Craig Nelson (1) (1955–)

"Feeling weightless...it's...a feeling of pride, of healthy solitude, of dignified freedom from everything that's dirty, sticky. You think well, you move well, without sweat, without difficulty, as if the biblical curse 'In the sweat of thy face and in sorrow' no longer exists. As if you've been born again... You can love the earth with all the love in the world; returning is regret, is sorrow."
- Wally Schirra

Obstensibly a biopic about the three astronauts who flew the Apollo 11 mission, show more Rocket Men actually casts a much larger net. With a field-trip into the history of rockets and a historical perspective on the Space Race in general, there are times you wonder if Nelson is ever going to talk about Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins at all. Not that I didn't find these passages interesting, I did, but I just wasn't expecting them.

Nelson freely quotes large passages from dozens of individuals throughout the book but sometimes his own clever scene-setting shines through.

These were the MOCRs, Mission Operations Control Rooms, where Mission Control did its work, modern caves of industrious silence, blinding fluorescence, and the reverberant odors of pizza, smoldering ashtrays, burned-to-the-bowl coffee, and greasy Mexican takeout.

I've read several books on the Space Race and seeing it linked to the Cold War is nothing new, but I was impressed by the way Nelson laid down the groundwork to explain the how and why. He sums it up so nicely:

Perhaps the most important reason for going to the Moon, then, is that the Space Race kept the Cold War cold.

There is quite a discussion about Sputnik, a good backgrounder on the fear and speculation of what Russia could do during those fly-overs that drove our side of the Race. And even though some would not agree with it, I thought this quote was a really interesting perspective.

"The Soviet Union, in the eyes of the world, had suddenly become a genuine superpower, not just a backward and brutish empire to be feared because of its sheer size, territorial ambitions, and aggressive technology, but a true and equal rival of the United States, a beacon of progress that deserved respect for it's technological prowess and forward thinking. Moscow, for once, held the high moral ground to this new phase of the contest, because Sputnik, as opposed to Hiroshima, could be touted as a purely peaceful and scientific achievement." Sputnik historian Matthew Brzezinski

I also learned that quite early on, President Kennedy had asked Khruschev to end the Space Race and instead launch joint missions between the USA and USSR. He asked more than once, actually. Nelson makes a good point:

If Kennedy had indeed served out his terms as president, would he have ultimately succeeded in ending the Space Race, which after his death, would be run, in great measure, in his name, and on behalf of his legacy.

Nelson also uses snips of interviews and remembrances to humanize the three men, to let their quirks show through and chip away at the "gloss" that was shellacked on them by the press at the time.

"I remember one day picking up a copy of Life magazine with a story on us in it...I remember reading the story and thinking, 'if only it was like that.' Here were all the happy contented wives and children smiling out from happy backyards with husbands standing proudly by. Well, the fact is that the husband probably flew halfway across the country to pose for the picture, the kids were half-strangers to him.... My kids had been forced to reconcile...the father they saw on television with the one they saw at home... often inattentive, tired, and asleep on the den sofa by nine o'clock." - Buzz Aldrin

And then Nelson gives us nearly a blow-by-blow of the Apollo 11 mission. There are some really interesting moments here.

"We'd watched hundreds of landings in simulation, and they're very real, and on this particular one, the real one, Buzz Aldrin called out 'We've got dust now' and we'd never heard that before. You know, it's one of those, 'Oh, this is the real thing, isn't it. My God, this is the real thing." -Jack Garman

I enjoyed Rocket Men and I'd definitely recommend it for anyone wanting perspective on the Space Race or just interested in the Apollo program. Enjoy! show less

A well written, thoroughly researched biography of the Englishman turned American turned Frenchmen that was involved in two revolutions over the course of his career. The author does not write a hagiography, showing Paine with flaws, both real and perceived, since some of them are things that were made up about him by his detractors. Nor is it a hatchet job, like the early biographies (and some later ones). He is at pains to show the reader what is known, because he wants to write a show more comprehensive, honest biography of a man he obviously admires. The egotism displayed by the revolutionary writer is on display frequently, and even his friends often note that, so it is very likely not made up, and there are few attempts by anyone to correct that impression. Other things are sometimes more in dispute, and also there are things where we just can't be sure, separated by more than two centuries from the subject. A lot of writings about Paine were destroyed by people who hated him, and a lot of his original writings in his own hand were also destroyed, which leads to a certain amount of gray in his life story. There is an abundant correspondence available, however, to help piece together what was happening when. My main complaint is that there were a couple of places where the author left things out that would be useful to enhance understanding. For instance, one thing that is clear throughout is that Paine never made much money, was often destitute, and turned most of his earnings from his writings over to the revolution for their good. Yet when he dies, the legacy he leaves behind is substantial. Where did the money come from? Was it there all along, or was there some place where he finally started earning something? And the mention of his taking care of Bonneville's wife and children, and helping raise the children, just sort of happens. We hear that they came to America, then we hear that Paine is now responsible for a family. Why? What made him feel like he needed to see to them for the rest of his life? The explanations could be quite simple, but it would be nice to understand that aspect of the man. show less

I wanted badly to like this book. It's about the nerdiest of nerds, guys who literally wore pocket protectors and carried around slide rules, and yet managed to land a dozen human beings on a rock floating through space.

Never has the use of precisely controlled unfathomably large explosions to propel a massive vehicle into the heavens managed to seem so boring. I get that the vast majority of the guys you're talking to were the engineers whose professional lives definitely peaked when they show more launched dudes into space, but that's where you, as the writer, are supposed to work your magic. Even oral histories tend to use editing to make things seem connected, and make sense, and maybe even work out a logical structure, please?

But no. There's a common format for works about monumental events: You start right around the most exciting time, then leave the reader hanging on a pivotal moment as you circle back and start at the beginning. The thought, I suppose, is to hook the reader's interest so you can explain what led up to it (ignoring the fact that the personal already bought a multiple-hundred-page book about the topic). In this case, the author liked it so much he used it twice: We start a few months out and tiptoe right up to the Apollo 11 launch ... then we back up to the beginning of the Apollo 11 program, when it looks like it might not launch at all. Then, after we get about to where we started ... we back up to the entire history of rocketry and missiles.
If it sounds confusing and disjointed, that's because it is.

But it's not the only issue. From ninth-grade essays up to the latest historical monographs, the best writing tends to be done by those with a passionate interest in the topic. Which makes total sense! Frankly, if you're pounding out a couple hundred pages on a topic that bores you to death, it's unlikely anyone is going to derive any enjoyment from reading it (see: Every primary/secondary education textbook ever).

But there's a distinction you have to draw between interest and advocation when you're writing objectively: In the same way I don't 100 percent trust everything Fox News or the Huffington Post says without third-party verification, I'm also gonna need a little bit more background before I swallow the entirety of Winston Churchill's History of English-Speaking Peoples (spoiler alert: The British come off pretty good in it).

Rocket Men Author Craig Nelson is a homer of the highest order who, if he doesn't actuallly believe it himself, let the astronauts and people deeply involved with the space program inform too much of the narrative thrust of the book.

To be clear, I think the Apollo program (which is mostly what this book chronicles) was a masterful effort of technology, government, politics, engineering and human spirit. Landing on the moon is probably the most significant event for the human species to date. But that doesn't necessarily mean that we should be spending trillions of dollars to put a man on Mars, and I resent the implication that questioning that notion makes me unpatriotic or terminally short-sighted.

I really do think it's unfortunate. There are great stories, anecdotes and personalities on display throughout Rocket Men, and the author clearly did an enormous amount of research bringing it all together. I just wish he would have focused a little bit more effort on the writing part, too. show less

Journalist account of Apollo 11 moon landing published in 2009 on the 40th anniversary. At least half the book is a history of NASA from WWII to 1969 which was very interesting since it's mostly new to me. It needed more editorial and re-writes but was probably pushed through for the anniversary. Still I learned a lot and don't regret reading it, there is a lot condensed here, as another reviewer put it "NASA's greatest hits."