Margot Lee Shetterly facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Margot Lee Shetterly
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Shetterly in 2016
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| Born | June 30, 1969 Hampton, Virginia, U.S. |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Alma mater | University of Virginia (BS) |
| Subject | Black history, women's history |
| Notable awards | Sloan Fellowship, Virginia Foundation for the Humanities Fellow |
| Website | |
| www.margotleeshetterly.com | |
Margot Lee Shetterly (born June 30, 1969) is an American writer. She is best known for her non-fiction book, Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Who Helped Win the Space Race. This book tells the true story of African-American women mathematicians. They worked at NASA and were very important to the success of the United States space program. The book was so popular that it was made into a movie called Hidden Figures in 2016.
Contents
Growing Up and School
Margot Lee Shetterly was born in 1969 in Hampton, Virginia. Her father, Robert Lee III, was a research scientist at NASA's Langley Research Center. Her mother, Margaret G. Lee, taught English at Hampton University.
Margot grew up knowing many African-American families who worked at NASA. She attended Phoebus High School and later graduated from the University of Virginia.
Her Career Journey
After college, Margot Lee Shetterly moved to New York. She worked in investment banking for several years. Later, she started working in the media industry. She helped launch different new companies, including a website funded by HBO.
Living and Working in Mexico
In 2005, Shetterly and her husband moved to Mexico. They started an English-language magazine called Inside Mexico. It was for the many English-speaking people living there. The magazine ran until 2009. From 2010 to 2013, they worked as consultants for Mexico's tourism industry.
Writing Hidden Figures
Shetterly began researching and writing Hidden Figures in 2010. In 2014, she sold the rights for the book to be made into a movie. Both the book and the movie came out in 2016. The movie starred famous actors like Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, and Kevin Costner. It was nominated for several big awards, including three Oscar nominations.
The Human Computer Project
In 2013, Shetterly started The Human Computer Project. This group works to collect and share the stories of all the women who worked as "computers" and mathematicians. They worked for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) and NASA in the early days of space exploration.
Books for Young Readers
In 2018, Shetterly published a children's picture book. It was also called Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race. Laura Freeman drew the pictures for the book.
Personal Life
Margot Lee is married to Aran Shetterly. He is also a writer and a historian.
Her Books
- Hidden Figures: The Story of the African-American Women Who Helped Win the Space Race. William Morrow/HarperCollins, 2016. ISBN: 9780062363596.
- Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race, HarperCollins, 2018. ISBN: 978-0062742469. (A children's picture book)
Awards and Recognitions
- Shetterly received a 2014 Book Grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for Hidden Figures.
- Her book also won the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award.
- She has received two grants from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities for her work on The Human Computer Project.
- In 2017, she won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work, Nonfiction.
- In 2018, she received an honorary degree from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
- She also received Mathical Honors for Hidden Figures.
