A Man on the Moon
by Andrew Chaikin
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Book Summary Information
Author: Andrew ChaikinForeword: Tom Hanks
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1998-04-01
ISBN: 0140272011
Number of pages: 688
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Book Reviews of A Man on the Moon
Book Review: A Wonderful Statement of the Myth of Project Apollo
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a strikingly effective book, somewhat commemorative as it appeared in 1994 at the time of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the first lunar landing. Andrew Chaikin's account of the Apollo program focuses almost exclusively on the astronauts and their efforts to reach the Moon. He interviewed virtually all of them and undertook in depth historical research at NASA and other locations. The story that he tells is one of the best recounting of the master narrative that has emerged since the ending of the Apollo program in 1972.
At the center of this story are the astronauts themselves. The role of the astronauts has remained central to the Apollo story to the present time in one of the truly great examples of mythmaking in modern American history, in no small part due to the exemplification of their image offered by Chaikin in this book. All astronauts are viewed as virtuous and heroic, cool under pressure, and technologically dexterous. They are brilliant and attractive; impressive in every setting. They are able, bold, learned, and brave. They ooze Americanism and patriotism of the highest caliber from every pore. Could any of them ever go wrong? Of course not! They remain sought after like only a few other celebrities. Their unwritten code of honor remains enormously attractive and Chaikin's unpacking of the astronaut culture in exceptionally powerful.
But it is Duke University history professor Alex Roland who captured the importance of this book best: it is a retelling of a specific myth and in that retelling it performs a specific purpose. It is not so much history, in Roland's conception, as it is a restatement of "tribal rituals, meant to comfort the old and indoctrinate the young" (Alex Roland, "How We Won the Moon," New York Times Book Review, July 17, 1994, pp. 1, 25). The epic nature of the undertaking illuminates every chapter of this elegant work.
Indeed, throughout this book one finds that Chaikin struggles to maintain an epic aura of Apollo in his recitation of the voyages of discovery. They turned into a dead end rather than a new beginning and no amount of heroic prose can overcome that ironic plot twist. From the heroism of the astronauts to the epic landing, through the heroic rescue of Apollo 13, to the last anti-climatic flights of Apollos 15, 16, and 17, the mythic proportion of Apollo shines through.
Of course, I don't want to suggest that Apollo as a mythic event is a bad thing. Myth is not so much a falsehood--as many people seem to believe--as it is a story, a kind of poetry, about events and situations that have great significance both for those involved and those that follow. Myths are, in fact, essential truths for the members of a cultural group who hold them, enact them, or perceive them. They are sometimes expressed in diffuse ideologies, but in literate societies like the United States they are fundamentally embedded in historical narratives such as "A Man in the Moon." As students of space history are now beginning to recognize, those who recollect the history of spaceflight also hold versions of these myths, and they in turn relate them to a range of experiences helping to explain our place in the world.
"A Man on the Moon" is a highly successful statement of the mythological nature of Project Apollo. It may be constructively read in that context. I heartily recommend it for its detail and its insight, as well as its mythological dimension.
Summary of A Man on the Moon
On the night of July 20, 1969, our world changed forever when two Americans, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, walked on the moon. Now the greatest event of the twentieth century is magnificently retold through the eyes and ears of the people who were there. Based on the interviews with twentythree moon voyagers, as well as those who struggled to get the program moving, journalist Andrew Chaikin conveys every aspect of the missions with breathtaking immediacy: from the rush of liftoff, to the heartstopping lunar touchdown, to the final hurdle of reentry.A decade in the making, this book is based on hundreds of hours of in-depth interviews with each of the twenty-four moon voyagers, as well as those who contributed their brain power, training and teamwork on Earth. In his preface Chaikin writes, "We touched the face of another world and became a people without limits."
What follows are thrilling accounts of such remarkable experiences as the rush of a liftoff, the heart-stopping touchdown on the moon, the final hurdle of re-entry, competition for a seat on a moon flight, the tragic spacecraft fire, and the search for clues to the origin of the solar system on the slopes of lunar mountains. --Therese Littleton
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