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byslantedlight, I've decided to start posting the books I've read. I already do on Goodreads, but I thought here would be an appropriate place for the information, too. I'm hoping that by doing so, my commenting will improve. *g*
I'm not going back to cover what I've already read this year, but starting with the book I finished last night.
Starman: The Truth Behind the Legend of Yuri Gagarin
"On April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first person in history to leave the Earth's atmosphere and venture into space. His flight aboard a Russian Vostok rocket lasted only 108 minutes, but at the end of it he had become the most famous man in the world. Back on the ground, his smiling face captured the hearts of millions around the globe. Film stars, politicians and pop stars from Europe to Japan, India to the United States vied with each other to shake his hand.
Despite this immense fame, almost nothing is known about Gagarin or the exceptional people behind his dramatic space flight. Starman tells for the first time Gagarin's personal odyssey from peasant to international icon, his subsequent decline as his personal life began to disintegrate under the pressures of fame, and his final disillusionment with the Russian state. President Kennedy's quest to put an American on the Moon was a direct reaction to Gagarin's achievement--yet before that successful moonshot occurred, Gagarin himself was dead, aged just thirty-four, killed in a mysterious air crash. Publicly the Soviet hierarchy mourned; privately their sighs of relief were almost audible, and the KGB report into his death remains secret.
Entwined with Gagarin's history is that of the breathtaking and highly secretive Russian space program - its technological daring, its triumphs and disasters. In a gripping account, Jamie Doran and Piers Bizony reveal the astonishing world behind the scenes of the first great space spectacular, and how Gagarin's flight came frighteningly close to destruction."
Given its subject, I was hoping for an in depth look into the life of this courageous and fascinating man. Unfortunately, while the book is informative, I kept feeling as if I was reading a book written for young adults. The writer's style is very simplistic, as if he's writing down to his audience. Yet there are some quite graphic descriptions of the death of Gagagin, himself, as well as Vladimir Komarov's, a fellow cosmonaut.
I was looking forward to reading the book, because, like everyone else, I knew of Yuri Gagarin, but knew little about him. There are several other books about the man, including his own Road to the Stars. I know I'll be looking into at least a couple of them soon.
Still, much thanks toeldritchhobbit for pointing me toward the book.
byslantedlight, I've decided to start posting the books I've read. I already do on Goodreads, but I thought here would be an appropriate place for the information, too. I'm hoping that by doing so, my commenting will improve. *g*I'm not going back to cover what I've already read this year, but starting with the book I finished last night.
"On April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first person in history to leave the Earth's atmosphere and venture into space. His flight aboard a Russian Vostok rocket lasted only 108 minutes, but at the end of it he had become the most famous man in the world. Back on the ground, his smiling face captured the hearts of millions around the globe. Film stars, politicians and pop stars from Europe to Japan, India to the United States vied with each other to shake his hand.
Despite this immense fame, almost nothing is known about Gagarin or the exceptional people behind his dramatic space flight. Starman tells for the first time Gagarin's personal odyssey from peasant to international icon, his subsequent decline as his personal life began to disintegrate under the pressures of fame, and his final disillusionment with the Russian state. President Kennedy's quest to put an American on the Moon was a direct reaction to Gagarin's achievement--yet before that successful moonshot occurred, Gagarin himself was dead, aged just thirty-four, killed in a mysterious air crash. Publicly the Soviet hierarchy mourned; privately their sighs of relief were almost audible, and the KGB report into his death remains secret.
Entwined with Gagarin's history is that of the breathtaking and highly secretive Russian space program - its technological daring, its triumphs and disasters. In a gripping account, Jamie Doran and Piers Bizony reveal the astonishing world behind the scenes of the first great space spectacular, and how Gagarin's flight came frighteningly close to destruction."
Given its subject, I was hoping for an in depth look into the life of this courageous and fascinating man. Unfortunately, while the book is informative, I kept feeling as if I was reading a book written for young adults. The writer's style is very simplistic, as if he's writing down to his audience. Yet there are some quite graphic descriptions of the death of Gagagin, himself, as well as Vladimir Komarov's, a fellow cosmonaut.
I was looking forward to reading the book, because, like everyone else, I knew of Yuri Gagarin, but knew little about him. There are several other books about the man, including his own Road to the Stars. I know I'll be looking into at least a couple of them soon.
Still, much thanks to
eldritchhobbit for pointing me toward the book.
