|  | Author: Craig Nelson
Publisher: Viking Adult
List Price: $27.95
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Seller: cherrybooks
Rating:  36 reviews
Sales Rank: 12038
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Edition: First Edition, First Printing
Pages: 416
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.6
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.4 x 1.3
ISBN: 0670021032
Dewey Decimal Number: 629.4540973
EAN: 9780670021031
ASIN: 0670021032
Publication Date: June 25, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: SHIPS SAME DAY
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 16-20 of 36
 If you gathered in front of a TV set on July 20, 1969, you must read this! August 10, 2009
A. G. Krakow (NYC NY)
2 out of 14 found this review helpful
For all of us who grew up with The Space Race, this is the book that tells the story we didnt know. Detailed yet entertaining, author Nelson makes the players and situations authentic- and packed with what LIFE magazine didnt tell us. If you sat around with friends and family, perhaps in front of the color television your folks purchased just to see men walk on the moon, this is a book to read, and to discuss. Nelson's exploration of the Space Race and the Cold War is something that has been over looked or forgotten and makes for great reading, as do the plethora of anecdotes. many of them previously unpublished that provide great insight into this celbrated and celebratory event in our nation's history. A great read, and a great book to pass down to future generations.
Brings History to Life August 9, 2009
B. Segel
2 out of 14 found this review helpful
One reviewer said that in another 40 years, ROCKET MEN will be the book that everyone turns to for the best look at Apollo 11, and I couldn't agree more. The research is amazing, the writing is thoroughly engaging, and even though we all know how it turned out, the read is very exciting. Not only do we learn details of the mission that we never knew before, but we see the personal side of the story as we never have before. Kudos and thanks to Craig Nelson!
 "When old dreams die, new ones come to take their place. God pity a one-dream man." (Robert Goddard, quoted on pg 351) August 9, 2009
Shawn P. Rife (Colorado Springs, CO United States)
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
A number of reviewers have pounced on some of the technical/factual inaccuracies of "ROCKET MEN" and deservedly so. After reading Nelson's work all the way through, I've come to the conclusion that most (if not all) of the errors are a reflection of very poor editing and not ignorance (example, the reference on page 199 to Apollo 8's launch on "December 21, 1948" rather than 1968). The index is poor, and I agree with the recommendation that this book should be used with extreme caution as a research source. I am hoping that, for the sake of their own reputations if nothing else, Mr. Nelson and his Viking editor, insist on the publication (in hardcover) of a revised/corrected version as soon as possible (I would definitely buy it).
At the same time, I felt Nelson's overall account of the development of the Apollo program, and of the drama of the mission of Apollo 11 itself, fascinating and entertaining. I think today we largely take the landing of Americans on the moon for granted. The old complaint "if we can send a man to the moon, why can't we (fill in the blank)" is now so tired and overused that the challenge of the moon program is no longer awe-inspiring. Neil Armstrong's famous "one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind" now sounds a little trite in our jaded age. A small but still astonishing number of Americans--misled by snippets of pseudo-science and overly simplistic understandings of engineering (and probably in some cases under the sway of movie special effects technology that today seems more real than reality)--now believe that the whole thing was a sham. (As Neil Armstrong later remarked, "the only thing more difficult to achieve than the lunar flights would be to successfully fake them.")
To Craig Nelson's credit, I think he has successfully restored some reality back into the history of a program that has been subject to some myth-making, he has conveyed the drama and uncertainty of this race into the unknown, and he has helped make clear just how a "near-run" thing this endeavor actually was. His final chapter--which could be re-named "Man Gets Moon, Man Loses Moon"--is thought-provoking and raises the hope that, even though we foolishly walked away from Apollo in the early `70s, there's still hope that the spirit of adventure can be found again, for the true long-term benefit of all mankind.
If I could, I would rate this book with 3. 5 stars, given its flaws, but I'll round up to 4 in an effort to balance some of the "nuking" of this book that some of the other reviewers have done. "ROCKET MEN" is not perfect, it really needs to be fixed--but I would still recommend it.
The Apollo 11 Mission in context August 6, 2009
science geek (New York, NY)
3 out of 15 found this review helpful
Rocket Men was in my summer reading list and when I started it I couldn't put it down! Although I know the history of the space program quite well, this book gave me a fresh perspective on the political and cultural backdrop. A definite must read this year!
Amazing Read!!!!! August 6, 2009
Lucille Ircha
3 out of 15 found this review helpful
I actually found a copy of "Rocket Men" in the Budapest Marriott Concierge Lounge. I just could not put it down. It is an amazing vacation read. When I returned home this week I picked up copies for all of the guys in my life, my Dad, my boyfriend, my nephew and my boss. And when I finished "Rocket Men" I left it behind for the next lucky hotel guest to find.
Showing reviews 16-20 of 36
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