Mercury rising John Glenn, John Kennedy, and the new battleground of the Cold War

In the 1950s, America was jolted out of its complacency about NASA by the Soviet Union's successful launch of the first orbital satellite, Sputnik. The harsh realization that the U.S. was losing the space race galvanized support, both political and public, for what had been up until then a lackluster program. Shesol chronicles the early days of the space program with a historian's attention to detail and a novelist's flair for interesting storytelling. Given how successful NASA is today, most people don't realize what a disaster the space program was in the beginning, with more rockets blowing up on the pad than being launched. The story of how (and why) NASA so quickly got its act together is fascinating, as is the parallel story of the original seven Mercury astronauts, especially John Glenn, who were considered virtual superheroes at the time. The success of Glenn's mission, to riotous acclaim for the agency but especially for the man, kick-started America's space program into high gear and set it on the path to the moon.

Historian Shesol (Supreme Power: Franklin Roosevelt vs. The Supreme Court) recreates in this entertaining and deeply researched account the early days of the U.S. space program, culminating with astronaut John Glenn becoming the first American to orbit Earth in February 1962. Shesol sketches Glenn's childhood in New Concord, Ohio; service as a fighter pilot in WWII and Korea; and breaking of the transcontinental speed record in 1957. One of seven "astronaut volunteers" selected for Project Mercury, Glenn served as backup to Alan Shepard and Gus Grissom for the first suborbital flights before being picked for the Friendship 7 mission to orbit Earth. Shesol provides plenty of historical and political context, including the Soviet Union's early lead in the space race, the Bay of Pigs, and escalating tensions in Berlin and Southeast Asia, but the book achieves liftoff in its extended depiction of Glenn's nearly five-hour flight, vividly recreating his perspective ("As the sun began to set, it seemed to flatten into the horizon, almost to melt, pooling liquid light across the curve of the Earth") and documenting fears that a technical issue would cause his capsule to burn up on reentry into the atmosphere. Readers will savor the hair-raising ride. (June)

A gripping, exhaustively detailed chronicle of America's initial sprint in the space race seen through the eyes of the first American to orbit the Earth. Feb. 20, 1962, was the climax of John Glenn's storied career as a decorated Marine fighter pilot, astronaut, and, later, senator from Ohio. His journey to the Friendship 7 spacecraft from New Concord--"a town that defined him but threatened to trap him"--serves an apt representation of the mythic American dream. In his latest, historian Shesol, a former speechwriter for Bill Clinton, relates how Glenn got there by navigating the politics of a young world power populated by experienced generals (Dwight Eisenhower), political operators (Lyndon Johnson), young Turks (the Kennedys), and cautious NASA administrators (T. Keith Glennan and James Webb) and bureaucrats caught up in the Cold War and a space race that was often less about science than "the outward projection of power" and "a reflection of the American character." Similar to his first two books, Mutual Contempt: Lyndon Johnson, Robert Kennedy, and the Feud That Defined a Decade (1998) and Supreme Power: Franklin Roosevelt vs. The Supreme Court (2010), this one is steeped in historical detail that enlivens the major politicians and the first cohort of NASA astronauts, clearly illustrating how they all both shaped and responded to an American society in transition. The author makes a compelling case that Glenn was a central figure in this transition, noting how his combination of arrogance, drive, and down-home folksiness made him a "flesh-and-blood" example of American ideals. Though Shesol could have tightened the narrative by shaving around 100 pages, this is a welcome retelling of a significant piece of the Cold War saga and the opening of the space frontier. A good choice for readers interested in the Cold War, the space race, and the 1960s American political landscape. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.