Reaching for the Moon: The Autobiography of NASA Mathematician Katherine Johnson

As a young girl, Katherine showed an exceptional aptitude for math. In school she quickly skipped ahead several grades and was soon studying complex equations with the support of a professor who saw great promise in her.

But ability and opportunity did not always go hand in hand. As an African American and a girl growing up in an era of brutal racism and sexism, Katherine faced daily challenges. Still, she persevered.

In the early 1950s, Katherine was thrilled to join the organization that would become NASA, which had just begun to hire Black mathematicians. She computed the trajectory for Alan Shepard's first space flight - and then she worked on the Apollo 11 mission that landed the first men on the moon.

Throughout her extraordinary career, Katherine has broken boundaries and paved the way for women in science. This is her own story, a lively autobiography that will inspire young readers everywhere.