{"product_id":"moondust-in-search-of-the-men-who-fell-to-earth-isbn-9780007155415","title":"Moondust: In Search of the Men Who Fell to Earth","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“Spellbinding…a provocative meditation on lunar travel and humanity’s relation to space.” — \u003cem\u003eBusiness Week\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Apollo lunar missions of the 1960s and 1970s have been called the last optimistic acts of the twentieth century. Twelve astronauts made this greatest of all journeys and were indelibly marked by it, for better or for worse. Journalist Andrew Smith tracks down the nine surviving members of this elite group to find their answers to the question \"Where do you go after you've been to the Moon?\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA thrilling blend of history, reportage, and memoir, Moondust rekindles the hopeful excitement of an incandescent hour in America's past when anything seemed possible as it captures the bittersweet heroism of those who risked everything to hurl themselves out of the known world—and who were never again quite able to accept its familiar bounds.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003eThe Apollo Moon landings have been called the last optimistic act of the twentieth century. Twelve astronauts made this greatest of all journeys, and all were indelibly marked by it. In \u003cstrong\u003eMoondust\u003c\/strong\u003e, journalist \u003cstrong\u003eAndrew Smith\u003c\/strong\u003e reveals the stories of the nine still living men caught between the gravitational pull of the Moon and the Earth's collective dreaming: Here, we relive the flashbulbs, the first shocking glimpse of Earth from space, the sense of euphoria and awe. This was the first global media event, after all, and the astronauts were its superstars.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThey had been schooled by NASA for every eventuality in deep space but were completely unprepared for fame. On their return, they struggled to balance notoriety with a spaceman's frugal paycheck. These perfect specimens of mind and body were, ultimately, only human beings thrust into an impossibly intense spotlight. Possibilities bloomed, and marriages crumbled under the strain.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd it wasn't just the astronauts who'd changed; the world was changing, too. As the Apollo program wound down, the wild and happy experimentations of the sixties gave way to the cynicism and self-doubt of the seventies, and the Moonwalkers faced what was, in some ways, their greatest challenge: how to find meaning in life when the biggest adventure you could possibly have was a memory. Some traded on past glories; others tried to move on. Some found God; some sought oblivion; some reinvented themselves and discovered a measure of happiness in a completely unexpected place. Andrew Smith sees them through the eyes of the boy who flung down his bike on a summer evening to hear Neil Armstrong utter his fateful words -- and through the eyes of a grown man balancing myth against reality and finding the truth infinitely richer and more moving.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA thrilling blend of history, reportage, and memoir, \u003cstrong\u003eMoondust\u003c\/strong\u003e rekindles the hopeful excitement of an incandescent hour in American history and captures the bittersweet heroism of those who risked everything to hurl themselves out of the known world -- and who were never again quite able to accept its familiar bounds.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e“Splendid!” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eArthur C. Clarke, author 2001: A Space Odyssey\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Forget flower power, the Beatles and the Beach Boys, forget President Kennedy, the Great Train Robbery and Swinging London, and even Vietnam if you can: what made the 1960s an unforgettable decade was the conquest of space…when Andrew Smith set out to write [\u003cem\u003eMoondust\u003c\/em\u003e], three of the twelve moonwalkers had already died. [He has given] himself the task of talking to the rest before they too went into eternal silence.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eGuardian, Best Books of the Season\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Fascinating…We know what happened inside the Apollo, but what went on inside the astronauts’ minds? Extremely thought-provoking.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eJ. G. Ballard, author of Empire of the Sun and Memories of the Space Age\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[A] fascinating book… [Smith’s] humour is underpinned by a sense of extreme danger.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMail on Sunday, Book of the Week (four stars)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Spellbinding…a provocative meditation on lunar travel and humanity’s relation to space.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBusiness Week\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A wild ride swerving between then and now.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eRichmond Times Dispatch\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Smith’s book succeeds…because he bungee-cords together so many intriguing digressions.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Smith’s mix of reporting and meditation is highly entertaining, and his superb book is a fitting tribute to a unique band of 20th-century heroes.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eGQ\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003cem\u003eMoondust\u003c\/em\u003e is an inspired idea, immaculately executed: witty, affectionate, completely captivating.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWORD magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“In an artful blend of memoir and popular history, Smith makes flesh-and-blood people out of icons and reveals the tenderness of his own heart.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Smith is a graceful, easy-going writer, and this beguiling tale is replete with joyful wonder … Moondust belongs to the same “New Journalism” tradition as Tom Wolfe’s The Right Stuff.“ - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLondon Times (Sunday)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A wonderful collective biography written with deftness, compassion and humour.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Observer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Utterly gripping. Smith is both sympathetic and bracingly unsentimental.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDaily Mail (London)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Enthralling...Smith is an ideal narrator: sharp-eyed yet increasingly affectionate about his subjects.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Riveting...so vivid you can almost smell the suburban lawns.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTime Out London\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Smith’s book is an engrossing read, full of humor, insight, and appreciation for the vision and outright zaniness that marked the only human mission to another world.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSpace Daily\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A rich mix of cultural history, reportage and personal reflection.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eEvening Standard\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Forget flower power, the Beatles and Beach Boys…what made the 1960s an unforgettable decade was the conquest of space.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Guardian, Best Books of the Season\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A crisply dramatic account.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSunday Telegraph\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“An extraordinary book…as profoundly as any work of philosophy.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eUncut (UK), four stars\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003cem\u003eMoondust \u003c\/em\u003ehas a value which Smith perhaps never intended. As an update on the nine surviving astronauts it is fascinating. As a commentary on life on Earth, it is superb.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eScotland on Sunday\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Wonderful… Smith examines [the questions] not just in the political context of the times but, refereshingly, with regard to the popular culture and the mood of the moment… A fascinating book, often poignant… but funny too.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDaily Mail (London), Critics Choice Award\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harper","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44889050972389,"sku":"NP9780007155415","price":24.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780007155415.jpg?v=1730230401","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/moondust-in-search-of-the-men-who-fell-to-earth-isbn-9780007155415","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}