Bookworm Reviews





Without the brilliant minds of Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and the other African-American female mathematicians in the West Computer division of NASA, it's very doubtful that the Americans would have made it out of Earth's lowest hemisphere let alone into Space and ultimately the Moon.


Margot Lee Shetterly’s best selling biography, Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win The Space Race which became the Academy Award nominated film Hidden Figures pays these women a debt long owed. They are written to be courageous, brilliant women who were able to break through racial and gender barriers and contribute to these important moments in American history.





The exciting opportunities for these women came in the late ‘30’s when NASA was the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) when studying airplanes was the goal. The superiors realized that there were plenty of female mathematicians that they could recruit to create trajectories and figures for the planes to travel. These women were called computers as they computed these large sums in their heads and provided solutions based on the data they used. Interestingly enough this assumption that women would be the best at calculating these figures runs contrary to the modern offensive stereotype that women and girls can't “do math and science,” a stereotype that many in the STEM fields have been trying to counter. The careers of the women in this book should serve as an inspiration for any girl or woman to aspire to become mathematicians and engineers themselves.





The other door that opened was in 1941 when after prodding by A. Philip Randolph, the head of the largest black labor union, the Roosevelt Administration declared Executive Order 8802 ordering the desegregation of the defense industry and Executive Order 9346 the Fair Employment Practices Committee to monitor economic inclusion. All this meant that African-Americans were permitted to work in defense projects to help fight for their country.





One of the first recruits was Dorothy Vaughan, a former math teacher. Even though she and the other African-American female recruits were segregated to the west side of the Langley offices thereby dubbed the “West Computers,” Vaughan was able to compute her figures accurately. She was also able to take charge of the other computers so that when their former supervisor suffered a nervous breakdown and had to be institutionalized, Vaughan seamlessly stepped in to take her place as the Chief Supervisor of the West Computer division.


Vaughan also proved to be adaptable to changing circumstances. When NACA transformed into NASA and the focus changed to space exploration, Vaughan studied the potential for rocket travel. Then when the human computers changed over to electronic computing, Vaughan spent some time in night school studying computer programming and languages to stay ahead of her field.





Another brilliant woman in this group was Mary Jackson. She learned the benefit of making powerful alliances. A Girl Scout troop leader and mother who always tried to give the children in her neighborhood pride in themselves and their race, Jackson was derided by the white engineers. After one particular incident, she stormed off in fury and told her troubles to Kazmierz Czarnecki, the assistant section head of the Supersonic Pressure Tunnel. Czarnecki invited Jackson to work with him. Jackson earned her position by demonstrating her engineering skills.


She also was able to rise from the title of “mathematician” to “engineer”, a feat rarely accomplished by any of the woman working at Langley let alone the African-American women. The “Engineer” title meant more money, prestige, and recognition for Jackson's services.





By far the most famous of the West Computers was Katherine Coleman Goble Johnson. She balanced her role as a widowed mother of three, a romance with 2nd Lt. Jim Johnson, and her work as a mathematician and West Computer. Her research into analytic geometry impressed many of the white male engineers who promoted her to work directly under them. She also showed extraordinary persistence such as continuing to ask her supervisors if she could attend meetings to the point where they allowed her to attend them just so she would stop asking. Another sign of her intelligence and persistence was in receiving credit for her research. When Ted Skopinski transferred to Houston, his former supervisor ordered him to finish his research. He suggested that Johnson complete the research since “she did most of it anyway.” Not only did Johnson finish the research, but she received credit and authorship, a feat not accomplished by many other women in her field.


Johnson also had a reputation for accuracy in her calculations so much so that she was willing to argue with others if she discovered a flaw in the numbers. She calculated the trajectory for Alan Shepard's flight into.space.


Her reputation for genius and accurate calculations reached the ears of astronaut, John Glenn, who planned to orbit Earth. He asked for her specifically and said that he would not fly unless Johnson verified the calculations. After Glen’s historic flight, Johnson also contributed calculations for future space flights such as Apollo 11’s trip to the Moon.





Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, and Katherine Johnson showed that with intelligence, courage, and persistence racial and gender barriers can not only be broken. They can be shattered beyond repair and anyone can be recognized for their achievements, no matter their race or gender.