After charming both audiences and the academy, Hidden Figures is just the beginning of what's to come from Margot Lee Shetterly. Shetterly, who authored the book that inspired the Oscar-nominated film, is set to release two more books that bring to life previously overlooked icons in Black history.
As reported by the Huffington Post, Viking announced the news on Monday, revealing that Shetterly's upcoming books will profile “extraordinary ordinary African-Americans whose contributions to American history have, for one reason or another, been untold, unseen, or overlooked.”
This is exactly what Shetterly did in Hidden Figures, which detailed the work of Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden. The four women were behind the computers in NASA's space station, but their crucial work was swept under the rug because of their race.
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"Without them we would not know how to reach the stars," star Taraji P. Henson said while accepting Hidden Figure's award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. "These women did not complain about the problems their circumstances. They focused on solutions...these brave women helped put men into space ... Thank you so much for appreciating these women. They are hidden figures no more!"
The first of Shetterly's upcoming books will reportedly focus on the Black families of Baltimore in the 20th century, specifically investor Willie Adams, who was behind the success of many Black-owned businesses. It will also include a look at the Murphys, who published the Baltimore Afro-American newspaper.
No word on whether or not these books will also get the Hollywood treatment, but it's safe to say there's a huge audience eager for more of these stories. We'll have to hold our horses, since we don't even have release dates for the books yet. That doesn't mean we haven't already cleared room on our shelves.
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