Or, how testosterone rules America.
Funny read, with this reserve.
It looks, indeed, that the Russians managed to go to space without all this macho bragging. On the other hand, you must be a bit bonkers to strap yourself to a barrel of powder and blow yourself up into space, so I'll cut some slack to Tom Wolfe for writing this teenage wanker's epic tale. ( )

DNF. Although I am very interested in the subject matter of this book, Tom Wolfe's writing style was beyond aggravating. I got about 1/3 of the way through before giving up.

Mom had this years ago, but I haven't found it among her books. We both read it multiple times (and saw the movie based on the book). She and I had different experiences of the book: Mom had followed news of the space program from the beginning, but I was an infant when Project Mercury was getting started. So Mom knew the gist of this history, which much of it was new to me. Nevertheless, we both loved it.

This is a behind-the-scenes look at NASA's early space program, with stories that weren't made public at the time. Some of it is surprisingly funny (and the movie plays up the humorous side), but it is entirely in earnest. The astronauts were not the squeaky-clean heroes they were made out to be, and yet the multiple failures of test rockets made their participation in the program even more courageous.

If you like your NASA mythology unsullied, this isn't the book for you; but if you want a story that is even more interesting than was portrayed in the media at the time, this is it. ( )

Having just about got over I Am Charlotte Simmons, I wanted to remind myself why Tom Wolfe was once considered an important writer. And my faith was restored. While his style is still a little too jarring with its vernacular stylings, here it is put to good use. Wolfe does a brilliant job of conveying the culture of elite military pilots. Having established the fighter-jock spirit he shows how it was undermined in the early days of the space programme, and then how it was gradually restored so that astronaut became the new pinnacle to which a pilot could aspire. A fascinating and detailed story, with naturally huge and over-the-top characters, suitably voiced by a naturally huge and over-the-top writer.

(Interesting to see that Wolfe was using his the frankly disturbing phrase "loamy loins" - scattered rather too liberally through I Am Charlotte Simmons - as early as The Right Stuff. Try not to let that put you off.)
( )

What is it that astronauts possess that makes them want to put their push their bodies to the limit and put their lives at risk? Is it courage? Bravery? A sense of adventure? Or is it patriotism? Author Tom Wolfe takes a look at this topic as he explores just what it was that the original astronauts had that set them apart from everyone else.

The Bottom Line: Although lengthy and detailed, this book gives the reader a look back in time when the American space program was young. With the technology we have today, it's easy to forget how different things were at that time. Recommended for readers interested in aviation, space, and biography.

For the complete review including Book Club Notes, please visit the Mini Book Bytes Book Review Blog. ( )