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[i]"Mercury Rising: John Glenn, John Kennedy, and the New Battleground of the Cold War" is a book worthy of the centenary. John Glenn's life story — Marine aviator, war hero, astronaut, Senator, Presidential candidate — has been so picked over that there may be little new to say. What can be done, however, is to evaluate in new ways, and tell a damn good story while doing so. This book excels at both...[/i]
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T O P I C R E V I E WRobert PearlmanMercury Rising: John Glenn, John Kennedy, and the New Battleground of the Cold War by Jeff Shesol If the United States couldn't catch up to the Soviets in space, how could it compete with them on Earth? That was the question facing John F. Kennedy at the height of the Cold War ― a moment when the Soviet Union built the wall in Berlin, tested nuclear bombs more destructive than any in history, and beat the US to every major milestone in space. The race to the heavens seemed a race for survival ― and America was losing.When John Glenn blasted into orbit on February 20, 1962, his mission was greater than circling Earth; it was to calm the fears of the free world and renew America's sense of self-belief. Mercury Rising re-creates the sense of tension to a flight that riveted the world. Drawing on new sources, interviews, and Glenn's personal notes, Mercury Rising shows how the astronaut's heroics lifted the nation's hopes in what Kennedy called the "hour of maximum danger." HardcoverW.W. Norton & Company (June 1, 2021)ISBN-10: 1324003243ISBN-13: 978-1324003243FFrenchMy review of this forthcoming book. "Mercury Rising: John Glenn, John Kennedy, and the New Battleground of the Cold War" is a book worthy of the centenary. John Glenn's life story — Marine aviator, war hero, astronaut, Senator, Presidential candidate — has been so picked over that there may be little new to say. What can be done, however, is to evaluate in new ways, and tell a damn good story while doing so. This book excels at both...KC StoeverFrancis has written a fine review, linked above, of Jeff Shesol's epic Mercury Rising. He notes that many books have been written about John Glenn and the flight of Friendship 7. He is too kind to say that most of them forgettable, books that merely revisit cliché. None in fact has proved equal to the personalities and the events—not even Glenn's own memoir. Yes, NASA's "This New Ocean" has a solid institutional account, Wolfe's "The Right Stuff" is unforgettably Gonzo and thrillingly true. But "Mercury Rising" gives hero-weary readers much more, reminding us why this 1962 cold war triumph still matters. Shesol accomplishes this with precision, humanity, and sharp intelligence. Buy the book. Read the book. dss65My goodness, Ms. Stoever, that is quite a recommendation from a uniquely credible source. I believe you have sold me on the book!FFrenchThis may be the first time I have ever been called too kind...
If the United States couldn't catch up to the Soviets in space, how could it compete with them on Earth? That was the question facing John F. Kennedy at the height of the Cold War ― a moment when the Soviet Union built the wall in Berlin, tested nuclear bombs more destructive than any in history, and beat the US to every major milestone in space. The race to the heavens seemed a race for survival ― and America was losing.When John Glenn blasted into orbit on February 20, 1962, his mission was greater than circling Earth; it was to calm the fears of the free world and renew America's sense of self-belief. Mercury Rising re-creates the sense of tension to a flight that riveted the world. Drawing on new sources, interviews, and Glenn's personal notes, Mercury Rising shows how the astronaut's heroics lifted the nation's hopes in what Kennedy called the "hour of maximum danger."
When John Glenn blasted into orbit on February 20, 1962, his mission was greater than circling Earth; it was to calm the fears of the free world and renew America's sense of self-belief. Mercury Rising re-creates the sense of tension to a flight that riveted the world. Drawing on new sources, interviews, and Glenn's personal notes, Mercury Rising shows how the astronaut's heroics lifted the nation's hopes in what Kennedy called the "hour of maximum danger."
"Mercury Rising: John Glenn, John Kennedy, and the New Battleground of the Cold War" is a book worthy of the centenary. John Glenn's life story — Marine aviator, war hero, astronaut, Senator, Presidential candidate — has been so picked over that there may be little new to say. What can be done, however, is to evaluate in new ways, and tell a damn good story while doing so. This book excels at both...
Yes, NASA's "This New Ocean" has a solid institutional account, Wolfe's "The Right Stuff" is unforgettably Gonzo and thrillingly true.
But "Mercury Rising" gives hero-weary readers much more, reminding us why this 1962 cold war triumph still matters. Shesol accomplishes this with precision, humanity, and sharp intelligence. Buy the book. Read the book.
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