Books on the Moon from our 2019 Summer Newsletter

Upon the fiftieth anniversary of the first lunar landing, award-winning historian Douglas Brinkley takes a fresh look at the space program, President John F. Kennedy’s inspiring challenge, and America’s race to the moon. “Brinkley is a national treasure. His writing brings history alive and reminds what can be achieved when our nation mobilizes our optimism, ambition, and ideals to a greater purpose.” —Ryan Coonerty

“Our Moon, a spherical bit of unchanging inanimate rock, nonetheless captivates us with its romance and its beauty. Its tantalizing almost deceptive proximity makes it also a destination, both a past one and a promising one for the future. In this poetically written and informative book, Oliver Morton takes us through all aspects of this very familiar but very foreign territory, which has inspired stories and study for decades. What a remarkable achievement.”  —Lisa Randall

The historic moon landings were achieved against remarkable odds and within the space of just a few years. How can we apply the secrets of this astronomical success to our own goals to achieve the impossible in work and in life? Richard Wiseman brings together history, psychology, and self-help in this unique and powerful guide to achieving the impossible in work and in life. “What does lunar travel have to teach us? According to Wiseman and the members of Apollo’s mission control he interviewed: the importance of failure, passion, self-belief, and flexibility.” —Publishers Weekly

This companion book to the PBS documentary series (airing in July) tells the stories of the visionaries who helped America complete JFK’s historic moon landing challenge. “Chasing the Moon is so informative and so entertaining that it can easily stand on its own as a popular history of the Space Race. Stone and Andres capture not only the Cold War rivalry and turmoil of the period, but its heady optimism.” —Joseph Kanon