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The Right Stuff Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Tom Wolfe (Author), Dennis Quaid (Narrator), Audible Studios (Publisher)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 5,416 ratings
4.2 on Goodreads
53,255 ratings
See all formats and editions

From "America's nerviest journalist" (Newsweek) - a breathtaking epic, a magnificent adventure story, and an investigation into the true heroism and courage of the first Americans to conquer space. "Tom Wolfe at his very best" (The New York Times Book Review)

Millions of words have poured forth about man's trip to the moon, but until now few people have had a sense of the most engrossing side of the adventure: namely, what went on in the minds of the astronauts themselves - in space, on the moon, and even during certain odysseys on earth. It is this, the inner life of the astronauts, that Tom Wolfe describes with his almost uncanny empathetic powers that made The Right Stuff a classic.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tom Wolfe is the author of more than a dozen books, among them such contemporary classics as The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, The Right Stuff, The Bonfire of the Vanities and A Man in Full. A native of Richmond, Virginia, he earned his B.A. at Washington and Lee University and a PhD. in American studies at Yale. He lives in New York City.

ABOUT THE NARRATOR

Dennis Quaid is renowned for his distinct portrayals in both comedic and dramatic roles over the past forty years. Quaid can next be seen in Roadside Attraction's faith-based film I Can Only Imagine which will be released on March 16, 2018.

Dennis most recently stared in Crackle's auctioneering drama The Art of More on which he also served as an executive producer. On the big screen, he was recently seen starring in Universal's A Dog's Purpose as well as in the fact-based drama Truth. He will next begin filming the third season of the BAFTA award-nominated television series Fortitude and recently completed production on Lionsgate's Kin with James Franco.

Quaid began to gain attention in the late 1970s for roles in such films as Breaking Away before gaining public and critical acclaim for his role in the 1983 release The Right Stuff. Other notable credits include The Rookie, The Day After Tomorrow, Traffic, Vantage Point, Frequency, The Parent Trap, and Soul Surfer. For his role in Todd Haynes' Far from Heaven he won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor, the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor, the Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male. In 2010 he was nominated for numerous awards including a SAG Award, an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Bill Clinton in the TV Movie, A Special Relationship.

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  1. Listening Length
    15 hours and 42 minutes
  2. Author
    Tom Wolfe
  3. Narrator
    Dennis Quaid
  4. Audible release date
    February 6, 2018
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Audible Studios
  7. ASIN
    B077K6P2XP
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 15 hours and 42 minutes
Author Tom Wolfe
Narrator Dennis Quaid
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date February 06, 2018
Publisher Audible Studios
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B077K6P2XP
Best Sellers Rank #8,766 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#157 in United States History (Audible Books & Originals)
#381 in United States History (Books)

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
5,416 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book has good information and a captivating story. They also praise the writing style as superb, pacing, and narrative voice. Readers describe the storyline as interesting, honest, and frank. They describe the humor as incredibly funny and punchy. They find the entertainment value entertaining and deeply engaging. However, some find the content annoyingly repetitive around certain things.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
Writing styleContentStorylineEntertainment valueHumorCharactersRepetitiveness
135 customers mention "Writing style"110 positive25 negative

Customers find the writing style superb, vivid, and readable. They also appreciate the author's accurate capture of the emotions and ego of fighter flying. Readers also say the book is fascinating and exciting to read about.

"...This Vintage Classics copy is a nice paperback edition with a great pop-art cover and an introduction from Astronaut Scott Kelly that helps to..." Read more

"...The writer uses wit, sarcasm, and the truth to present a pretty factual tale of the people who have “the right stuff”...." Read more

"...just puts his theories out there, front and center, and then writes with such force – with repeated interjections, sometimes with exclamations! –..." Read more

"A superbly written story of the first seven US astronauts...." Read more

56 customers mention "Content"52 positive4 negative

Customers find the book provides good information paired with a captivating story. They also say it's well-written, researched, and sharp. Readers appreciate the insider point of view from the first seven astronauts. They say the book inspires future astronauts, pilots, rocket aces, and engineers.

"...To be sure this is a very well written and reasearched book, but even at best it’s just decent history...." Read more

"...with the grandeur of space exploration, but he is also a sharp and critical observer, contrasting the macho attitudes of the astronauts with the..." Read more

"...The book itself provides very good characterizations of the original astronauts, and makes you feel like you know who they are and how they will..." Read more

"...voice is pretty unique in writing - conversational and familiar, sharp and analytical, a bit of the South in it......" Read more

56 customers mention "Storyline"56 positive0 negative

Customers find the storyline interesting, providing a rich perspective on the culture among test pilots and astronauts of that time. They also say the book is highly enjoyable, nostalgic, and brings the launches and missions to life wonderfully. Readers also mention that the book provides an honest look at the space program and fighter jet pilots. They mention that it captures the time perfectly.

"...This book is filled with historical information. The book takes place in 1957-1963. During the Cold War many historical space events occurred...." Read more

"...There's a lot of good historical info that's not in the movie, which I found interesting, but some if it is difficult to glean as Wolfe spends so..." Read more

"...Personally I liked the story a lot, it was very interesting, but I feel like the story spent a lot of time around things that were not important to..." Read more

"...I lived the years of which he writes and he has caught the time perfectly...." Read more

32 customers mention "Entertainment value"27 positive5 negative

Customers find the book deeply engaging, exciting, and suspenseful. They also say the narrative moves quickly and is vividly written. Customers also mention that the book puts them in the room and is fascinating.

"The Right Stuff is not only an important book, but a fun, engaging, and adventure book...." Read more

"...The story was very engrossing, well written and addicting...." Read more

"...Adds so much background to the mindset of the original seven and Yeager during that period of unease as America dueled with the Soviets for “the..." Read more

"...But this marvelous work puts you THERE, with the people, the pilots, the politicians...." Read more

19 customers mention "Humor"19 positive0 negative

Customers find the humor in the book incredibly funny, using wit, sarcasm, and the truth to present a pretty factual story. They also appreciate the nice little Shakespeare reference when describing an astronaut singing.

"...Wolfe's style is light and often witty. He uses jargon, colorful figures of speech, and hyperbole...." Read more

"...The writer uses wit, sarcasm, and the truth to present a pretty factual tale of the people who have “the right stuff”...." Read more

"...At times it's hilarious, other times maddeningly wordy. Sometimes interesting, other times it wanders into the weeds...." Read more

"...his prose is punchy, raw, economical, and it matches the subject matter exquisitely...." Read more

7 customers mention "Characters"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the characters in the book extraordinary. They also say the book portrays the lives of test pilots, both before and after the astronaut corps was born. Readers also mention that the author brilliantly describes the macho culture of the test pilot.

"...I give him five stars because of his revealing portrayals of characters. They are accurate enough, I think, and they will be remembered...." Read more

"...The author brilliantly describes the macho culture of the test pilots, the rigorous training, the arduous and occasionally humiliating medical..." Read more

"...The characters were very interesting though, at first they were kind of low down and rowdy, but as the story progresses they end up much more mature..." Read more

"...It portrays the lives of test pilots, both before the astronaut corps was born, and after...." Read more

12 customers mention "Repetitiveness"0 positive12 negative

Customers find the book repetitive, confusing, and ponderous in some places. They also say the suppositions are annoying.

"...It was tedious, made more so by its lack of a list of abbreviations and an index...." Read more

"...not in the movie, which I found interesting, but some if it is difficult to glean as Wolfe spends so much time telling us "what it all means,"..." Read more

"...As to Wolfe's style, it is incredibly repetitive and most of the book comes down to one or two ideas, which may or may not have much truth to them;..." Read more

"...I wasn't a fan of the stylized prose of the book. The suppositions annoyed me...." Read more

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Top reviews from the United States

Solipso
5.0 out of 5 stars A unabashed look at people involved with America's entry into space.
Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2011
Verified Purchase
This is a people-oriented look at America's entry into space. It begins with test pilots in the late 1940s and into the 1950s, especially with the guy who broke the sound barrier, Chuck Yeager. Then, after America's space program gets a jolt from the USSR's launching of the Sputnik, the story proceeds through Project Mercury to the last Mercury mission in 1963.

Be advised, Tom Wolfe does not give us a comprehensive account of Project Mercury. The astronauts, their wives, NASA people, Lyndon Johnson, John Kennedy, and a few other characters play roles in the story, and sometimes--particularly regarding the astronauts and their wives--the focus on them is close. But a great amount of material regarding the Mercury missions is omitted or is given only cursory examination. Obviously there is more to the history of America's early space program than the people. Even so, I doubt if the formal history, THIS NEW OCEAN: A HISTORY OF PROJECT MERCURY, includes the information about people that Wolfe includes. I may change my mind after reading THIS NEW OCEAN, but for now I think both books are necessary for a complete picture.

Also be advised, THE RIGHT STUFF is not written in the conventional style of historical narration. Wolfe's style is light and often witty. He uses jargon, colorful figures of speech, and hyperbole. With amazon's "Look Inside" feature, I read the first pages of THIS NEW OCEAN. Its prose is conventional nonfiction, like something found on the front page of a newspaper. Wolfe's prose is like something found in editorial pages or in a breezy novel.

There are no footnotes and no index. In his "Author's Note" at the end, Wolfe provides a brief bibliography.

Many of Wolfe's paragraphs are too long, but this is the only thing I condemn unequivocally as a flaw. For history I do prefer straightforward factual narration, not flippancy, and if I were writing this only to myself, I would consider that flippancy a flaw. Nevertheless, the acclaim this book has received indicates that most other readers are not bothered by Wolfe's style. So you will probably not consider it a flaw.

Though some of Wolfe's details are inaccurate, details are soon forgotten anyway, and for this book I think they are not worth harping about. I give him five stars because of his revealing portrayals of characters. They are accurate enough, I think, and they will be remembered.

P.S. July 30, 2012:
I tried reading THIS NEW OCEAN: A HISTORY OF THE MERCURY PROJECT, which is NASA's official history of the Mercury Project. It was tedious, made more so by its lack of a list of abbreviations and an index. Though John Catchpole's PROJECT MERCURY was written with the same matter-of-fact, term-paper prose, it had a list of abbreviations and an index and was more readable. Though I had to work to get it and though I had to pay a steep price for his book, Catchpole at least gave me the information that Tom Wolfe left out.
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RDD
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Read for All Spaceflight Enthusiasts!
Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2021
Verified Purchase
Tom Wolfe’s 1979 book, “The Right Stuff,” chronicles the diverging research of high-altitude rocket planes and spaceflight from the early 1950s through Project Mercury, contrasting the Mercury Seven astronauts with test pilots at Edwards AFB and Naval Air Station Patuxent River, with Chuck Yeager standing out as exemplifying the “right stuff” even though he was not chosen for the space program. Wolfe writes in a somewhat conversational style, working to capture the mentality of test pilots of that era and how it defined what it meant to be a pilot for generations to come, much as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and others did for pilots of the early twentieth century. Wolfe further evokes the heady emotion of the days of Mercury, when the immediacy of the Cold War turned the Space Race into a battlefront of sorts and the astronauts into Single Combat Warriors to whom the public paid homage. However, Wolfe points out that the test pilots at Edwards were skeptical of the space program, particularly as those running it initially conceived of the pilot as little more than a passenger in a capsule. Meanwhile, the test pilots in the high desert were flying rocket planes to altitudes that required the same skills as a spacecraft, such as control of attitude jets since the air was too thin – or nonexistent – for the plane’s control surfaces to work as the plane had crossed the boundary into space. Despite these achievements, the astronauts captured the public’s imagination and eventually succeeded in using their public positions to regain some of their status as pilots, though the heady days of Mercury did not last into the Gemini and Apollo programs, where spaceflight became more routine as astronauts were longer regaled as Single Combat Warriors.

The style and success of Wolfe’s book ensured its adaptation and Hollywood has done so twice, first in Philip Kaufman’s 1983 film and again in the 2020 television series from National Geographic. This Vintage Classics copy is a nice paperback edition with a great pop-art cover and an introduction from Astronaut Scott Kelly that helps to capture of the legacy of “The Right Stuff.” Something appears to have gone wrong during the formatting process, however, as there are several typographical errors throughout the book (extraneous letters jumbled in the middle of words, words divided by a hyphen as if they were meant to be split between two lines, and multiple instances of the number 1 in place of an “l” or an “I”). These occur often enough to be noticeable, but thankfully Wolfe’s narrative is engrossing and makes up for it.
10 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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OC
5.0 out of 5 stars The right story
Reviewed in Brazil on October 27, 2021
Verified Purchase
Essa é a versão original, excelente. Fuja de releituras sensacionalistas, como a disponivel em um certo serviço de streaming (não é o Prime) que despreza os fatos em prol de uma estória mais apelativa. O filme dos anos 80 é bem mais próximo ao livro e também vale a pena.
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DaveWallace
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must for any Space Lover
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 4, 2024
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Brilliant. Loved it, cover to cover. What incredible brave heroes these men were that opened up that great frontier that has subsequently revealed so much to us regarding Life.
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Mario Mora Lara
4.0 out of 5 stars la aventura de conquistar el espacio
Reviewed in Mexico on July 11, 2021
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una lectura necesaria para descubrir los aportes de la carrera espacial
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Shammo
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome !
Reviewed in India on May 12, 2022
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Very lively storytelling
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Mike
5.0 out of 5 stars Wife doesn’t care about space but likes to read. I bought for her. She likes space now
Reviewed in Canada on May 30, 2020
Verified Purchase
I bought this for my wife who is not a space person at all... despite me bringing her to some of the best air and space museums in the world. But after she read this book it really opened her eyes.
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