Dan

This book is strange and not in a good way

Reviewed: 02-05-25

First of all, Buzz Aldrin’s name on the cover is misspelled. It’s “Aldrin” NOT “Aldren”… And, after reading the book I wonder if the misspelling wad deliberate — perhaps an attempt by the author to avoid a defamation of character lawsuit by the astronaut. The book makes the astonishing claim that “Buzz Aldren”, during his moonwalk, found an underground structure on the moon built by an advanced, alien civilization. It does not say WHEN in the moonwalk Armstrong and “Aldren” encountered this structure, where the structure was — in relation to the lunar module, whether they even ATTEMPTED to photograph it with their excellent 70mm hassleblad camera, or even address the question of whether NASA attempted to suppress the release of the photos after they got back to earth. None of these critical issues seems to have struck the author as worthy if addressing. Nor does he address the fact that Armstrong and “Aldren” somehow immediately entered an immediate conspiracy of silence after making this awesome discovery. Remember, they were standing in the vacuum of the moon when they supposedly stumbled upon a structure made by an advanced, non-human civilization— and the only way they had to communicate with each other was over a live, and very public, radio channel. The book claims armstrong switched to a private medical radio channel to report the finding, but i doubt this kind of private medical channel was available to the astronauts and during an EVA outside the spacecraft. Remember, Armstrong died in 2012 and so cannot sue for defamation of character.This book is pure nonsense and an utter waste of the reader’s time. Audible offers it for free and even so, it’s overpriced. I strongly recommend that you do not waste your time with it, as I unfortunately did.

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Brooks Is Always Worth Listening To

Reviewed: 01-29-24

Whenever David Brooks and Mark Shields “argued” on television, what always came across was their deep respect and fondness for one another. This book conveys that decency and humanity of Brooks and even speaks briefly of Shields not as a political opponent — but a beloved friend. Brooks’s delivery is a bit maddeningly understated in this book — but I still enjoy it immensely when the author reads his own work. This — and another book I read on Audible, “4000 Weeks” are two of the best books you can read about what it is to be a human being who tries to create meaning in his life

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Very thorough…

Reviewed: 10-21-23

… And told from a unique angle. This book shows that those of us who second-guess the awful dropping of two atomic bombs on Japan are hopelessly naive. Even Thomas gives a soul to leaders on both sides of the conflict. And Robert Fass gives a dignified narration worthy of this serious and excellent book.

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I like Fred Haise’s story..

Reviewed: 06-09-23

… Especially his account of lunar module development, and of course, the Apollo 13 accident… But it drives me a little crazy when narrators get aerospace terms, wrong… I don’t mean to be nitpicky… It was a fine narration, but at one point the narrator says “altitude“ when the context of the sentence clearly indicated to me that the author had written “attitude”. The “altitude” and “attitude” of a spacecraft are entirely different things… And it just kind of makes me shake my head when mistakes like that are made in a book that is clearly designed for a fairly sophisticated aerospace audience.

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Terrific story, well told, with newly revealed facts

Reviewed: 11-30-22

Who knew that John Glenn was, himself, inadvertently responsible for the attitude-hold problems of “Freedom 7’s” Autopilot? Nevertheless, he emerges from this book the hero that he was and will always be.

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Unique perspective

Reviewed: 06-10-19

This book provides a sort of test pilot’s analysis of what it’s like to land on the moon… The last several chapters encompass the Apollo 11- through 17 landings — and are particularly interesting.

In addition, this is one of the few audiobooks in which the narrator correctly pronounces all of the names of the era – – and all of the acronyms correctly.

I recommend it highly for manned space enthusiasts

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5 people found this helpful

Another Splendid Book from a Great Author

Reviewed: 07-21-17

Simon Winchester writes books like no author I have ever read. He can take a word, like "Pacific" or "Atlantic" and weave it in to the grand story that you never knew, and feel you ought to have known. His intellectual powers are prodigious, yet he is a man with a soul -- as the moving ending to this book, on a forlorn and forgotten beach -- amply demonstrates. Best of all this audiobook is actually read by the author. No actor could give more power to words which Winchester researched and lived.

Winchester writes in the finest traditions of the best authors I have ever read, people like Andrew Chaiken, Richard Rhodes and Norman Mailer -- who know that melodrama is no substitute for exhaustive research. I highly recommend this, and every other Winchester book I have ever read: "Krakatoa", "Pacific" and "A Crack in the Edge of the World". I intend to read his others. Sincerely, Dan Fiorucci Odessa, TX. July 2017

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Among The Best Books You'll Ever Read

Reviewed: 05-30-09

This is one of the most extraordinary books I've ever read.

From its horrifying opening scene -- which illustrates the utter brutality of the Mujahideen (with whom America allied itself in order to beat the Russians)... To its "everyman" Congressman... who somehow manages to become the almost sole sponsor of America's largest covert war... author George Crile paints a portrait which reads almost like a novel in the richness of its characters.

By the end of of this masterpiece, you just can't make up your mind whether Representative Charlie Wilson is a hero, or a loveable scoundrel.

The book's closing scene... from the porch of Wilson's condo, overlooking the Pentagon -- is just as unsettling as its opening. ... And it leaves you wondering... Did Charlie Wilson -- and his CIA associates -- save us from the Commies... or did they unwittingly set us down a path to an even more horrifying conflict?

It also poses the question, how on earth can a single Congressman -- from an obscure district in Texas -- set this country down such a momentous path with no one in America really noticing?

Even now -- 3 years after I finished this fabulous book -- I'm not quite sure of the answers.

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3 people found this helpful