The Race: The Definitive Story of America's Battle to Beat Russia to the Moon |
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James Schefter
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Pages: 320 (Paperback)
ISBN: 0099406144
Pub: Arrow Books Ltd
Pub date: 2000-07-06
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 243766
Editorial Review:
When young Jim Schefter was a stringer for the Houston Chronicle and later Life magazine, he scored the plum reporting assignment of the 1960s--close-up coverage of the tense, heady race to space between the Americans and the Soviets. That pivotal decade in space exploration gave us near misses, giddy victories, and tragic failures that are hard to even imagine now as we yawn at the ubiquitous "routine shuttle launch". But the space race back then was deadly serious stuff: America's best and brightest scientists were teamed up with bold cowboy astronauts to win what was then seen as the most visible, most crucial battle in the Cold War. And Jim Schefter--thanks to an exclusive contract Life had inked with the astronauts and their families--sat front-row centre, from the earliest launches on to Neil Armstrong's hastily composed words as he stepped off the Eagle.
Armed with copious notes, reams of NASA and Soviet documents, and countless closed-door, at times embarrassing anecdotes, Schefter recounts the tit-for-tat one-upmanship of those early days in The Race. He goes as far back as the post-World War Two grab for Nazi rocket technology, revealing that many joked at the time that the US-Soviet race was being conducted by the Germans--"our Germans versus their Germans". Schefter ably conveys the era's tension and exhilaration, jumping back and forth between the US and Russian teams with smart, super-friends pacing (think "meanwhile, back at the Hall of Justice..."), while also offering up solid historical and technical context and many uncomfortably funny asides.--Paul Hughes
Reader Reviews:
A gripping and moving account of Man's greatest leap. (1/1 people found this helpful)
Coming from the point of veiw of someone who was actually there to see many of the events he describes, Schefter's account of the race to reach the defining moment of the 20th century is a gripping read. Funny and touching insights show the human side of the individuals involved. This gripping account puts the reader at the heart of the race to the moon, from the bumbling baby-steps of the fifties, when most rockets blew up before leaving the ground, to the day Neil Armstrong took "One small step for Man, one giant leap for Mankind".
Left me wishing the Russians had won the space race (1/2 people found this helpful)
This is a tedious book which had a great potential. I would have enjoyed a balanced chronicle the history of the space race in the context of the cold war. Given Schefter's boring patriotism this is a fascinating story which is left untold. As the book progresses either the patriotism gets more obvious or more wearing - I forget which - but left wishing that either the Soviets had got there first or that allegations that the landings were forged were proven.
Categories
Amazon.co.uk places this book into the following categories:
Books -> Subjects -> History -> General AAS
Books -> Subjects -> Science & Nature -> Astronomy & Cosmology -> Astronomy -> Popular Astronomy
Books -> Subjects -> Science & Nature -> Astronomy & Cosmology -> Astronomy -> General AAS
Books -> Subjects -> Science & Nature -> Astronomy & Cosmology -> Space Travel & Exploration
Books -> Subjects -> Science & Nature -> Engineering & Technology -> Aeronautics & Aerospace -> Astronautics
Books -> Subjects -> Science & Nature -> Engineering & Technology -> Aeronautics & Aerospace -> General AAS
Books -> Subjects -> Science & Nature -> Engineering & Technology -> Military & Naval -> Military Aircraft
Books -> Subjects -> Science & Nature -> Engineering & Technology -> General AAS
Books -> Subjects -> Science & Nature -> General AAS
Books -> Subjects -> Scientific, Technical & Medical -> Astronomy & Cosmology -> Space Travel & Exploration
Books -> Subjects -> Travel & Holiday -> General
Books -> Subjects -> Travel & Holiday -> Countries & Regions -> Asia -> Russia -> General AAS
Books -> Subjects -> Travel & Holiday -> Countries & Regions -> Europe -> Russia -> General AAS
Books -> Subjects -> Travel & Holiday -> Speciality Travel -> Air Travel
Books -> Refinements -> Language (feature_browse-bin) -> English
Books -> Refinements -> Format (binding_browse-bin) -> Paperback
Books -> Refinements -> Font Size (format_browse-bin) -> Regular Size