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cpalisa's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars for this one. I am so not a science-y person, but for some reason the early Astronaut program is so intriguing to me. I think it's a combination of the time period along with the idea of something so big and exciting that the entire world was wrapped up in. This (obviously) focuses on the Apollo 8 mission, the first mission to the moon - orbiting it, not landing on it. There is a fair bit of backstory working up to it that was interesting. The author spends time on the families and NASA, how the pilots (astronauts) got to where they were, and the pilots themselves. At times the science got too specific for me, but someone else might be all over that. I just really enjoyed the story. This was an audiobook and the last few tracks were snippets from the actual recordings between NASA and Apollo 8, which was quite a bonus. If you like space stuff, I would definitely recommend.
theycallmemorty's review against another edition
5.0
Fascinating. Anyone with a passing interest in space, science, or the cold war would find this book interesting.
steakpatrol's review against another edition
5.0
Kluger's telling of the Apollo 8 mission is suffused with all of the drama inherent in exploration, and the associated risk. The story traces discrete developments in NASA's space exploration capabilities (e.g. the jerry-rigged monstrosity of a Lunar Excursion Module), building on one another in aid of increasingly ambitious mission objectives, with the pressure to move quickly against the backdrop of the Cold War.
The story deftly balances engineering particulars with climactic emotional arcs. Readers will learn about things that did actually go wrong, which provides a fascinating 'reset' if one perceived these exercises as being perfect maneuvers of precision that come off without a hitch (e.g. astronaut Jim Lovell accidentally inflating his life vest 45 minutes after takeoff and not being able to deflate it as it would create unsafe levels of carbon dioxide). This also goes a long way to clarifying why mission procedure and spacecrafts are designed the way that they are - the layers of complexity involved and the margin for error.
Some of the errors the story highlights rise to catastrophe. In the lines of the subsequent pages, in mission procedure and engineering oversight, there is etched the heartache of the human loss.
Kluger's story effectively takes these losses, and the work that went into mitigating the risk, out of the abstract, making it painstakingly real. Once it covers the lead-up to Apollo 8, and the lives of its astronauts, families, and NASA support staff, it crafts a thrilling voyage on the page. It will captivate anyone drawn into the romance of space exploration, and whose mind has pondered all of that which led up to humanity maintaining an international space station, and developing reusable rockets.
The story deftly balances engineering particulars with climactic emotional arcs. Readers will learn about things that did actually go wrong, which provides a fascinating 'reset' if one perceived these exercises as being perfect maneuvers of precision that come off without a hitch (e.g. astronaut Jim Lovell accidentally inflating his life vest 45 minutes after takeoff and not being able to deflate it as it would create unsafe levels of carbon dioxide). This also goes a long way to clarifying why mission procedure and spacecrafts are designed the way that they are - the layers of complexity involved and the margin for error.
Some of the errors the story highlights rise to catastrophe. In the lines of the subsequent pages, in mission procedure and engineering oversight, there is etched the heartache of the human loss.
Kluger's story effectively takes these losses, and the work that went into mitigating the risk, out of the abstract, making it painstakingly real. Once it covers the lead-up to Apollo 8, and the lives of its astronauts, families, and NASA support staff, it crafts a thrilling voyage on the page. It will captivate anyone drawn into the romance of space exploration, and whose mind has pondered all of that which led up to humanity maintaining an international space station, and developing reusable rockets.
specialk136's review against another edition
4.0
I knew nothing about the Apollo 8 mission before I picked up this book. I was pleased by how fun it was to read - it's character driven as we get to know these astronauts and root for them. Kluger is able to explain the technical aspects in a way I could understand while generating tension and drama.
My one problem with this book is totally my own fault. Because I didn't know anything about the mission and wanted to avoid spoiling it for myself, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop - for some disastrous event to happen during the mission that would imperil the lives of our astronauts. But no, the mission was a complete success - and thus it was anticlimactic for me. Klugman kept alluding to impending danger but in the end, there was none. Again - my own ignorance working against me - but still, by way of climax, the drama is out of the way by the time the book ends.
This book transported me to a different time in America. I think this generation needs its own Apollo 8 - something that unites and inspires us as a nation. It made me a little nostalgic for a time I never knew.
My one problem with this book is totally my own fault. Because I didn't know anything about the mission and wanted to avoid spoiling it for myself, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop - for some disastrous event to happen during the mission that would imperil the lives of our astronauts. But no, the mission was a complete success - and thus it was anticlimactic for me. Klugman kept alluding to impending danger but in the end, there was none. Again - my own ignorance working against me - but still, by way of climax, the drama is out of the way by the time the book ends.
This book transported me to a different time in America. I think this generation needs its own Apollo 8 - something that unites and inspires us as a nation. It made me a little nostalgic for a time I never knew.
carrie_d's review against another edition
5.0
I found this book to be absolutely enthralling. A truly awe inspiring adventure - the first orbit around the moon.
jen_vg's review against another edition
5.0
The detail in which Jeffrey Kluger describes the events during and before the Apollo 8 mission made me realize the magnitude of the work done by hundreds of people and how every big and little part of the mission was made possible by truly devoted individuals. And that detail itself was at my reach thanks to the extensive interviews and research made by Kluger himself. I am very grateful to him for making this book.
olivial10293847's review against another edition
5.0
Wow...I don't even know where to begin with this book. It was simply incredible. Kluger's writing style is so genuine and easy to understand that I felt as if I was experiencing everything in real-time right along with Borman, Lovell, and Anders. I enjoyed the comprehensive overview of the Gemini and Apollo programs that led to Apollo 8's historic journey. It gave light to some of the vital players, such as the intelligent engineers and members of mission control, who can sometimes go unnoticed. Overall, this has been one of my best reads in 2021, and I highly recommend that anyone interested in space history give it a go. The gravity of what these inspiring heroes have accomplished is incomprehensible.