A review by cisko
We Seven: By the Astronauts Themselves by John Glenn, L. Gordon Cooper Jr., Wally Schirra, Virgil I. Grissom, Alan Shepard, Scott Carpenter, Donald K. Slayton

3.0

The story of the original seven Mercury astronauts. Published in 1962, shortly after Scott Carpenter’s flight, the second orbital Mercury flight, the book was written by the astronauts themselves, but was put together by Life magazine. Focused on the Mercury program, it includes only a short autobiographical summary of each astronaut, and instead focuses on the development of the Mercury program and the activities the astronauts carried out to prepare for space flight. It’s quite interesting to see the space program from an intimate perspective so early in its development, and the book is at its best when exploring the decisions and details at the beginnings of manned space flight. It is however mixed at how open it can be about such things; the astronauts of course want to put the most positive spin on everything, and the reader feels the presence of public relations participation behind their words. Definitely interesting for readers with a fascination for the early days of spaceflight.