Kevin Cook (1) (1956–)

Most accounts I've read of the Challenger disaster have focused primarily on the engineering and management issues behind it. This volume covers those things adequately, if in somewhat less detail, but focuses mainly on the shuttle's crew, particularly Christa McAuliffe, and on the larger context of the mission. It does this very well, in informative and engaging fashion. It also made me cry repeatedly, which, I admit, is probably a given when it comes to this particular topic. Thirty-five show more years later, and I somehow haven't gotten any less emotional over it than the day it happened. But there is a bittersweetness to some of the tears, as I kept finding myself feeling inspired and excited by the thought of what these brave people were trying to accomplish with their lives, even through the sadness of knowing how it would all end for them.

Definitely recommended for anyone interested in the topic.

Rating: 4.5/5, although I admit that extra half-star might say more about my own responses than about the book itself. show less

Started reading this at lunchtime today and couldn't put it down. It is simply fantastic. While the author provides a great inning-by-inning account of the extraordinary 23-22 game that took place on a windy day in Chicago's Wrigley Field, it is his delving into so many other stories that makes the book so great. First, we get amusing histories of the futility of both franchises over the years. Cook also provides insights into the personalities of many of the major players that day, such as show more the Phillies' Bob Boone, Pete Rose, and Tug McGraw and the Cubs' Bill Buckner and Dave Kingman. The saddest story, of course, is Cubs' pitcher Donnie Moore, still struggling to find the stardom that he would briefly achieve, before a tragic ending that narrowly avoided being even worse. Baseball was on the brink, as the author says; salaries were soaring--but the steroid era hadn't quite arrived yet, and the players were normal size men, who still practiced lesser vices, such as popping too many pills and drinking too much. Cook has done a wonderful job of putting it all together into a book that, for a moment at least, made me care about baseball again. show less

If someone asked, you probably couldn't remember where you were on January 28th, 1986, but if the question was phrased a little differently I know you can: "Where were you when NASA's space shuttle Challenger exploded?" Say the name Christa McAuliffe and everyone knows her name.
As outsiders witness to the unforgettable horror, we all have preconceived notions of what really happened that day. Cook takes the Challenger tragedy and puts a face to all who were impacted. Christa and her fellow show more space travelers were not the only souls lost on 1986's twenty-eighth day. It is obvious from the level of personal detail, Cook researched the entire event very carefully and was extremely thorough. It is a well-told tale.
In truth, I had a hard time reading it. Just knowing every chapter would take me closer to the time of McAuliffe's demise made it hard to continue.
An added eeriness to McAuliffe's story is just how often the dangers were alluded to as she trained for the event. It was if there were signs trying to tell her not to join the launch. show less

Kevin Cook’s The Burning Blue: The Untold Story of Christa McAuliffe and NASA’s Challenger Disaster is a compelling look at that ill-fated Space Shuttle mission that took the lives of seven astronauts, including Christa McAuliffe, the first Teacher in Space, on January 28, 1986. The author begins with the backstory and personality profiles of the astronauts, with particular focus on McAuliffe, a schoolteacher from Concord, New Hampshire, who was selected for the mission from a nationwide show more competition. The narrative seamlessly moves to the extensive flight training and preparation, and then to the shocking disaster itself and its aftermath of investigations and recriminations. I’m pretty sure there’s not too much in here that can be considered “untold” (except for the author’s largely speculative account of the astronauts’ final moments), as I’ve heard or read the keys facts and findings before. Nevertheless, the book is laudable as it ably synthesizes the heartbreaking story of Christa McAuliffe with the exposé of NASA’s critical errors and flawed decision making that led directly to the tragedy. show less