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amaranthine_dragon's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
fast-paced
Really interesting. had some bad language but overall really informative for the time right before the space race, a great example of reporting and developing real characters.
book_concierge's review against another edition
4.0
Digital audiobook performed by Dennis Quaid
In 1957 a Russian rocket launched an unmanned satellite – Sputnik – into space. Clearly this was an escalation of the Cold War and the US would not stand still for it. No. We were going to put a man into space by 1960. But how? And who?
This is the story of the first seven Mercury Astronauts and how they came to be chosen – evaluated to ensure they had The Right Stuff to succeed in this vital mission.
I remember so clearly that day in school as a child when a television set was rolled into our classroom so we could watch, first, Alan Shepard being launched into space. And later, John Glenn, the first man to orbit the earth. I think I’ve had this book on my tbr since it came out in 1979, and have no idea why I never picked it up before.
Wolfe does a great job of giving us the background of those first seven astronauts – warts and all. I was fascinated by the extensive testing they underwent to evaluate their fitness for this work. And I think Wolfe did a great job of explaining the differences in their personalities that resulted in success, or missteps.
The narrative is also packed with some pretty exciting scenes that had me completely spellbound. The scene where is particularly harrowing.
Dennis Quaid does a fine job of narrating the audiobook. He exudes the “macho” quality of these uber macho men. He is in turns incredulous, irritated, arrogant, or defiant. I felt almost as if I were hearing these Mercury astronauts tell their own stories.
In 1957 a Russian rocket launched an unmanned satellite – Sputnik – into space. Clearly this was an escalation of the Cold War and the US would not stand still for it. No. We were going to put a man into space by 1960. But how? And who?
This is the story of the first seven Mercury Astronauts and how they came to be chosen – evaluated to ensure they had The Right Stuff to succeed in this vital mission.
I remember so clearly that day in school as a child when a television set was rolled into our classroom so we could watch, first, Alan Shepard being launched into space. And later, John Glenn, the first man to orbit the earth. I think I’ve had this book on my tbr since it came out in 1979, and have no idea why I never picked it up before.
Wolfe does a great job of giving us the background of those first seven astronauts – warts and all. I was fascinated by the extensive testing they underwent to evaluate their fitness for this work. And I think Wolfe did a great job of explaining the differences in their personalities that resulted in success, or missteps.
The narrative is also packed with some pretty exciting scenes that had me completely spellbound. The scene where
Spoiler
Yaeger nearly burns to deathDennis Quaid does a fine job of narrating the audiobook. He exudes the “macho” quality of these uber macho men. He is in turns incredulous, irritated, arrogant, or defiant. I felt almost as if I were hearing these Mercury astronauts tell their own stories.
bennen33's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
5.0
lajacquerie's review against another edition
5.0
This story, this book, is pretty freaking phenomenal. And Wolfe's prose makes it jump off the page, even if some of his lingo is so idiosyncratic that I think there'll be passages in the next decade that might not be intelligible to new readers. For now, it does its job of pulling you right back into the 1950s/60s when all of this was happening. "The Right Stuff" dances the finest of lines by putting the personal/historical/technical/scientific, AND political context for the first American space program in a way that keeps you wholly engaged.
It was eye-opening for the time, for information to how test pilot and early astronaut programs ran, and for making me think about how impactful the overall political context and social perception can be for major projects like this. Not quite life-changing, but impossible to put down. I also had a few worries about Wolfe perhaps adding in the color commentary based on his own perceptions, but still highly enjoyable the whole way through.
It was eye-opening for the time, for information to how test pilot and early astronaut programs ran, and for making me think about how impactful the overall political context and social perception can be for major projects like this. Not quite life-changing, but impossible to put down. I also had a few worries about Wolfe perhaps adding in the color commentary based on his own perceptions, but still highly enjoyable the whole way through.
akatdare's review against another edition
2.0
2/5. Audiobook.
I really wanted to like it, but it was hard to get past the writing style - the constant repetition of certain phrases over and over and over, which I think was made more noticeable in audio format. And it was hard to tell if Wolfe was writing from a position of respect for the astronauts and the whole space program or dislike or both; perhaps he was trying to be objective in his writing style but it came off as if he didn’t have a position. Finally, it was really really hard to get past some of the misogyny and racism in the book. The repeated description of the young women who would chase after the astronauts as “juicy” was disturbing, to say the least. I know this book was written in an era where that was perhaps more acceptable to read and was written about an era where it was definitely more acceptable, but it still just felt hard to actually hear it over and over and over again. The very brief mention of how there were no Black men in the astronaut corp, or in the officer corp towards the end of the book, and Kennedy’s attempt to integrate, also just came off wrong. It seemed as though Wolfe’s position was that “this was just how it was” - that it was natural for White Protestant men (the “natural” citizens?) to be in officer positions, in leadership roles. No discussion of the inequalities that led to that occurrence, or the likely fact that any other ethnic group wouldn’t have stood a chance of being picked to be in the initial group because it was ultimately a choice made by people, and people naturally have biases. This book, ultimately, shows its age, and it’s not so old that it can be excused as “from another time”.
I almost never say I liked the movie better, but…I liked the movie better.
I really wanted to like it, but it was hard to get past the writing style - the constant repetition of certain phrases over and over and over, which I think was made more noticeable in audio format. And it was hard to tell if Wolfe was writing from a position of respect for the astronauts and the whole space program or dislike or both; perhaps he was trying to be objective in his writing style but it came off as if he didn’t have a position. Finally, it was really really hard to get past some of the misogyny and racism in the book. The repeated description of the young women who would chase after the astronauts as “juicy” was disturbing, to say the least. I know this book was written in an era where that was perhaps more acceptable to read and was written about an era where it was definitely more acceptable, but it still just felt hard to actually hear it over and over and over again. The very brief mention of how there were no Black men in the astronaut corp, or in the officer corp towards the end of the book, and Kennedy’s attempt to integrate, also just came off wrong. It seemed as though Wolfe’s position was that “this was just how it was” - that it was natural for White Protestant men (the “natural” citizens?) to be in officer positions, in leadership roles. No discussion of the inequalities that led to that occurrence, or the likely fact that any other ethnic group wouldn’t have stood a chance of being picked to be in the initial group because it was ultimately a choice made by people, and people naturally have biases. This book, ultimately, shows its age, and it’s not so old that it can be excused as “from another time”.
I almost never say I liked the movie better, but…I liked the movie better.
countofpoictesme's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
duparker's review against another edition
5.0
Awesome read. Tons of testosterone and energy, but not in a shoot em up way, or in a dumb jock way. Woolfe is a talented writer, characterizing the times and the environment the characters inhabit wonderfully. His observation skills are killer. really enjoyed this book.