Review: Haunted Pittsburgh

Haunted Pittsburgh by Timothy Murray
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this. It is really interesting to read about places I've been that are supposedly haunted. I've visited many of the locations mentioned in this book as a Pittsburgh native, and if I haven't been to them in person I know where they are. I can say that some of these places are actually kind of creepy, either because they are old and dark or maybe there is something more super natural at work, who knows. It was a fun read. I appreciated the humerous stories about famous Pittsburghers and famous people who've visited my home city and their paranormal experiences.

This reads more like a history book. The authors just lay out whatever facts and stories they could find. If the nature of the story was comical the story ends up being funny, otherwise most of the stories about the places and people are fairly short and dry. There are plenty of pictures both of the current day locations and of the buildings when their said spooky inhabitants were alive. Each story is short so you can get through it quickly. If you are looking for a fun history lesson about Pittsburgh, from local authors (which is actually why I picked it up), I recommend it. I also understand they run the Haunted Pittsburgh tours in the fall and I hear they are great as well.

I picked this up for the 2018 reading challenge for the read something by a local author.  This was written by a couple of local attorneys turned haunted historians.  If you are looking for a history lesson about Pittsburgh and ghosts and such are of interest to you I'd check this out.  It isn't very long and was something different to read.

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Review: Hidden Figures: The Untold Story of the African American Women Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly

Hidden Figures: The Untold Story of the African American Women Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly
Narrated by Robin Miles
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this! It was an amazing history lesson of not only the African American women, but history in general. While it tells the story of racial segregation and sexism that the women of Langley faced as they fought to show just how capable they were, this story also gives a great history lesson as well. I really related to this story, as a woman who studied engineering and went into the military. Women were the minority in my studies and profession for many years of my life, and I've definitely had to work a little harder to prove myself because I'm "just a girl", much like the women of this book like Dorothy Vaughan, Katherine Johnson, and Mary Jackson. Having lived in Hampton Roads myself, I loved hearing about the area as Langley came to be the powerhouse of aeronautics and what would eventually lead to the creation of NASA. While Langley seemed to be a pioneer of breaking down racial segregation, it was slow to break through and allow integration to allow the brilliant men and women working at Langley to show their true capabilities. It took years before the first African American women who started as computers at Langley were recognized for their work at Langley even allowing them to received equal education and reasonable pay and job titles.

I really loved getting to know each of the women that were involved in the telling of the story, and Shetterly's writing is so poetic. With so much research and technical information, the writing is beautiful and I found it fascinating, then again I am an engineer at heart and have loved space since I was small. Having listened to the audio book, Robin Miles did such a wonderful job with the narration. I never wanted to stop listening. I was angry for the women when they didn't get equal pay and recognition for a job well done, or when they weren't allowed the same rights as the white men or women. I cheered when Katherine was finally recognized for her work with John Glenn. I learned so much from this, not just about these Hidden Figures, but about my country, history, inequality, and so much more. I feel that this book is so relevant to some of today's present political tensions, while we've come along way, we have so much farther to go.

I can't wait to watch the movie.  I hear it is also excellent, making this the perfect fit for my reading challenge prompt a book made into a movie in 2017.  This came out in January 2017.  This fits several categories, a book with a subtitle, a book about a difficult topic, a book by an author of color, and probably a couple of others.  I wanted to make sure I read this book for the challenge because it is an important book.  I may move it around, but I'm so glad I put it on my must read this year list.