Review: First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong by James R. Hansen

Title: First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong
Author: James R. Hansen
Publisher: Simon Schuster
Publication Date: May 29, 2018 (first published June 27th 2005)
Edition: ebook (464 pages)
Genres:

• Nonfiction
• Biography
• History
• Memoir
• Space Exploration
• Science

My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

When Neil Armstrong became the first person to set foot on the moon on July 20, 1969, he became part of history and a living icon. James R. Hansen, as his authorized biographer, offers a detailed and, I think, open and realistic portrait of the man.

What makes this book superb, however, in my view, is that in the telling of Neil Armstrong's story, Mr. Hansen also tells other stories--the stories of the other astronauts in the Apollo 11 crew, as well as many others who had gone before to get the space program and NASA to this place. The science and technology behind space exploration is also front and center. It gives the reader a sense of how we got from the idea of putting a man on the moon to actually doing so--the planning, the risks, and the very real possibility that these men may not return to earth. Also, Mr. Hansen describes the culture and political climate of the times, not only in the United States, but also events taking place throughout the world.

Though this biography is lengthy, I found I couldn't stop reading it. There is so much information here, presented in a way that kept me wanting to read on. I was just shy of my twelfth Birthday at the time of the moon landing, and I feel this book captures the feeling of so many on that day. If I had to narrow it down to just one word, it would be "possibility." This book will be on my list to revisit.