Final Frontiers
I admit it.
I’m a space dork.
I’ve always been fascinated by the “space race” of the 1960s, always taking time to read books that come my way about that time, or taking in movies and miniseries like Apollo 13 and From the Earth to the Moon (a truly excellent series that was on HBO years ago, produced by Tom Hanks).
Here are just a few books that I think are great “space race” reads…
Moon Shot: The Inside Story of America’s Race to the Moon is written by Alan Shepard and Deke Slayton, two of the original “Mercury 7” astronauts. This chronicles – from an insider’s view – the initial astronaut selection all the way to Slayton’s eventual trip to space to dock with Soyez in 1973. Along the way, you get a dose of history, a bit of gossip, and a true understanding of what an amazing feat leaving Earth truly was.
Lost Moon by Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger is Lovell’s account of his harrowing trip aboard Apollo 13, and is the memoir on which the movie Apollo 13 is based. This details much more of the science and ingenuity that not only destroyed their vessel, but also brought them safely home again.
A Man on the Moon by Andrew Chaikin is a lengthy tome (clocking in at nearly 700 pages) but many consider it the definitive work on the entire space race from the 1960s with lots of interviews and historical data compiled in an imminently readable story. Chaikin is a forerunner in the “space race” genre, and he has authored a number of titles about it.
Mission Control, This is Apollo: The Story of the First Voyages to the Moon by (again) Andrew Chaikin and astronaut Alan Bean, who was part of Apollo 12, is another “from the astronauts themselves” story of travels to the moon, and features 28 astronaut interviews, as well as insights from Alan Bean, who, after retiring from NASA, has parlayed his trip to the moon into a successful painting career, painting what he saw and experienced during his few days in space. (In fact, his latest book, Alan Bean: Painting Apollo, is due out July 9.)
And, of course, there is The Right Stuff, by Tom Wolfe, written in 1979, which follows the program from the earliest days of daredevil test pilots through the beginning of the manned space program. Though nearly 500 pages, this is a fascinating “new journalism” account of the program, and spawned the great movie The Right Stuff – but the book is even better.
This is but a handful of books about the early days of NASA and the journey from the Earth to the Moon, though there are hundreds more on the shelf of any library – some with an “insider’s view” and some just a true scientific accounting of this incredible feat.
And maybe, just maybe, we’ll have a new passel of books about the “moon shots” of this generation if we ever return to the Moon. For now, though, we’ll just look to the stars – and to the library – for what it is truly like to leave the Earth from those who experienced it.
Have a question for the Loud Librarian? Or, want to let her know your thoughts on one of her reviews? Email her at Marissa.Priddis@CrucialPop.com.
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