Gustavus Adolphus: A History of the Art of War from Its Revival After the Middle Ages to the End of the Spanish Succession War, With a Detailed Account of the Campaigns

Customer Reviews:

An Indispensible Classic!.......2001-08-18

When I first took this book out of the Amazon.com box, my first thought was, "What have I gotten myself into?" It was a massive tome, covering a century of European warfare in considerable detail. Not only was it huge in size and scope, but I was worried about the prose, given the age of the text.

Fifty pages into the book, I could not put it down. This is quite simply an extraordinary military classic. T.A. Dodge is an exceptional military historian. Unlike many of those who ply that trade, Dodge was a veteran officer and possessed of exceptional military judgement. This is no chairborne commando, but an insightful and experienced soldier whose wealth of practical military experience brings the reality of 17th Century warfare alive.

Any understanding of military history from 1618-1815 (yes, that's 1815, even though the book stops in 1712) will be deficient without this book. Dodge tells the critical story of how armies evolved from relatively disorganized and short-term field armies to vast, professional military establishments controlled by the monarchs of Europe. The evolution of the modern state cannot be fully understood if one does not appreciate this facet of the military revolution of the 1600s. Dodge is equally adept at bringing the battlefield tactics of the time to life, and illustrating their development. He skillfully guides the reader along the path of military evolution which ultimately sets the stage for Frederick the Great and Napoleon Bonaparte.

The caveats of this book are that it is long on text and short on maps. The lack of maps makes following the course of marches and counter-marches somewhat difficult. Furthermore, a basic knowledge of the geopolitics of the time is helpful.

For anyone with the fortitude, this book will bestow upon them a deeper understanding of a seminal period in European history.

Informative, but Tedious.......2000-05-30

I read this because I really enjoyed Dodge's military biography of Hannibal, but this book, possibly due to the period covered, was episodic, and without knowledge of European political history during the reign of Louis XIV, hard to follow. The first section, covering Adolfus's campaign in the Thirty Year's War, was quite entertaining, mainly because his efforts were dramatic, innovative, and successful against overwhelming odds. However, once into the military exploits of Conde, Turenne, Cromwell, Eugene, and Marlborough, the narrative becomes rather monotonous, describing one siege after another, one uneventful campaigning season after another. (This, too, no doubt reflects the time: the whole period of the post-Adolfus Thirty Year's War and the War of the Spanish Succession was one vast war of attrition.) Dodge does describe the important battles quite well, and offers incisive assessments of the character and abilities of the period's leading military figures. The book is long (about 850 pages), and long on military facts and figures. Dodge, a veteran of the American Civil War, writes in a rather formal and technical style, adding to the difficulties in wading through the text. I would give the book an "A" for information, but a "C-" for readability. If the subject matter really interests you, I'd say give it a try. If not, pass.

Africa's Choices After Thirty Years of the World Bank

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Thoughtful and Comprehensive

Africa's Choices After Thirty Years of the World Bank
Michael Barratt Brown , and Michael Barratt Brown
Manufacturer: Westview Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0813333342

Customer Reviews:

Thoughtful and Comprehensive.......2001-09-09

This book demonstrates conclusively that the World Bank has done little more than shore up colonial economic structures. However, instead of stopping there, Brown goes on to demonstrate that African institutions and progressive NGOs provide an excellent alternative to the World Bank model -- an alternative that stresses development led by the people of Africa themselves.

After Moruroa: France in the South Pacific / Moruroa and Us: Polynesians' Experiences during Thirty Years of Nuclear Testing in the French Pacific : An article from: Contemporary Pacific

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After Moruroa: France in the South Pacific / Moruroa and Us: Polynesians' Experiences during Thirty Years of Nuclear Testing in the French Pacific : An article from: Contemporary Pacific
David A Chappell
Manufacturer: University of Hawaii Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000B96RKW
Release Date: 2005-09-02

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After Thirty Years
W. E. Gladstone
Manufacturer: Kessinger Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

Written by his son, this literary work tells the story of Mr. Gladstone's life. He attempts to present a true and complete picture of his father's personality, as most other writers had presented an untrue picture of his father, thus transforming the man into what is repellent and untrue. The author gives his own views of Mr. Gladstone from his own personal knowledge, records and experience. He admits at possessing no skill at writing or composing books, but facts are facts.

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After thirty years
Herbert John Gladstone
Manufacturer: Macmillan and Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B00085MSYS

AFTER THIRTY YEARS - History of the Gladstones

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AFTER THIRTY YEARS - History of the Gladstones
Viscount Gladstone
Manufacturer: London, Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000K73FGY

Product Description

A personal history of the Gladstone family with a discussion of his father's (William Ewart Gladstone) controversial Eastern foreign policy.

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After Thirty Years Poland Revisited
Helen O. Bristol
Manufacturer: Tuttle Publishing Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O0518W

After Thirty Years The Weekly People and the Socialt Labor party Through a Generation.

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After Thirty Years The Weekly People and the Socialt Labor party Through a Generation.
Socialist Labor Party. National Executive Committee.
Manufacturer: NY:
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000IUVKHY

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After thirty years: Poland revisited
Helen Ogrodowska Bristol
Manufacturer: The House of Tuttle
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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After thirty years: the daring young man on the flying trapeze

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After thirty years: the daring young man on the flying trapeze
William Saroyan
Manufacturer: Harcourt, Brace & World
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0007DK83Y

Amazon.com

With the same blunt honesty that characterizes her online journalism, Spike Gillespie chronicles her disastrous love life, a litany of abusive, alcoholic men she seems to have selected primarily to reexperience the unhappiness she felt in her relationship with her distant, hypercritical father. At 35, she managed to salvage three good things from the mess she made of her youth: a network of loving friends (she knew several good men, she just slept with all the bad ones); her writing career, based in large part on savagely intimate excavations of her personal affairs; and her son, Henry, with whom she finally found the joyous love that eluded her with father, husband, and countless lovers. If it weren't for Henry (born in 1990) and Gillespie's exuberantly X-rated prose, this would be a grim tale indeed, filled with heavy drinking, self-sabotage, and groveling self-abasement to a series of losers and nutcases, described with pitiless precision. Gillespie doesn't pretend to be objective--her second husband in particular is practically nailed to the page--and readers may sometimes find it hard to understand how the obviously intelligent author could have made the same mistakes over and over. But her candor is compelling, and her tender letters to Henry extremely moving. --Wendy Smith

Book Description

Some women have trouble with men. For Spike Gillespie, a widely followed online journalist, those problems started early with her father -- the first and most important man in any child's life. Spike's relationship with her emotionally distant parent was so flawed that she has had an unending series of disasters with men...from the day she first noticed them to the day she made one of her own -- her perfect little boy, Henry.

In a memoir of sometimes lacerating honesty, Spike Gillespie tells us the story of her life with men -- a blunt, moving, and profoundly revealing account that asks all the hardest questions about love between the sexes. All the Wrong Men and One Perfect Boy isn't a memoir of abuse or tragedy. But it is about the lack of connection -- to family, to lovers, to the world -- that defines much of modern life. Most importantly, however (and here Henry comes in), Gillespie also tells us a story of hope and resolution, of reaching out to touch the world with the newest tools, the computer and the Internet -- and in the oldest way -- through one's children. And it's about the deepest mysteries -- how we love the ones we love, and how we stop loving them when they're destroying us.

Spike Gillespie first began chronicling her thirty-year adventure of love and heartbreak in a weekly online column, and within a few months she was being described by USA Today as the queen of the online confessional. Gillespie has continued to feed her stream-of-consciousness biography to thousands of readers via her website. After years of publishing to the online community, now she is ready to tell the whole tale. Gillespie is a natural storyteller, a writer with a marvelous ability to immerse her readers in a flesh-and-blood world of her lovers, her family, her friends...and above all, her son. This is a writer unafraid to tell the truth -- about human nature, men, family, and motherhood. The result is a memoir of unadorned and refreshing power from a woman on the most intimate terms with passion, anger, love -- and herself.

Customer Reviews:

Wrong men? That depends on what you want from them.......2003-02-23

This memoir was not such a bad one as other reviewers condemned. The way she writes is so smooth that I actually could not stop although I found it a bit dull in the middle of the long series of her seemingly endless WRONG MEN tour. The biggest climax of the story, though, as told from her perspective was the point where she finally acknowldged that she had been unconsiously looking for all the wrongness in men, instead of goodness, as evidences to prove that ALL MEN are BAD, which was her life long hyperthesis originally drawn from an early relationship with her father that fatally formed her identity as a woman. That makes sense and sounds sensible enough. For this valuable recognition, the documentations of all the wrong men weren't useless. On the contrary, they are so important. However, the description of her drunk & one night stand session was unnecessarily interminable. It did not seem to be so essential to name all of them. That almost made the whole book pointless. (I know. She nailed them down even they looked too much.)
The other thing I found problematic was how she concluded the story; she actually sounded as if she hurriedly and forcefully made herself to have made a reconciliation with the haunting hate for her father. I was not quite convinced,though. It sounded as if she jumped to an easy solution because she had to put an end to the story just to close the draft.
It depends on what readers want from the book wheather they like it or not and if they finish the book with resentment or satisfaction. I found it OK. At least, that presented one grown up but confused female figure just like anyone else with almost brutal honesty. She did not even hesitate to reveal her weak points such as over self-pity and insecurity, just as a great number of typical young women today. That's what counts most when we read this.

A Sad Story, but readable.......2001-07-13

It's all true. She does not learn from her mistakes, so the reader may find themselves wanting to hurl the book at the wall when she once again falls into her own traps. There were many times while reading that I found myself saying out loud, "Oh Spike! Why?" Especially when the topic of Dad came up - poor Dad, who buys her cars, who provides her with a summer house; poor Dad who doesn't understand rebellion. If you like contemporary memoirs, and I do, I still found this a compelling read. I ignored the one star reviews, because while I agree that her constant missteps are tiresome, she is a good writer. She shares a lot about herself - could you be so open about your own mistakes?

very true - but very sad.......2000-07-12

I have never read any of Spike's work before but also born in Jersey - and by chance going to USF in Tampa - as she had - the book held a lot of promise... The beginning is great - the honesty and plain english makes it very easy to read. It also makes it easy to connect with and understand. Although I agree with other readers that she should not simply blame her father, complain about others drinking habits, and then go on binges herself - but... for some reason i could not stop reading (towards the end i really wanted to) but maybe that says more about my personality than it does about this book.

The beginning is filled with great "real" excerpts of Jersey life at the shore AND the relationships - but as the story goes on - all that is explained is her relationships - in sad - depressing detail.

I understand the need to be loved but - it doesn't take 276 pages to bash the idea into my head! I just feel bad that she had to go through all of this without resolving any of it.

Very readable - but overall frustrating - because she does not learn from her mistakes.

vicious victim.......1999-11-01

reading this chronicle of spike's life as a professional victim felt rather like watching a train wreck. true, it is a quick and engaging read, but i found that my patience for her endless poor choices and impulsive, irresponsible behavior wore thin quite quickly. rather than examining how she might work to create the self-esteem necessary to protect her from her bad choices (or addressing the hard-core substance abuse that paves the way for every one night stand, enables her to enter into highly dysfunctional long-term relationships, serves as an easy excuse for her lack of judgement with regard to her son, and does so much to further damages her already troubled relationship with her father), she spends her time viciously blaming everyone else for her unhappy experiences. yes, her life has been tough in a way that will ring true for many, and it is impressive that she has created a successful writing career by mining that source material, but it seems to me that all of her life's disasters were equally of her own making.

spike's life and the way she writes about it both seem chock full of the inconsistency and self-serving double standards so common in the pathologically self-absorbed. to cite just one example, she claims that her husband's drinking and use of xanax were primary factors in her decision to leave her husband, only to later detail yet another of her many drunken binges and her own use of prozac.

ultimately i was bored by her constant griping and desperate need for sympathy, and concerned by how little she actually seems to grow as a person during the course of her narrative. yes she has survived and, hopefully for her son's sake, is trying to create a healthier life for herself, but unfortunately i suspect that there are many more bad choices ahead for this woman.

A book-length pity party that gets old fast.......1999-10-31

The book isn't badly written, in the sense that the writing style is smooth and well-executed. However, the story itself is a flat tale of someone with a serious martyr complex. Some people seem to thrive on feeling sorry for themselves. Spike is one of these people. Her world is filled with one-dimensional characters, most of them evil, sick, crazy men. Reading Spike's tale, you get the feeling there's a lot more to the story than what she claims. The truly interesting book would be one where these "wrong men" had a chance to respond to her version of events. Some look at Spike as a "feminist". To me, she's everything feminism should be against: Ultimately weak, whiny, desperate for sympathy and approval...not to mention perpetually defining herself by the men in her life. Henry is the only sympathetic character in the whole sad tale. Too bad that by the time Spike has at last put her life in order, Henry will be the one writing whiny, self-deserving "confessions" about how his mother set him on the path to find "all the wrong women".

Average customer rating:

A pleasure to read
insulting, to say the least.
Wonderful book.
A must for any gay person.
Well written . . . compelling . . . hard to put down

All-American Boy: A Memoir
Scott Peck
Manufacturer: Scribner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0684870479

Book Description

"A survivor's tale that in its universal appeal brings to mind the most compelling aspects of "Gal" and "Shot in the Heart." Through the course of these scathing, inspiring, instructive pages, Scott Peck, writer and human being, grows into one hell of a terrific man."--Michael Dorris.

Customer Reviews:

A pleasure to read.......2001-09-26

Scott Peck is to be congratulated on a truly excellent piece of work. With a writing style that is surprisingly light, given the heavy, unpleasant subjects he is describing, he takes us through his life and details the problems gays growing up face, particularly in military families.

The British news magazine "The Economist" called this a "lovely book". I certainly don't disagree. Strongly recommended.

insulting, to say the least........2000-11-08

i admit, it was one of the most well-written books i have ever read. peck definately has a way with words (that's where the two stars come from). i just think he uses them for the wrong thing. one word that i can describe the book in is bitter. i could also add hateful, biast, judjemental, misleading... it made me angry and the only reason i read the whole dang thing is i kept thinking it might get better. he might actually open his eyes. fat chance. the whole book is one big complaint about his childhood and he runs over everybody in the process. and then all of a sudden at the end it gets all happy and touchy-feely and i can't figure out why. all he does is find any way he can to insult christians, giving himself excuses for his stupidity and making himself out to be God. i wouldn't be surprised if half of it was made up. and if it's not, this guy needs to find a better way to crucify people.

Wonderful book........2000-04-11

I read this book during a rough time in my own life and a friend who knew Scott Peck recommended it to me. This man's writing is so beautiful that I really didn't want it to end. I felt like I had come to know this boy. I think that every gay man and woman can identify with parts of this novel and that all parents of gay children should read this. Scott Peck has an incredible, heartfelt and painful story to tell and when he finishes the reader comes out feeling as triumphant at the writer.

A must for any gay person........1999-02-15

This is one of the best books on being gay I have read. It is up there with "The Front Runner." All-American Boy forces you to re-live the pain and isolation of growing up gay, helping you to confront it again and purge it. This is a great book both for gays and for their parents who are struggling with understanding.

Well written . . . compelling . . . hard to put down.......1998-12-29

Having dealt similarly with the author's religious issues, I was unable to close the book until sleep overtook my senses each night. A quick and pleasant read - good book for friends and family who want to understand the painful dynamics involved. Excellent support that homosexuality is not a choice as Peck shares his own failed attempts at heterosexuality and the ensuing self-hatred.

Well-chosen vocabulary and excellent writing with only a few metaphorical ramblings. The digressions, however, seem to represent the author's maddened state-of-mind during the times of most difficult self-conflict. A good introduction for those trying to accept themselves.

Average customer rating:
ALL-AMERICAN BOY A MEMOIR

Manufacturer: Scribners
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000H2HR70

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All American Boy: A Memoir

Manufacturer: Alyson Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GWZT2Q

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ALL-AMERICAN BOY a Memoir
Scott Peck
Manufacturer: Scribner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O8Y1F8

Average customer rating:

A book that takes risks

Hearing it in Col. Cunningham's first person reading makes NASA space history come alive!

A 22 Disc Journey into America's Fascination with Space!

"Strange Mix of RAND Co. Scientist and Marine Fighter Pilot"

Outstanding!

The All-American Boys
Walter Cunningham
Manufacturer: IBooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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We Have Capture

Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journeys

For Spacious Skies: The Uncommon Journey of a Mercury Astronaut

The Last Man on the Moon: Astronaut Eugene Cernan and America's Race in Space

Apollo : An Eyewitness Account By Astronaut/Explorer Artist/Moonwalker

ASIN: 1427617368
Release Date: 2007-04-03

Product Description

Walter Cunningham was a former Marine jet jockey and physicist who became NASA's second civilian astronaut. This no-holds-barred candid memoir presents the astronauts in all their strengths and their weaknesses. From its insider's view of the pervasive "astropolitics" to its thoughtful discussion of the Columbia tragedy, The All-American Boys resonates with Cunningham's passion for humanity's destiny in space which edures today. This audio book is narrated by Walter Cunningham himself.

Customer Reviews:

A book that takes risks.......2007-09-24

The space race of the 1960's was a crossroads in time that will never be repeated.

Walt Cunningham had a crow's nest view of that period. As a member of Apollo 7, the first Apollo mission and the first successful flight after the catastrophic Apollo 1 fire that almost disbanded the space program, he was able to see the inner workings of the American space program. He has recorded this unique perspective in "The All-American Boys."

"The All-American Boys" is a rare document of what really happened in the early days of the space program. In my opinion, most other astronaut memoirs are cleaned up versions of the truth--all "flag waving" and "ballyhoo." One gets a sense in the All-American Boys that the space race is being presented warts and all, including the social and political quirks of being an astronaut.

This version is an unabridged audiobook of Walt's book, which was first published in 1977 but thoroughly updated for this version. It covers Mercury/Gemini/Apollo but also shuttle/MIR/ISS. Walt himself narrates the audiobook, which is a great bonus. His pleasant narration makes the 22 discs go by very quickly

Unlike most other astronaut memoirs, you get your money's worth with this book. Highly recommended.

Hearing it in Col. Cunningham's first person reading makes NASA space history come alive!.......2007-08-24

Col. Cunninghams's audio CD version of The All American Boys is, simply put a great listen! Having read the hardback, I thought that there would be little to gain in buying the CD version, but I was wrong. His carefully spoken rendition has laugh-out-loud moments, and his tough but thorough thought provoking commentary on the space race, NASA, the Russian's, the International Space Station, and the future of man's involvement in space is a must have. I don't know why, but hearing it 'first person' and in the spoken words of someone who was there, and who made this history, is a remarkable thing. Can't recommend it highly enough.

A 22 Disc Journey into America's Fascination with Space!.......2007-06-18

Absolutely Fantastic!
Walt's voice resonates through you as he recounts his life experiences before, during and after his NASA years. This is a wonderful way to learn about Americas Space Program from the ground up.
Whether you have read the AABoys or not, nothing matches hearing this incredible story with the true life passion only the author and main character, Walter Cunningham, can convey.
A great joy, and true and exciting find! A must have for anyone interested in space history and space exploration. What fun it was to replay parts to hear the subtle inflections in Walt's voice just to gain a greater insight into how this space hero must have felt during the space race years, through to the changes that are on the horizon today.
A most favorite addition to my space collection!

"Strange Mix of RAND Co. Scientist and Marine Fighter Pilot".......2007-02-13

I got the title of this review from Apollo 11 astronaut Mike Collins who described fellow astronaut Walt Cunningham this way. Only a few people have flown in space, and so we would expect astronaut auto-biographies to talk about this, but unfortunately, only Mike Collins book "Carrying the Fire" does it. After reading a few other autobiographies I finally came to the conclusion that it is not really worth the time and money to get their books, with them spending most of the pages discussing petty jealousies, practical jokes, celebrity golf tournaments, and their success or failure in the world of business.. Thus, I was somewhat reluctant to purchase Cunningham's, but the reviews convinced me to give it a try. Fortunately, it was worth it. Cunningham does share the flaw of the others in that he also doesn't describe his Apollo 7 flight in any detail, but the uniquness of his book is that he does give an interesting perspective on the American space program, and his fellow astronauts, not seen in the other autobiographies.
Part of the reason is, as Collins pointed out, that Cunningham received a rigorous scientific education and was involved in scientific research before going to work for NASA. This gave him a greater ability to objectively judge the qualities of his fellow astronauts.
The original Mercury astronauts were good pilots, but one of the most important qualitites that they were chosen for was ability to stand immense stress, because at that time, it was not known how spaceflight
would affect the astronauts, physically or mentally. After Project Mercury proved the stresses were not as bad a feared, new generations of astronauts were chosen who had better education, better ability to understand the increasingly complex Gemini and Apollo spacecraft and a greater appreciation of the importance of the exploration of space in a scientific sense, something the Mercury astronauts did not have so much.
Cunningham also shows that the grind of training took a toll on the Mercury astronauts, and he says frankly that the commander of his Apollo 7 mission, Wally Schirra, who flew outstanding missions in both Mercury and Gemini (piloting the first rendezvous mission with another vehicle) didn't really have his heart in his Apollo mission and it negatively influenced his performance. Schirra repeatedly lost his temper during the mission which gave his whole crew a bad reputation leading to both Donn Eisele and Cunningham being banned from further flights (everyone admits Cunningham got an unfair rap in this). Cunningham also frankly points out that although the crew indeed proved that Apollo spacecraft was flight worthy, they didn't really accomplish nearly as much as they could have during their relatively long-duration flight in a scientific sense.
Other interesting things I learned from this book was that, starting with the two-man Gemini flights, the Mission Commander was the astronaut who controlled the abort initiation sequence, so he had to be significantly better, and management required more confidence in him than in the other astronauts who flew along, and in borderline situations, he had to have the best "feel" for how the flight was going and the spacecraft was performing.
One surprising thing Cunningham reveals was the most astronauts felt that
in the Gemini 8 mission (first docking of a manned spacecraft), astronauts Neil Armstrong and Dave Scott made a serious mistake leading to their spacecraft to spin out of control. Fortunately, they got it back under control and made an emergency reentry. Most histories of the space program say it was a mechanical glitch and that Armstrong's cool response gave Deke Slayton the confidence in him to assign him to be the commander of the first landing on the Moon.
Cunningham feels that ultimately, although all the astronauts were talented and qualified, the flight crews were chose based on Slayton's
feelings of friendship
for the fellow (although it should be pointed out that the great success of the space program shows that Slayton did generally pick the best to fly) and this was more important than ability, physical fitness or other objective considerations. Famous examples was Slayton giving Alan Shepard the Apollo 14 mission without him having served as a back-up crewmember on a previous mission. Although Shepard did an excellent job landing the Lunar Module very close to the desired target, his subsequent performance during the lunar EVA left a lot to be desired and much possible scientific gain was lost. Another example was Gene Cernan crashing his helicopter while he was ogling sunbathing girls. Many people
thought this would wash him out of his Apollo 17 command position, but Slayton covered up for him (it should be pointed out that Cernan did an outstanding job both piloting and carrying out his scientific duties on that flight).

Finally, although he wrote the book before the Space Shuttle first flew,
he points out that many of the astronauts felt too many compromises were made in designing it and that it wasn't safe. Cunningham points out that fighter pilots and astronauts find taking life-endangering risks to be exhilirating IF THE RISK IS NOT TOO GREAT. However, they oppose taking foolhardy risks, and not a few astronauts felt the Shuttle fit into that
category. Subsequent history has unfortunately shows that was the case, and the new Orion spacecraft is going back to an Apollo-like design and getting away from the "space-plane" concept.
All-in-all, I found the book a good read and a pleasant reminder of the
glory days of the manned space program that led to man walking on the moon.

Outstanding!.......2005-06-14

This guy is one opinionated s.o.b. - but this book is all the better for it. Because Walt Cunningham is aware of his limitations, and has the virtue of being right in his strongly-held opinions.

I'd recommend this book even for those not interested in space flight. To see the cut-throat office politics behind a smooth veneer... it's something that relates so much to many walks of life. The fact that it is told here in the golden age of space flight makes it all the better. Wow! A great book.

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