5 comments about Undaunted Courage : Meriwether Lewis Thomas Jefferson And The Opening Of The American West.

1. I would recommend this book/audio to anyone.
   It is fasinating to any one interested in US History and elploration of American. The book manymaps to relate to during yoour read. I later listened to the audio a year later and I really enjoyed it so much the second time through. I had read book reviews before and this one was claimed to the best about Lewis and Clark. Thumbs up!



2. Read this as a first edition hardback---my Amazon reviewing is a little behind, to say the least---outstanding book. The best book on L&C in print. Ambrose collaborated on a book with Nat'l Geo that is spectacular as well. OUTSTANDING from cover to cover.
   If you read only one book on the topic, read this one---and prepare to be hooked.



3. Historical novels are one of my favorite types of text, and I have been an avid reader of Stephen E. Ambrose through his World War II works. Every American child knew about Lewis & Clark and the Louisiana Purchase (Thank you Schoolhouse Rock), but this book brings to life the true and amazing task these men went through to help open America into the vast and great nation she is now.
   
   After the 1803 Louisiana Purchase from France, President Thomas Jefferson, a man of knowledge and curiosity himself, issued a continental exploration Corps of Discovery to travel to the Pacific Ocean. If you could imagine walking across your own state, now imagine walking (horse/canoe allowed) across the country, no roads, no cellphone, no Walmart, no bathrooms, no electric lights, wild animals...the grizzlies read like monsters, potential attacks from hostile natives, the weather...it is unimagenable that any human could have survived or endured such hardships!
   
   It is important to realize that Lewis and Clark were the leaders, but also traveled with a large group of brave men, unique and talented in their own respects, including the female Native American Sacagawea and her baby, plus the sad tale of York, Clark's slave who shared the pain, dangers, and loyalty, but received none of the rewards, promises, or respects afterwards...this subject raises my ire, so I will not continue on York's betrayal by Clark.
   
   Regardless of whether you read this as pure history, this book reads like an adventure tale like Krakauer's Into Thin Air, a testament of man versus nature, the book is also a cultural exploration as the "White man meets the Red man" no disrespect meant. On so many levels this book will offer insight, information, and entertainment that few books balance so well. So you might as well read a good tale and actually improve your own academic knowledge.
   
   Thank you and keep reading.
   John Dae Min



4. What I liked best about this book is that it reads like a neighbor telling you all about his favorite nephew. Ambrose's descriptions and judgments and asides have almost an avuncular feel. If this is not your thing, the book will probably bug you.
   
   What I liked least about this book is Ambrose's unquestioning high regard for Jefferson, but since Ambrose's attitude reflects that of Lewis's, I can go with it.
   
   The outtakes of the journals, the excellent maps, and the good-natured commentary combine to make me LIKE the characters. I feel familiar with them after reading this book. I am impressed by their accomplishments, and feel I know them as people much better.
   
   It is also clear that Ambrose knows the areas where Lewis and Clark explored. Many of his notations tell how the area described look to present-day canoers or hikers, and he gives highway exits and directions to some of the less-remote campsites and overlooks. Ambrose's love for the beauties of western America comes through, and they add to the fond tone of the book.



5. I will keep it simple. Next to the Holy Bible ~ best book I ever read. I have since then read several of Stephen Ambrose's books and highly recommend them. He and his family put many years of research in before writing any book. I have travelled across the country all the way to Cape Disapportment as a result of reading the book and following the trail. Everything Mr. Ambrose claimed in the book is accurate, very interesting, and provides us a heritage for our country that everyone should be proud of.

5 comments about Sky of Stone.

1. If you have read Rocket Boys, it's imperative you continue with Coalwood Ways and Sky of the Stone. All are wonderful reads with great life lessons. Sky of the Stone was my favorite of the three but they build on each other. I look forward to reading Red Helmet in February!



2. Just a great part 3 continuation of "The Rocket Boys", AKA: "October Sky". I could hardly put it down. I really enjoyed this book, too.



3. I read October Sky a week ago and then grabbed this one. I haven't read The Coalwood Way but after starting Sky of Stone, don't think it's necessary. This book continues where October Sky left off, and in many ways people are introduced in this book that were never mentioned in the first book. In manyways this book seems to be derived from all the notes taken out of the first book. Sonny's father's character comes to light in this book and we see the continued tension between father and son, and the son's reluctant growth into adulthood when he accepts (or is forced into) adult decisions for the first time.
   
   Homer is a year out of college and he's slowly learning that many of the naive things he experienced in boyhood are coming back to haunt him. Where we all read about the fame and success of the six Rocket Boys, we now find that they are scattered across the country in college. With Homer, the grades in the first year weren't anything out of this world, or anything indicative of an aspiring rocket scientist. Without reading October Sky this book may appear to be a mystery, and I recommend reading October Sky first before attempting this one.
   
   It is unfair to compare one book to the other, although I am doing it right now. What the first book was in childish charm, this one is with mature awakening. The writing style is still superb, the narrative flowing. The built-up to the plot, however, takes longer. The rocket scientist is no longer a rocket scientist in this book, and we find Homer Jr more of his father's son as a summer miner, exactly what he never wanted to be while in high school.
   
   There is much more sadness in this book. The focus is on the death of a miner at the mine that Sonny's father manages. This book is more of a country suspense than it is a happy-go-lucky story like October Sky is. I think that this change in tone was necessary because the first book was full of optimistic, youthful naivete.
   
   The problem with sequels and trilogies is that to understand the whole picture, all books must be read. I have now read two of the three and don't plan on reading the second book.



4. A wonderful book that was not only an engaging story, but offered a glimpse into the life of West Virginia coal miners. Following on the heels of the "Rocket Boys" ( the book that inspired the movie "October Sky"), this book carries on the story of Rocket Boy and author Homer Hickam. You won't be sorry you read this book.



5. Sky of Stone, by Homer "Sonny" Hickam, is the sequel to his famous memoir, Rocket Boys, (October Sky). The story takes place in 1961, a year after his graduation from high school. Sonny, now eighteen, has just finished his first year of college at VPI, and is hoping to spend his summer with his mother in Myrtle Beach, lying on the beach, watching the girls go by, and dreaming about building rockets with Wernher Von Braun, the world famous rocket engineer. Out of the blue, his mother calls and says that he can't go to South Carolina; he to go back to Coalwood, West Virginia, the place he thought he was free from, to keep his father company. Sonny, shocked out of his socks, at first argues, but he eventually gives up knowing that he would not want to get on his mom's bad side. So, he heads up to Coalwood, filled with confusion pounding at his head. His father is a pretty stubborn man who can hold is own. Why would he need his company?
   Within the first few days of being in Coalwood, Sonny wrecks his father's car. In order to pay his father back for repairing the damages, Sonny has to do the one thing that he never dreamed he would do in this or any other life time: he joins the UMWA (United Mine Workers of America), which is the union for the Coalwood miners. He becomes a "track-laying man," one of the hardest jobs in the mining business. His father, completely enraged with this, as well as having the pressure of the Tuck Dillon case on his mind, threatens to cut off Sonny's college fund if Sonny doesn't stop working in the mines. Yet, Sonny, who is actually beginning to enjoy the hard work of being a miner, refuses.
   As the story goes on, Sonny slowly begins to find more and more information about the Tuck Dillon accident, and starts to wonder if his father might have actually killed Tuck. Sonny also has many other adventures during this experience of being a miner. He makes many new friends, some of whom give him very important advice and teach him life lessons; he meets a girl engineer who is older than he, and he starts to have feelings for. He also participates in a heated track-laying race with the other mining group.
   Sky of Stone, like Rocket Boys, is a beautifully well-written memoir, filled with such amazing images, you feel as though you are reading a novel. The fact that this is a true story about one man's experience is astonishing. Along with it being about Homer's life, it deals with the hardships of growing up, changing from a teenager into a young man, trying to find your place in the world, while dealing with reality and the new feeling of independence. Each page you read takes you further into this adventure, making you fall in love even more with the book. You feel as though you are with Sonny every step of the way, learning more and more from this new experience. Personally, having read October Sky, I love both books and think that Homer Hickam is great author. It is a wonderful book, for anyone, as it reflects on life and the many lessons it teaches us, "I knew then, as I faced the sky, that Coalwood would go on. Its buildings might be torn down, its mine closed, its people might even die, but Coalwood would persevere. There was something about this place that maybe, as the Reverend Richard maintained, God just liked. Coalwood had nothing to fear and I guessed I didn't, either. When I needed it, the old place of my boyhood would yet be there waiting for me with all its wisdom and purpose, if not in stone and wood and iron, then still in my memory and my heart. I closed my eyes and felt the rain against my face, and smelled the smoke of the defeated fire, and thought of Coalwood. Coalwood, as it was, and shall be. Coalwood my home. Coalwood forever." (354). As I got to the end of the book I felt as though I was looking back on memory, in awe and filled with respect. In conclusion, I think this is great book, and I highly recommend it to anyone.

No comments about Children of Jihad: Journeys into the Heart and Minds of Middle-Eastern Youths.

5 comments about Bud & Me - The True Adventures of the Abernathy Boys.

1. Just finished this wonderful book. I had heard of the boys father, but never of their adventures. It is a must read for all ages. It was especially wonderful for me since I was born and raised in Oklahoma.



2. This is my second review of this book. I use to teach fourth grade and read the last edition to my students for Oklahoma. What a joy. We wrote to Alta Abernathy, the author, and she wrote back to us. I'm not sure if she is still alive or not, but would love to know. What a wonderful book. I now teach third grade and still read this wonderful book to my students. I blew the pictures up and made a map for each child to follow all those boys adventures. A must read for all children and adults who love adventure. Jeannie Scott



3. In today's culture, it is hard to imagine two boys accomplishing everything that Bud and Temple Abernathy did. But they did do some wonderful things, and along the way became young ambassadors for the Southwest in 1910. It is great reading if you are 8 or 80. The book also gives readers a concept of what life was like at the beginning of this century as times changed before their eyes with each mile. The boys meet representatives of the old ways (Chief Quannah Parker) and the new (The Wright Brothers.) Just to name a few. Very enjoyable reading just by yourself and/or a book that you will want to read over and over to your children.



4. BUD AND ME is one of those books that hold you spellbound while all of the time you are saying to yourself "this can't be true"...and yet, there are the photos to prove the story. My uncle was the stepson of Jack Abernathy, the Oklahoma US Marshall whose sons, Temple and Bud, journeyed across the US on horses, elephants, donkeys, cars and motorcycles. I have heard these stories for years and I must admit took them with a grain of salt...until this book was published. Now I believe! Anyone, whatever their age, with a little bit of wanderlust in their soul will have a very difficult time putting this book down. Can you imagine two lads 5 and 9 (I think this is close to their ages)walking to school today, much less from ocean to ocean on horseback...alone? Read about it...and read it to your kids and grandkids. For them to repeat this feat today would be more than a little difficult. But it certainly can teach them a little self reliance and independence...which can't hurt them at all!



5. I ordered this book last year for my school's library , and it has become a favorite with all who read it. It reveals a more innocent time when two young boys, ages five and nine traveled on horseback from their home in Indian Territory, Oklahoma to Santa Fe ,New Mexico. It is an amazing story of not only this advertureous ride, but several others. Bud and Me was written by the widow of Temple Abernathy (the Me of the title) based his stories and newspaper clippings from the time period. It is told from a first person perspective as the younger of the Abernathy boys recounts the dangers and adventures he and his brother faced as they traveled including sand storms,snakes,hail, bandits, and overzealous ladies. Mostly, it is a story of the goodness of the people who befriended the pair on their journey.

   Set in the early decades of this century, it is an enchanting and heartwarming story. Written in simple,yet descriptive prose,it depicts the wonder of the two brothers as they see America. I would recommend this book for anyone who loves history and adventure. It has proved to be a favorite for reading aloud in the classroom. Jane Sherwin, librarian, First Baptist Christian Academy

5 comments about When Character was King.

1. I thought I knew and understood Reagan. After reading this incredibly moving biography, I know now I did not but do now.
   
   Despite the bizarre comments of one recent reviewer, this is not a starry-eyed biography. This is a "warts and all" biography, with a frank assessment of "Iran Contra" and how Reagan was to blame and why. The comments to the contrary by the aforementioned reviewer are proof that he did not read that chapter or worse yet did not comprehend it.
   
   This is the only book I have ever read that repeatedly had me laughing out loud and then, in the next paragraph, weeping. This is a deeply moving book, whether you liked Reagan or not.
   
   Finally, I challenge anyone to read this book and not conclude that it is one of the five best biographies of anyone you have ever read. It is that good. Reagan was an American original. Peggy Noonan is possibly the most gifted writer of our era.
   
   Jack Thompson, Attorney, Miami, Florida



2. Product arrived on time , the book is a very good look at what shaped President Reagen. Recommended reading, great addition. Given that it's from an insider, admirer of the President, still very insightful.



3. Peggy Noonan clearly idolizes Ronald Reagan. She was, after all, his speech-writer, and it seems that she contunues to write his speeches even after his demise. So I didn't expect a "balanced" biography in this book. I looked at it only to get a grasp on the image of Reagan that seems likely to play a role in the upcoming presidential election. If you are interested in a balanced, judicious assessment, I strongly recommend the brief biography of Reagan by Jules Tygiel.
   
   Meanwhile, with the election in mind, I've also been reading "Hard Call" by Senator John McCain, the longest chapter of which eulogizes Reagan for his "foresight." It's no secret that Sen. McCain hopes to identify himself in people's eyes as a leader in the mold of Reagan; his whole book is an obvious imitation of JFK's "Profiles in Courage", a book that helped the young Kennedy reach the White House. Curiously, though McCain attributes every wisdom short of the Deity to Pres. Reagan, it's really Gorbachev whom he identifies as the visionary, the man who had the courage and craft to change the course of his country's future. Reagan, according to McCain, had nuclear disarmament in his grasp, in Iceland, yet threw the chance away by clinging to a naive and totally unforesightful notion of a science fiction shield against missiles, SDI, which McCain grudgingly acknowledges to have been "unrealistic." Reagan meant to be an agent of change - what Prof. Tygiel calls the Triumph of American Conservatism - while McCain clearly intends to be an agent of nostalgia for the days of the Great Communicator. Reagan made clear what he hoped for. Can anyone say the same of John McCain?
   
   The one major blotch on Reagan's Presidency was the Iran-Contra scandal. (Again the term comes from McCain.) And forthright discussion of that situation is the major weakness of Ms Noonan's portrayal of Pres. Reagan's character. She was an insider; perhaps it's too much to expect for an insider to tell the whole candid truth, but isn't that what most people would like to hear?



4. Peggy Noonan is incredible and this book provides one of the most personal, honest and insightful biographical studies written to date about one of America's greatest leaders.



5. Miss Noonan writes in a clear style about a subject that is clearly personal to her. This book goes into the mans core of what he believed & why. That is no small feat since President Reagan was an intensely private man. His character grew out of his own experiences & observations.
   
   The book starts with his humble origins, the problems his family faced moving from town to town because, his dad was an alcoholic. From there she takes the reader through his College years where he developed the habit of staying in shape, & then into his radio & acting days. Not surprisingly, after a time doing films for the military during WW2 he found his promising acting career had gone adrift.
   
   However, it was during this uncertain time that his interest in politics began. While President of the Screen Actors Guild, he learned how to negotiate with the tough studio heads, & saw some of his peers lured to Communism. Their secretive & subversive methods gave Mr.Reagan plenty of reason to pause. He spoke out, making numerous enemies in the process. Soon we go into his moving from films to television, which would lead him into Politics. This was when his core beliefs of less government, lower taxes, & his crusade against the spread of "world communism' came together. Once during a speech for Barry Goldwater he spoke of a "rendezvous with destiny" for those who would fight for our freedom: he asserted that the most important words in the Constitution are the ones that begin it: "WE THE PEOPLE..." It is soon clear that he felt strongly about states rights. He stated: "The Constitution they{the founding fathers} wrote established sovereign states, not mere administrative districts for the federal government. They believed in keeping government as close as possible to the people..."
   
   Miss Noonan then goes somewhat into his time in office, first as governor of California & then President. But, he was more than a politician. She delves into his self-deprecating humor{the "I forgot to duck, honey." reply he gave wife Nancy after he was shot by Hinckley} & the affection & high regard he had for the Secret Service agents who guarded him. All in all a very pleasant & informative read.

5 comments about The MESSENGERS CASSETTE: A True Story of Angelic Presence and the Return to the Age of Miracles.

1. Angels really do exist, but I probably never would have read this book had it not been for the fact that I too began to "notice" some oddly recurring numerical sequences about a year ago and then experienced various Angelic "occurrences" which are continuing to this very day!
   
   Then, some of my friends began to report some very "interesting" things. Being a professional reporter and editor for many years - Hearst, CBS and NBC affiliates, numerous other papers - and a College-Bowl (like "Jeopardy") All-Star player, and having some truly remarkable friends around the world, it did not take me long through research and personal contacts to find out that Angels were involved; and that's what led me to "The Messengers" which is the true story of a multi-millionaire Jewish businessman in Portland, Oregon named Nick Bunick who not only begins to "notice" the "Divine Numbers" but also has high-level business associates who also "notice" them and soon begin to encounter Angels.
   
   Yea, it was just like my deal, except Bunick and associates experienced a few things that, so far, have been even wilder than my own experiences. Wow!
   
   Among other things, Bunick, it turns out, also has been told by several psychics over the years, friends of friends, that he "walked with the Master Jesus" in a previous life. Well, old Nick, a tough but open-minded man, finally is "prompted" to visit another friend's past-life therapist just to see what happens. Remember, Bunick is a real-life, top-notch businessman who also is Jewish. He doesn't need money, he really doesn't want the publicity, and why would a modern-day Jewish entrepreneur want to stick his neck out for Jesus? What he does want are some answers to some very nagging questions. Something money can't always buy, so why not give hypnosis a try?
   
   Enter Julia Ingram who, over many sessions, finds that Nick Bunick not only walked with Jesus but was none other than Saul of Tarsus who later became known as "The Apostle Paul."
   
   Interestingly enough, I also have read "Sleeping Prophet" Edgar Cayce's "Story of Jesus" which was written long before "The Messengers," and information about Mary, Joseph, Jesus, Paul, and the Apostle Lucius provided by Cayce fully supports information about the same that is found in "The Messengers." The latter book, however, sheds a lot more positive light on Saul "Paul" and provides additional details about Jeshua "Jesus" and his ministry, contemporaries, and followers.
   
   I believe Nick Bunick deserves a lot of credit for having the curiosity, persistence, and courage to see this book through to completion; and I also applaud Julia Ingram, G. W. Hardin, and all the others who were part of the amazing story and/or contributed to the volume's success.
   
   To appreciate this book, one only must have some faith and an open mind, but it helps to be knowledgeable about Christianity and metaphysics (or at least the concept of reincarnation); and it really, really helps if the Angels start "prompting" you. Smile.



2. I admire the author of this book as I have been in her presence
   at a Women's retreat and am inspired by her and her book.



3. This is a book that I have owned for many years and I found that all the information written about remains a wonderful research book in understanding why we are all here.



4. Makes you aware of what's going on around you. There really are angels near to help and guide us - we only need to stop and listen.



5. a true revelation. g.w.hardin can certainly be classified as one of our chosen light workers on earth. this book certainly renews our faith in the angels. it was so captivating i couldn't put it down. thanks for the messages.

4 comments about IN ALL HIS GLORY.

1. There was little in life William Paley wanted and didn't get, with the notable exception of a laudatory and readable biography. Sally Bedell Smith performed half that service with "In All His Glory," published the same year Paley died (1990); you will be hard-pressed to find as juicy a book on a hundred more engaging personalities.
   
   Paley built a radio-television empire with CBS, "the Tiffany Network" known for its much-touted commitment to quality broadcasting. While acquiring markets and talents was Paley's contribution to CBS's glory, it was secondary by Bedell Smith's reckoning to his more material passions for lucre, women, and fame. He got most of what he wanted, but as we watch him on his deathbed, it's hard not to feel a Calvinistic twinge of regret for his limited vision.
   
   "Bill Paley wanted every last minute from life," Bedell Smith writes.
   
   It's about the most positive thing she has to say about Paley, who otherwise doesn't come off either as visionary or a leader. He failed to see the promise of innovations like television, color television, and the long-playing record, and had to be coaxed to letting his subordinates take up these and other ideas for building his empire. Then when they achieved success, Paley swooped in and took credit. "The convenient amnesia of the powerful," Bedell Smith calls it.
   
   Where Paley excelled was in the art of interpersonal relations, which contributed to some major deals for CBS and very few lonely evenings for Paley himself, even if his wives couldn't say the same.
   
   Bedell Smith writes an engaging story about Paley's years at CBS, but it is in recounting his social life where the book excels. Paley was born Jewish, and spent the rest of his life trying to pretend otherwise. Even as other Jews formed their own high-level Manhattan social circle, "Our Crowd, " Paley preferred to court the Mayflower set, a fast-dying clique of Long Island dinosaurs who imagined themselves better than the rest of mankind for the money they inherited.
   
   One British noblewoman who ran with this set described Paley as "100 percent Jew but looking more like good news from Tartary," nicely encapsulating the jaded, facile, anti-Semitic waters Paley willingly navigated.
   
   Readers looking for more of a history of CBS may be vaguely disappointed. Paley was seen as an "absentee landlord" by network insiders, leaning on Frank Stanton and other executives to run the shop while he globetrotted. Bedell Smith leaves the trail of the network for many long chapters at a stretch, to focus on Paley's marriages and affairs.
   
   The problem with this shows with her loving depiction of wife number two, Babe Cushing, a glamorous clotheshorse. Bedell Smith describes Babe's look and surroundings in overrich detail, at one point itemizing the contents of her closets for half a page. Bedell Smith obviously treasures Babe more than Paley himself ever did, an imbalance that threatens to lose the reader from time to time.
   
   But Babe is an interesting mirror to view Paley from, an empire builder in her own right who left nothing in the way of a legacy but gaudy baubles and mixed memories about what it all meant. As she lay dying of cancer, an unnamed intimate tells Bedell Smith: "She had not a glimmer of having a soul." It's a comment with more than religious meaning.
   
   For Paley, too, the world was all there was, and immortality something only worth having if he was around to enjoy it. He built an empire, only to hang on too long and preside over its crumbling, even facilitate it when his hand-picked successor failed to show him the proper deference. Ephemerality is the nature of mass media, and in that way at least, Paley proved its perfect embodiment.



2. This book is not only unremittingly malicious in tone,
   but well known as being inaccurate, sloppily put together,
   and a book whose author clearly had an agenda in depicting
   Paley as some kind of monster of evil. A bad book that
   leaves you feeling bad.



3. Author Sally Bedell Smith does her typically excellent job with IN ALL HIS GLORY, her biography of William Paley. Smith is known for her scholarship and her research, and it shows in this book.

   Like many self-made successful people, Paley led an interesting life. Smith chronicles his original involvement with the nascent television industry as his interest grew into the empire he built surrounding CBS.

   This is an important book for anyone interested in the development of that industry. As well, it is a fascinating peek into Paley's life. Here was a man who moved from the ghetto life of a child of 19th century European immigrants to becoming one of America's power elite. Once he was rich, he lived his life accordingly.

   His journey makes for fascinating reading.




4. This book has been out for as long as it has, and no reviews? It's been about five or six years since I've read it, but this volume is a must-read for anyone considering a career in broadcasting, or if you're interested in the building of a corporate empire.
   The book takes us from Paley's somewhat well-to-do background and takes us, in all his glory, (which the book's author uses sarcastically), from cigar maker to the head of one of the most powerful corporations in American history, what used to be CBS, Inc.
   The book doesn't necessarily portray Paley as a sympathetic character, but more of a small man who made it big. There's a heavy emphasis on the warts of the man, which may be somewhat understandable, since prior to this book's release, he was always presented as a man to be totally revered. But here he's portrayed as someone who likes to take credit for other's doings, as someone who plays petty head games with people such as Frank Stanton, and uses his on-air talent (Ed Murrow, for one) while it's convenient, and then when they're of no use to him anymore, casts them aside.
   Despite the type of man Paley is presented as, this book is a very good chronicle of his career, which means it also is one of the definitive books on the creation of CBS. No matter what his personal flaws were, this is a man who did the impossible by challenging NBC to create the even more successful CBS radio network and then dominated television for roughly 20 years. The building of that empire with the "talent raids" of Amos 'n' Andy, Jack Benny, and others is vital reading for anyone who is in the broadcasting industry. What's even more essential, however, is watching the ideas and motivations that took the Columbia Broadcasting System to CBS, Inc, and how it lost focus as it became a corporate behemoth.
   Paley's death came several years before Westinghouse, and then Viacom, would acquire CBS, and having read this book, you can only imagine what he would have thought about how that played out.
   One final note, while the book is lengthy, it's a breeze-through read. Once you get started, you won't put it down.

2 comments about The Last Man On the Moon.

1. I enjoyed Gene Cernan reading this book himself. Hearing his own descriptions of the wonder and beauty of space was wonderful.
   
   Perhaps I'm biased. He's a Chicago native, as I am, and hearing a regular Chicago guy expressing such wonder of his experiences is a real treat for me. A lot of personal identification with what he accomplished.
   
   As to the "politics" of NASA, I took it to mean that the astronauts were a really competitive bunch, which is the reality of the situation. At no point does Cernan accuse any of his fellow astronauts of dirty pool; the competition was intense but clean. Should this be a surprise?
   
   I was a little less impressed about his characterization of Wally Schirra as an insubordinate whiner. You could just as easily see Wally's actions as advocating for astronaut safety and well-being.
   
   Cernan's antipathy to Schirra is much like the way a manager feels about a union representative. And this should not be surprising; among all the celebrities Cernan counts as friends, at the forefront is Spiro and Judy Agnew. Well, we're known by the company we keep; Cernan must be a pretty conservative dude, politically.
   
   I do like, though, his forthright and blunt descriptive style. If you don't want to hear the straight stuff (and a little cussing, too), don't buy this book. On the other hand, if those traits enhance your enjoyment, you'll love this book. Either way, it adds something important to the history and literature of space exploration.



2. My chief complaint with this book on tape is that it is read poorly, probably by the author. Although Moon Shot by Alan Shepard and Deke Slayton was panned in Amazon reviews, I very much enjoyed the book on tape version because a professional actor did the reading. Cernan's book on tape could have benefited immensely from an actor, too.

   I found myself wondering how much co-author Don Davis helped Cernan with the descriptive language and thought it was a waste that Cernan (if he was the reader) couldn't do justice to the words.

   As for content, Cernan relies too much on cliches, and I tend to agree with the reviewer who said Cernan writes too much about the internal politics of mission assignment.

   However, his account of his first marriage made me wonder how much he wasn't telling. At first he seems to go out of his way to explain that other astronauts cheated on their wives, but he did not. His marriage was sound. Later in the book we hear how he spends too little time with his family. And at the end he tells us they got divorced four years after he left NASA. He, of course, got remarried and had two more children. Sounds like just another guy who traded in his faithful wife of the same age on a younger model. I ended up feeling sorry for Barbara.

No comments about Noel Coward (BBC Radio Collection).

No comments about Letters Of Love And Sensibility (Classic Books on Cassettes Collection).