The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe
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Book Reviews of The Right Stuff
Book Review: Similar to the Movie, but Worth the Extra Effort
Summary: 5 Stars
Those who are familiar with the theatrical version of The Right Stuff will likely question whether actually reading the underlying book should bother. I know I sure felt that way, even after acknowledging that the book was likely better. But some compelling aspects of the novel are worth exploring on one's own.
Wolfe's fascinating imagery, for example, showing how John Glenn, Alan Shepard, and the remaining astronaut lot dethroned the old guard is one aspect worth experiencing. Another is the retelling of each astronaut's marvelous flight. The depth, detail, and imagination radiating from the page perfectly captures the novelty of the time, exciting even for those who can only know a world where space flight is somewhat commonplace. Chuck Yeager's final flight in the experimental NF-104A, his last record breaking attempt, is equally eye opening. The political wrangling between NASA, the Air Force, and others that was critical to the Apollo program's success, while much less exciting, is no less essential to understanding the anxiousness of a country living in the shadow of the apparently unstoppable Red Menace.
For all these reasons, Wolfe's nonfiction novel is truly a testament to the bravery, ambition, and determination of all of these men and to the country who was determined to cast their silhouettes among the stars. All who are interested in the rise of the world's premier space program should take the extra time to experience it.
Book Review: Generation Lost In Space
Summary: 5 Stars
I picked up The Right Stuff, expecting to read a detailed history of the US space program; from the breaking of the sound barrier to the Moon landing. Instead Wolfe has written a book about the rare breed of men that have the necessary ice water coursing through their veins to fly the experimental fighter jets, and to sit on the tips of rockets. This isn't a book about the science and bureaucracy of aviation in the 50s and 60's, but instead a study of the psyche of the pilot.
This is a fast past paced narrative which portrays the pilot of the cold war as a near mythical figure - an American David to the Soviet Goliath. In doing so Wolfe also examines the psyche of the American people during this time, and provides an interesting commentary on society. It harkens back to a time when America could accomplish what was thought unthinkable, by the sheer determination and true patriotism of its people. In a way that is almost hard for us today to imagine, these pilots not for monetary gain, risked their lives for their country and for the prestige of being called a true brother among pilots. Society today has a strange way of making celebrities out of the nobodies and the untalented. Reading The Right Stuff in 2009, is a reminder that America once extolled the virtue of real accomplishment, of being chosen from the select few, and from the select few proving to have the right stuff.
Book Review: better than I expected
Summary: 5 Stars
From the sound of it, a book about astronauts sounds like it would be interesting. But if you really think about it, do you really care to know every detail of the story of astronauts? I wouldn't care. Of course maybe someone older who lived through the hype back then would really enjoy reading the ins and outs of the program. But to a young buck, astronauts are cool and all but give me the facts, give me the meat; I don't care for the jargon, the details of each flight etc. Better yet, give me the juice on the tragic accidents that occurred in the space program - like Apollo 13.
Well, Wolfe does not indulge us. He gives the long and short of the Mercury program which was the first to put a man into Earth's orbit. However he writes in a way that the story is not dry or dull at all. It's fascinating and spellbinding. It's history but it does not read like history. It reads like a novel. And of course that is the genius of the author. By the end of the book you are left hoping for Wolfe to continue his narrative of the space program but alas it must end somewhere.
Book Review: HOW THE FUTURE BEGAN...
Summary: 5 Stars
Tom Wolfe's "The Right Stuff" is a fascinating, in-depth and personal account of the test pilots who pushed the envelope between 1947 and 1963. From Chuck Yeager's historic flight in the Bell X-1, through the seven missions of Project Mercury, and concluding with Yeager's near-catastrophic flight in the NF-104, the book is an enthralling look at the early days of NASA, and of the men and women who made it happen! Of particular interest are passages that didn't make it into the terrific film adaptation, including the failed attempt of astronauts such as Jim Lovell and Pete Conrad to be among the seven; NASA's "shunning" of Scott Carpenter after what they viewed as a near-disastrous flight of Aurora 7, and how Wally Schirra's flight of Sigma 7 was seen as proof of Carpenter's messy handling of the fuel, and; the near-success of test pilots outside of NASA to successfully put a man in space before the first Mercury flights. A thrilling book for readers of history and of good storytelling, I highly recommend it!
Grade: A-
Book Review: Zeitgeist of 50s and 60s in Full
Summary: 5 Stars
Having seen the movie before reading the book, I expected Wolfe's THE RIGHT STUFF to be good. I was surprised how good it turned out to be in capturing the mood of the America in the late 50s and early 60s. Character, admittedly topped off with a little self-promotion in zorder to rise up the military ladder, was king. Also pointed out by Wolfe is the Protestant underpinings of the seven golden boys. Backed by Presbyterian and TIME magazine czar, H. Luce, John Glenn (Presbyterian to the core) became the perfect promotional piece for the day and age.
The narrative moves quickly. The sections on Yeager are worthy of their own treatment as a book. Wolfe is on top of his game, which in his case is not being too flowery.
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