Provocative and thoughtful—rich in period details and timeless insights.
The inspiring and dramatic story of how one of the most powerful photos of all time came to be.
In his customary witty, well-informed way, Marcus offers a frank and coherent account of the space race, starting with an explanation of how Sputnik and the other early achievements of the Soviet space program kicked off a frantic scramble by the U.S. to catch up. NASA “morphed almost overnight into a high-profile, super-cool New Frontier operation staffed by whip-smart rocket scientists and clean-cut, highly trained All-American space cowboys.” Among the latter was Bill Anders, who snapped the iconic photo on Christmas Eve, 1968, as the Apollo 8 mission rounded the moon on the fourth of its 10 orbits. That photo—turned sideways so the lunar surface would be more comfortably horizontal—created an instant sensation; the author argues persuasively that its depiction of our fragile, floating planet not only became a symbol of Earth Day and the environmental movement, but also profoundly changed (and continues to change) “the way people understand their place in the universe.” Contemporary photos of astronauts, rockets, book covers, presidents, and marching protesters effectively convey senses of both the tumultuous historical context and the heady excitement of those early ventures into space. Along with overviews of the later lives of Anders and his two fellow crew members, the author closes with a moving reflection that Apollo’s legacies are not only scientific and technological, but human as well.
Provocative and thoughtful—rich in period details and timeless insights. (bibliography, source notes, index) (Nonfiction. 11-14)Pub Date: March 4, 2025
ISBN: 9780374392116
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Intrepid explorer Lourie tackles the “Father of Waters,” the Mighty Mississippi, traveling by canoe, bicycle, foot, and car, 2,340 miles from the headwaters of the great river at the Canadian border to the river’s end in the Gulf of Mexico. As with his other “river titles” (Rio Grande, 1999, etc.), he intertwines history, quotes, and period photographs, interviews with people living on and around the river, personal observations, and contemporary photographs of his journey. He touches on the Native Americans—who still harvest wild rice on the Mississippi, and named the river—loggers, steamboats, Civil War battles, and sunken treasure. He stops to talk with a contemporary barge pilot, who tows jumbo-sized tank barges, or 30 barges carrying 45,000 tons of goods up and down and comments: “You think ‘river river river’ night and day for weeks on end.” Lourie describes the working waterway of locks and barges, oil refineries and diesel engines, and the more tranquil areas with heron and alligators, and cypress swamps. A personal travelogue, historical geography, and welcome introduction to the majestic river, past and present. (Nonfiction. 10-14)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2000
ISBN: 1-56397-756-7
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2000
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
If Freedman wrote the history textbooks, we would have many more historians. Beginning with an engrossing description of the Boston Tea Party in 1773, he brings the reader the lives of the American colonists and the events leading up to the break with England. The narrative approach to history reads like a good story, yet Freedman tucks in the data that give depth to it. The inclusion of all the people who lived during those times and the roles they played, whether small or large are acknowledged with dignity. The story moves backwards from the Boston Tea Party to the beginning of the European settlement of what they called the New World, and then proceeds chronologically to the signing of the Declaration. “Your Rights and Mine” traces the influence of the document from its inception to the present ending with Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. The full text of the Declaration and a reproduction of the original are included. A chronology of events and an index are helpful to the young researcher. Another interesting feature is “Visiting the Declaration of Independence.” It contains a short review of what happened to the document in the years after it was written, a useful Web site, and a description of how it is displayed and protected today at the National Archives building in Washington, D.C. Illustrations from the period add interest and detail. An excellent addition to the American history collection and an engrossing read. (Nonfiction. 9-13)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-8234-1448-5
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2000
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
