Customer Reviews

Into That Silent Sea: Trailblazers of the Space Era, 1961-1965 (Outward Odyssey: A People's History of S)

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I am an Apollo astronaut who entered the space program in 1966, and I knew and worked with most of the Americans that are profiled in this book. In the intervening years I have met most of the Russians also profiled. I was in the space business for many years, including making a flight to the moon on Apollo 15 in 1971, ten years after Alan Shepard made his historic flight. This book is a wonderful history of the original pioneers in space. I could not put it down once I started. French and Burgess have a great touch when it comes to writing. I found it especially interesting when reading about the Russian program and the men and women selected for their spaceflights. The book clearly and engrossingly explains the differences between the Russian Cosmonauts and the American Astronauts, including fascinating personal details of how they were selected, trained and carried on their flights. I found the book a great source of new information that was both well documented and thoroughly fascinating to read - in fact, I believe it is deserving of winning some awards. Before I flew in space, these men and women in America and Russia paved the way and were my personal heros. If you want to know who they were, then this is the book.

I grew up in the American manned space program so tend to be somewhat jaded by some of the "outsider" accounts of what went on in the early years. But this book was full of pleasant surprises with both lesser-known facts about the well-recognized astronauts and detailed important information about the lesser-known, such as the cosmonauts and those who wanted to become astronauts. The book humanized the Russian program as well as our own. This is the first social history of that narrow time frame that I have seen. There were enough engineering facts to make sense out of what was going on at the time, but focused more on the personal lives of the trailblazers and the impact they made on society. I would highly recommend this to space buffs, historians and sociologists. I was especially interested in the cosmonaut stories and the chapter about the two Wallys.

This book is just plain terrific! It is beautifully written and the attention to detail is impressive. It is packed with information and facts not generally known. The authors writing style is easy to read and the facts are told in a very straight-forward manner. I loved that they cleared up many untruths about the Grissom and Carpenter fights. It is evident the authors had no hidden agenda and I found that very refreshing. I especially enjoyed the in-depth stories regarding the russian missions. Really, really good!!

This book was definitely a "trip down memory lane" for me and I loved it. I can't wait until the next one in this series comes out. If you are a space fan - you will love this book.

I have over one hundred books on the American and Russian space programs but I really enjoyed this book which is one of the few to go inside the usual facade of space stories and tell the human side of these great adventures.

The honest comments about the feelings of the people from that time (their hopes, fears etc.) as they accomplished what the rest of us can only dream about are unusual and in my mind priceless. The writing style is easy to read and not obstructed by excess technical jargon. Overall this is an excellent book - highly recommended.

I've been a space geek ever since I was about 1.5 years old and mom made me watch the moon landing in 1969 - I don't remember it, but I did see it!
I've read just about all of the best books on the space program and I thought I had read everything, and knew all the stories - until I read "Into That Silent Sea". The book wasn't a fast one to read, not because it was overly technical, but I just kept reading stuff that I never knew and would re-read the page/paragraph again and say to myself "I never knew that!"
The chapters on the Russian space program were absolutely fascinating and sometimes frightening, I never knew the early Cosmonauts had so many near disasters on re-entry (I won't more and spoil it with details - read the book!). This was the first book I read that I felt I really learned more of the behind the scenes stories of the Russian side of the space race.
Great chapters on the American side of things, Dee O'hara was kind of an unknown figure in the space race (other than the depiction in the "Right Stuff"), but now she has her much deserved place in history with this book also. Fun to read how the early astronauts picked on her too with the "gotchas"!
I just started reading "In the Shadow of the Moon" on my bus commute to work and back. I enjoy the heavy traffic trips - more time to read!
For a long time Andrew Chaikin and Micheal Collins held the spots with the best space books in my opinion. Move over guys, Francis French and Colin Burgess have to share the spot with you now!

Writing this book, really, would not have been an enviable task. Yes, it would be a fun sandbox to play in, and, yes, it would be very cool to get to talk to the people you would have to interview to write the book.

But, it's been done, you know?

The Gemini period perhaps a bit less so, but how many books and movies and documentaries have covered the Mercury and Apollo programs? Were it me, I'd rather tread ground a little more fresh.

But the great thing about Silent Sea is that it is, in fact, fresh.

For the people who are relatively new to these stories, it's a wonderful introduction. To say that it's thorough is putting it lightly. Yes, the Mercury program is covered completely. The book includes everything you need to know. And it's told in a way that's interesting not only to a technical crowd but also to a lay audience, because, ultimately, Silent Sea is the story of the people who lived the history. These people who have become legends, after all, were people. Where did they come from? What were they like as children? How did they get to the point where they were making history? What was the experience like for them? What was it like living with having done something so exceptional? With the aforementioned thoroughness, Silent Sea paints portraits of the individuals behind the history.

Silent Sea is unusual, as well, in that it's not a history of the Mercury program. It's a history of human spaceflight from 1961 through 1965, regardless of where those humans were from. The U.S. and Soviet programs are covered in a combined chronological account, presenting the stories side-by-side as two components of one historical period. As a result, even for someone who is fairly well-versed in the history of NASA spaceflight, Silent Sea is an extremely informative volume, filling in the gaps from the far side of the Iron Curtain.

Even in telling the more familiar stories, however, Silent Sea keeps it fresh. No matter how many times a reader has heard these stories, they haven't been told in quite this way before. Yes, the major events are covered in detail, but they're shown as seen through different eyes, people like Dee O'Hara and Wally Funk. If you know who those people are, you know why you need to read the book. If you dont know who those people are, that is why you need to read the book.

For many years now I have made presentations on NASA history as well as all of the human space programs. I have focused mainly on Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. Into That Silent Sea is clearly one of the most well written and authoritative books on the subject that I have ever read. Through exhaustive research and personal contact with the pioneers of space exploration Francis French and Colin Burgess have compiled a treasure. Full of anecdotes, and including much little known information it gives a fascinating insight into what the early days were like for both our astronauts and for the Soviet cosmonauts. Many others who lived this history contribute their perspective as well. I highly recommend this work to all who are interested in the human experience. The book is easy to read, captivating, and one of the most fascinating books that I have found.

Capt. William (Mike) Lucas
US Airways
Space Historian

I have just finished this terrific read. "Into That Silent Sea" is an enthralling account of the early years of space exploration (1961-1965). In page-turning fashion the authors chronicle the lives and times of the pioneering men and women of the US/Soviet "space race". Lovingly researched and highly readable, "Into That Silent Sea" marvelously evokes this unique era. Peppered with interviews and insights from many of the space travelers themselves and colorful (but lesser known) characters such as Dee O'Hara (astronauts nurse) and Jim Lewis (Liberty Bell 7 recovery pilot), the authors provide exciting, new (and occasionally controversial) information a-plenty for space enthusiasts and casual readers alike. While many of us likely recall an icon or two from those early days- Gagarin, Glenn, Tereshkova - how much do we really know about their personal lives, their accomplishments, or their equally remarkable contemporaries? Who were they, what motivated them? "Into That Silent Sea" tells their human stories and illuminates a magnificent tapestry of historic times and outstanding achievements. Highly recommended.

This book kept my attention from cover to cover. I grew up during the space race and have been reading about it for years. Having had the privledge of meeting several of the individuals featured in Mr. French & Mr. Burgess's book, I was pleasantly suprised with all the new things I learned about them. It was difficult for me to read the chapter on the two Wally's just days after Mr. Schirra passed, but I recalled my visits with him and I will always recall that he was the friendliest and funniest astronaut I have ever met. But what I enjoyed most about the book was what went on inside the Russian space program with first-hand accounts from the cosmonauts themselves. Thank you Francis and Colin for writing this wonderful book and I look forward to your follow up book to this one as well.

As a confirmed space geek, I too have read as many books as I could get my hands on .
This book was a great read from cover to cover!!!
I couldn't put it down. I particularly enjoyed reading about the cosmonauts exploits AFTER their historic flights.
Definitely one to put on your gift list.