The Right Stuff

Arguably the greatest American achievement, and certainly the greatest achievement of the last century, the conquest of gravity, our expedition into the Final Frontier, and our moon landing set us apart from the rest of the world throughout all of history.  The Heavens were finally put on an equal stage with the Earth.  However, space was not so easily reached.  It took more than just the Wright Brothers' endeavors in Kitty Hawk or Chuck Yeager's domination of the Sound barrier to pop space's cherry.  It was the collaboration of great minds and men; of science and state; of ambition and ability.  While not the first to suckle at space's teat, we were the ones who finally bedded the fair maiden with Neil Armstrong's fateful first steps onto the moon.  While certainly the most famous of our expeditions, Neil's (rest in peace) was not the first.  The Right Stuff, written by Tom Wolfe is the compelling story of the men that preceded Armstrong and Aldrin and what they went through to place the Apollo 11 mission in the annals of human accomplishment.  This book spins the tale of men such as John Glenn and Alan Shepard and other astronauts whose trials in entering space led to America's victory in the Space Race.

Tom Wolfe is no scientist and he makes that perfectly clear in his book.  The book isn't about the physics behind space and getting into space.  It's about the Space Race and the lives of the men behind it.  The book was published in 1979, ten years after the initial moon landing.  During a time of strife in America  Stagflation had our economy in a vice and the cold war had now been dragging on for over 30 years.  Morale was down after a devastating defeat in Vietnam and increased foreign engagement in Afghanistan.  Nuclear tensions, while not at a record high, were enough to convince the populace that the end could really be nigh.  Wolfe inspires a sense of hope in his book by appealing with bathos.  Reminding people that America hadn't lost its greatness, Wolfe uses the trials that these men faced as a lesson of what to do when combating the impossible and the strange.  Utilizing first hand information gained from interviews with Chuck Yeager and others, Wolfe crafts a book that ties in the politics and the humanity behind the decisions made in the this saga.
The Right Stuff was written for the average American, to show them that any ordinary man can become extraordinary in the right circumstances.  Inspiring in tone, the book compels readers to follow their childish dreams of one day becoming an astronaut.  Truly a delight to read, The Right Stuff fulfilled its purpose, to inspire and to teach so that one day the reader can do something great.  This book fully earns its ten dead cosmonauts out of ten dead cosmonauts rating.  Anyone who wants a revitalization of American spirit should read this book.