First Man

Neil Armstrong will always be remembered for being the first man to step on the moon, a milestone that played a role in everything he did afterward. Through most of this biography, which follows Armstrong from his youth to that historic lunar landing, Boyd Gaines reads with detachment, letting the facts of Armstrong's life speak for themselves--and those facts speak beautifully. When Gaines reaches the point when Armstrong takes those first steps, his voice fills with an awe and emotion that seems to flow naturally. The actual voices of astronauts from historic speeches and messages are used here to enhance the drama. J.A.S. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine


This biography of the first man to set foot on the moon is detailed, massive, and thorough. It's also full of vignettes and significant details about the people around him. It gives the listener great insight into Armstrong's intelligent, reserved character and how it came to be. Henry Strozier holds the listener's attention, in part, because he sounds much like Walter Cronkite-friendly, warm, direct, unhurried. His grandfatherly cadence is soothing, even when he's reading about the launch pad fire and plane crashes that killed some of Armstrong's closest colleagues. Armstrong may well be the most famous man in the universe. D.A.W. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine