American Moonshot

April 1, 2019
A look back at the days when American presidents and politicians believed in and promoted science--days when there was a world to win, along with the heavens. Prolific historian Brinkley (Chair, History/Rice Univ.; Rightful Heritage: Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Land of America, 2016, etc.) avers that his latest is a contribution to "U.S. presidential history (not space studies)." However, in his customarily thorough way, it's clear that he's mastered a great deal of the facts and lore surrounding the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo projects that landed American astronauts on the moon 50 years ago. As his account unfolds, two themes emerge. One is that fiscal conservatives, exemplified by President Dwight Eisenhower, were reluctant to fuel the emerging military-industrial complex, affording John F. Kennedy a campaign issue that revolved around the "missile gap" between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. As Brinkley writes, "having been raised in a family obsessed with winning at every level, [Kennedy] reduced the complexities of Cold War statesmanship to a simple contest." The second theme is that the space race was very much an extension of the wider Cold War. In both matters, notes the author, NASA became the beneficiary of both federal largess and the advantages of "unfettered capitalism," tapping into a fast-growing network of military contractors and spinning off basic research into an array of technological products. Even during the Bay of Pigs crisis, Kennedy kept his eye on the lunar prize, tasking his vice president, Lyndon B. Johnson, with determining whether the American parties involved in the space race were "making maximum effort." With JFK's assassination, the moon program seemed in danger of losing impetus and funding, but thanks to a vigorous NASA administrator and political allies in Congress and the executive branch, the Kennedy-inspired effort was realized. In fact, writes the author, it became a "marvelous alternative to all-out war with the USSR or future proxy wars such as Korea." A highly engaging history not just for space-race enthusiasts, but also students of Cold War politics.

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Narrator Stephen Graybill's assured performance captures the author's focus on the space race and its part in the social and political complexities of the Cold War era. As the 50th anniversary of the first lunar landing approaches, American historian Douglas Brinkley celebrates the Kennedy administration's role in the nascent aerospace industry. Listeners gain renewed appreciation for the challenges and tenacious efforts involved as private and public sectors strove to beat Soviet Russia in going to the moon. Graybill's well-paced delivery presents grounded depictions of key figures, including President John F. Kennedy, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, and former Nazi rocket scientist Dr. Wernher von Braun. Listeners new to space history will find this engaging production of Brinkley's tribute to be a solid introduction. J.R.T. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

June 3, 2019
Brinkley (The Great Deluge) frames the life and career of President John F. Kennedy through the Cold War–tinged lens of the Space Race in this inspiring history. The book opens with the parallels between the WWII experiences of PT boat commander Kennedy and Nazi rocketeer Wernher von Braun, whose lives intersected after the war with the launch of Kennedy’s political career and von Braun’s newfound role as the United States’ top rocket scientist. In Brinkley’s telling, Kennedy’s impassioned response to Soviet advances in space technology, which contrasted sharply the Eisenhower administration’s, led him to victory in the 1960 presidential election. His declaration before Congress that Americans would put men on the moon by the end of the decade and his public embrace of John Glenn and the other Mercury Seven astronauts were, Brinkley argues, political gestures also motivated by personal passion. The author argues that it was Kennedy’s appeal to a sense of American greatness, evident in his famous “We choose to go to the moon” speech at Rice University in September 1962, that made the U.S.’s space achievements possible. By highlighting the visionary, charismatic political leader’s role, Brinkley offers a new perspective on one of the greatest accomplishments in human history. Photos.

Starred review from June 1, 2019

On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy challenged the nation to land a man on the moon by the end of the decade. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of this promise kept, CNN's presidential historian Brinkley (history, Rice Univ.; Rightful Heritage) presents a sweeping narrative of the U.S.-Soviet space race, culminating in Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong's lunar walk on July 20, 1969. Much of the book delves deeply into Apollo's historical roots, beginning with Robert Goddard's pioneering rocketry experiments in the 1920s; continuing with Nazi party member and SS officer Werner von Braun's development of the V1 and V2 rockets that slaughtered thousands of English citizens but which did not prevent him from becoming Kennedy's space science expert; and concluding with the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo projects (1958-72). Brinkley is at his best when sharing stories about astronauts such as John Glenn, Neil Armstrong, and Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. The author concludes that, regrettably, only Kennedy's assassination in 1963 guaranteed full funding for the costly Apollo project: the cornerstone of Kennedy's New Frontier era. VERDICT Enlightening and absorbing, this account will fascinate historians, history buffs, and popular science enthusiasts. See also James Donovan's Shoot the Moon.--Karl Helicher, formerly with Upper Merion Twp. Lib., King of Prussia, PA

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2019
To mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, presidential historian Brinkley tells the backstory of that monumental achievement, placing John F. Kennedy in a starring role. During his childhood and adolescence, Kennedy had a passionate interest in science and practical know-how, absorbing the tales of Jules Verne and mastering sailing off the coast of his family's Massachusetts estate. Given his zeal and temperament, his now epochal 1961 pronouncement about putting a man on the moon within the decade was an almost inevitable outgrowth of his temperament. Along with tracking the influences which inspired Kennedy's pledge, Brinkley profiles other major players in the ensuing space race, from rocket buff Robert Goddard to ex-Nazi engineer Wernher von Braun, and shines a spotlight on how politicized NASA and other related organizations became. One especially eye-opening revelation underscores how Kennedy and his cronies funneled money to space contractors in the Southern states, where the president's support was more tenuous. With his usual masterful narrative skill, Brinkley captures the sweep and excitement of an inspiring era in American history.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Brinkley is a commanding public historian and intellectual, and his major contribution to the celebration of the first lunar landing will engender many requests.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)