Rocket Men

Praise

“With Rocket Men, Robert Kurson tells the tale of Apollo 8 with novelistic detail and immediacy, expertly capturing the urgency and suspense behind the mission that gave America the lead in the Space Race.”—Andy Weir, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Martian and Artemis

“Rocket Men is a riveting introduction to the [Apollo 8] flight. . . . Kurson details the mission in crisp, suspenseful scenes. . . . [A] gripping book.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Kurson’s first-rate account of this remarkable spaceflight starts by reminding us what a gamble it was, a revelatory wake-up nudge for anyone who thinks moon flights were routine. . . .  There are many pieces to the Apollo 8 story, but Kurson brings them together effortlessly.”—USA Today

“Rocket Men is close-to-the-bone adventure-telling on a par with Alfred Lansing’s Endurance and Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air. It’s as close to a movie as writing gets.”—Mary Roach, The Washington Post

“Engrossing . . . Kurson builds suspense around a mind-bendingly complex and dangerous journey.”—Associated Press

“Spectacular . . . [Rocket Men] carries on in great style through 350-some pages of ‘daring, adventure, risk-taking’ and so much more. . . . Kurson’s portraits of the men, as well as their wives, their families and space-program colleagues, are intimate and artfully drawn.”—Chicago Tribune

“Refreshing . . . The book will bring long-deserved attention to a mission that has been overshadowed. . . . Apollo 8’s success not only salvaged the space program but also managed to relieve the pessimism regarding the future into which the country had plunged.”—Lincoln Journal Star

“Breathing life into history is a speciality of Robert Kurson’s. . . . Kurson never allows his exhaustive research to get in the way of the story, crafting remarkable nonfiction adventures that put readers at the center of the action. . . . Not only are readers at the center of the story, but at what feels like the center of the universe as Kurson narrates the journey of man’s first trip to the moon.”—Mountain Times

“Immersive . . . absolutely riveting . . . A gripping tale, well told.”—Booklist

“In 1968 we sent men to the Moon. They didn’t leave boot prints, but it was the first time humans ever left Earth for another destination. That mission was Apollo 8. And Rocket Men, under Robert Kurson’s compelling narrative, is that under-told story.”—Neil deGrasse Tyson

“A timely and thrilling reminder of a heroic American achievement . . . It has it all—suspense, drama, risk, and loving families. We could use those days again.”—Tom Brokaw

“Flat-out terrific . . . The tale is told with the care and clarity, and the heart-banging drama, that Robert Kurson’s legion of readers have come to expect from him.”—Scott Turow

“Kurson presents not only the challenges, risks, ambition, and success of Apollo 8, but a story of human spirit.”—Nicole Stott, NASA ISS and space shuttle astronaut