Donovan combines his masterful research skills and narrative gifts in recounting the full story of the most famous Apollo trip ... In the often gripping chapters on Apollo 11, Donovan reveals many colorful details about behind-the-scenes pressures ... Drawing on dozens of interviews with the era’s engineers and scientists, Donovan’s history is a powerfully written and irresistible celebration of the Apollo missions.
Without being prurient, Mr. Donovan slips behind the shiny curtain of astronaut perfection to portray the men as they really were ... Mr. Donovan saves the best for last—a meticulous, almost minute-by-minute re-creation of Apollo 11’s round trip to the moon, especially the landing and the 21/4 hours that Armstrong and Mr. Aldrin spent on the surface.
Donovan concentrates on the men who made the unprecedented journey. The Apollo 11 astronauts come to life in his vividly readable pages, and each is a vigorously drawn personality, despite what our author notes is, well, a certain sameness in the crew.
Donovan succinctly relates the major milestones of the space race ... Exceptionally researched, this exciting, sometimes harrowing book highlights the work not only of the pioneering astronauts but also of thousands of technicians and engineers. This is a perfect volume to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first lunar landing and all that led up to it.
