Customer Reviews

John Glenn: A Memoir (Random House Large Print)

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Based on this book John Glenn never got out of line, never got in any serious trouble or caused anyone else to get into trouble, had a perfect wife and family who always supported him 100%, even if it meant his being away from home for long periods of time. He even goes to the extreme of discounting a story about his concern over his height exceeding the max requirement for space travel. I found many parts of this book enjoyable, but left feeling I had only been reading a whitewashed version purified for mass consumption. On slight hint at the "real" John Glenn may be revealed in his writing a letter to NASA in an effort to overturn the decision to have Alan Shepard and Guss Grissom fly in space before him. This book left me with many more questions about the real man. Showing more of his human, occassionally risking and failing side would have added much to my enjoyment. Unfortunately this was missing.

It is curious that as 2000 nears, so many memoir biographies have hit the stands...and so many worth reading. We have Glenn's story...astronaut turned politician, model American; Nabokov's story...scientist turned literary celebrity (Nabokov's Blues); Goodall's story...scientist turned reflective (Reason to Hope); Sagan...by Sagan AND by biographers. Glenn's memoir fits this mold...a man has taken time out not only to reflect but to share with his "fellow Americans" his insights on the last decades, indeed some of the most important events of the millenium. I recommend this book; its only drawback is it might be argued as less exciting than some of the others mentioned above. But John Glenn is a major public and historical figure and it is worth the time to digest here what he has to say about his life, and times.

Senator. Astronaut. American Hero. These are all words that come to mind when the name "John Glenn" is mentioned. But how much do you know about John Glenn the person? If you want to know the minutiae of Glenn's flight as a Mercury and shuttle astronaut then this is not the book for you. For "John Glenn: A Memoir" is a walk down Glenn's busy road of life, from his upbringing during the Depression to his second spaceflight, aboard the shuttle in 1998. If it's true that Neil Armstrong said that everybody was given a finite number of heartbeats, and that he didn't want to waste any doing anything frivolous, then Glenn must have been one of his followers. The times and culture of those years helped shaped Glenn's beliefs and philosophies, just as Glenn helped shaped America during his military service, his days as an astronaut, and as a senator. More than just a recitation of names and events, Glenn presents an enlightening perspective on himself and of those events in the world that made him who he is.

I really didn't know what to make of this book. I mean, one could argue that John Glenn has done some of the most exciting things that a person who lived in the past 100 years could do: He fought in two wars as a fighter pilot during the golden age of aviation and at the dawn of the jet age, he was the first american to orbit the earth, and he flew in space at the age of 77, in addition to being a multi-term senator from Ohio! But despite all of this his book was so dull I could not believe it! Somehow even his descriptions of combat were dull! I honestly did not know what to make of it all. I kept waiting and waiting and waiting for him to get to the meat of the book and to inflect the writing with some verve... but it just never happened. As a die-hard space and aviation enthusiast, i would only reccommend this book to those interested in hearing some hithero undocumented anecdotes abot the Mercury program.

There is nothing more I love to share with my young son, than a bedtime story about a real American hero. I'm so happy that John Glenn took the time to write down and narrate his story for his grand kids. My young son now 23 months is enjoying his tapes as a bedtime story too. Hard work, honesty, love, patriotism, sacrifice and dedication to do a job well, what more could you ask for in a story. When John Glenn flew into space in Oct 1998 I couldn't wait to get my son the NASA Mission Patches from Mercury 7 and the Shuttle Flight for his jumpers. He wears them proudly today. I hope more astronauts take John Glenn's lead to tell their stories. They may or may not be big sellers but they are very important stories which a special group of people would love to hear.

The story of John Glenn's life is a very inspiring one, this memoir reminds us all in eloquent terms of the values of honesty, hard work, dedication, and love for one's family and country. I am proud to have this wonderful volume on my bookshelf, it is a fitting companion to the year's most inspiring books---Faith of My Fathers, The Greatest Generation, The Triumph and the Glory, and The Testament. Godspeed, John Glenn.

I have read over 50 autobiographies/memoirs in the last several years and I have to say that this is one of the best that I have read, very well researched and organized. Anyone who is interested in the space program will find this book fascinating. On the other hand, the personal life of John Glenn, like his 50+ years marriage to his wife, is a love story (He met his wife in a playpen when they were toddlers). His courage and perseverance certainly contributed to his success. Two more autobiographies that I have read that share the same vision and determination to success are Georg Solti - A Memoir (world reowned conductor) and Salvatore Ferragamo - Shoemaker of dreams (Italian shoe designer). Both of these I considered them very well written and interesting.

This book is a very well written biography of an astronaut, war hero, public figure, and good family man. You'll be touched by how often Mr. Glenn mentions his wife and kids. His good character comes through very strong.

Marine Colonel John H. Glenn, Jr., was selected as one of the original seven Mercury astronauts in 1959, and made his historic orbital flight aboard Friendship 7 on February 20, 1962. But as this book reminds us, Glenn was involved in many other grand events in our nation's history. He was a fighter pilot in the Marines during World War II and Korea in the 1940's and 1950's, he served in the Senate for four terms in Ohio, and finally, in the fall of 1998, he made a historic return to orbit aboard the space shuttle Discovery. This book captures the details of those events, sweeping the lifetime of this small town boy from the midwest, a true American icon. I thought it was very thrilling, and was interested in hearing of his accounts of his spaceflights , Senate career, and combat flights in the wars. Others have said it was boring because Glenn has almost never faced adversity in his life, but I thought it was entertaining nontheless. His accounts of the Friendship 7 and Discovery missions are nearly minute-by minute, very detailed, and I thought it was very well done.

John Glenn became the first American in orbit when he circled the Earth three times aboard Friendship 7. The most senior of the original Mercury astronauts, he was trumpeted as a hero upon return, but left the space program shortly thereafter because NASA wouldn't give their famous spokesman a second, potentially disastrous flight. Not until almost thirty years later, that is, when Senator Glenn returned to space at the age of 77, amidst a roar of publicity that rivalled his first mission. In the meantime, he had embarked upon a political career that included a shot at the presidency. A rather distinct biography.

In "John Glenn: A Memoir", the Marine turned Astronaut turned Politician shares with the world his life story, which spans the better part of a century and saw aviation progress from biplanes to the Space Shuttle. Yet this is a deliberate and slow-moving book, written in earnest and matter-of-fact prose. It progresses in strictly chronological order, spends a great amount of nostalgic detail on Glenn's childhood - including mother's cooking and playpen stories -, then moves on to the Marine days flying planes in World War II and Korea, then to his test pilot career. Always one step at a time, one little story after the other.

The results are a mixed bag: while the drama-oriented readers will call it outright dull, others might find the leisurely pace quite immersive and captivating. At the least, it is refreshing to read an astronaut biography that does not suffer from tunnel vision. The space program is not as much as mentioned until about half-time, and even recounting his NASA days, Glenn focuses on the big picture - the political and ideological implications of the space race - rather than technical detail. While the accounts of his actual Mercury and Shuttle flights are vivid and gripping, on the whole there is nothing about the space program that could not be found in most other, specialised books. Not surprising, given that Glenn's astronaut career was illustrious but brief, and something that the die-hard space buffs should consider.

The part between Glenn's flights focuses on his political career, his friendship with the Kennedys, and law making as an Ohio Senator. There is more talk about his loved wife and family, and more emphasis on duty, country, values. In truth, it must be said that the only things arguably more all-American than John Glenn are baseball and apple pie; he constantly reflects on his beliefs and guidelines, and never seems to waver in his uncomplicated optimism and patriotism. More remarkably, it all seems genuine, too: no image polishing, that's just the way he is. Indeed, Glenn colours his omnipresent love of America with plenty of humour and palpable feeling, and comes across not as preachy, but entirely likeable.

The concept of such an awfully nice moralist seems strange in today's cynical times, and this is perhaps the most telling point of all: the text seems like a document from a different age. Like the photographs that come with it, showing Glenn's wedding ceremony in uniform, or piloting Corsairs in World War II, this tale is something out of our reach, something delightfully dated. And "John Glenn: A Memoir" sure is a delightful book. Readers looking for a remarkably rich and varied life story can hardly make a better choice. Space enthusiasts lusting for nuts and bolts might want to think twice.