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 |
| Spouse | Aran Shetterly |
| Website | |
| www.margotleeshetterly.com | |
Margot Lee Shetterly, born on June 30, 1969, is an American writer. She is famous 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 amazing story of African-American women mathematicians. These women worked at NASA and helped the United States space program succeed.
Shetterly sold the movie rights for her book while she was still writing it. The book was made into a popular movie called Hidden Figures in 2016. Before becoming a full-time writer, Shetterly worked in banking and helped start new media companies. She also lived in Mexico for several years with her husband. There, they created and published a magazine called Inside Mexico.
Contents
Early Life and Education
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, was an English professor at Hampton University. This university is known as a historically black college.
Growing up, Margot knew many African-American families. Many of their family members worked at NASA. She attended Phoebus High School and graduated in 1987. Later, she earned her degree from the University of Virginia's McIntire School of Commerce.
Career Highlights
After college, Margot Lee Shetterly moved to New York. She worked in investment banking for several years. She then moved into the media industry. She worked for different new companies, including a website funded by HBO.
In 2005, Shetterly and her husband moved to Mexico. They started an English-language magazine called Inside Mexico. This magazine was for English-speaking people living in the country. It was published until 2009.
Writing Hidden Figures
Shetterly began researching and writing Hidden Figures in 2010. In 2014, she sold the film rights for the book. The book and the movie, also called Hidden Figures, were both released in 2016. The movie starred famous actors like Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, and Kevin Costner.
The Hidden Figures movie was nominated for many awards. This included three Oscar nominations. It was nominated for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actress for Octavia Spencer.
The Human Computer Project
In 2013, Shetterly started The Human Computer Project. This organization works to collect and save the stories of women. These women worked as computers and mathematicians. They worked for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) and NASA in the early days of space exploration.
In 2018, Shetterly also published a children's picture book. It was titled Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race. Laura Freeman illustrated this book.
Personal Life
Margot Lee is married to Aran Shetterly. He is also a writer and a historian.
Published Works
- 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. This is a children's picture book.
Awards and Recognition
- Shetterly received a 2014 Book Grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for Hidden Figures.
- Her book Hidden Figures also won the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award.
- She has received two grants from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. These grants supported her work on The Human Computer Project.
- In 2017, she won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work, Nonfiction.
- On May 12, 2018, Shetterly received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. This was from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
- She also received Mathical Honors for her book Hidden Figures.
