We read another interesting book and share our impressions. This time we have a popular science publication from Knygoliv “Apollo-8. The Story of the First Flight to the Moon” by Jeffrey Kluger. This is an incredible story about the crew of the American spaceship “Apollo-8”, which for the first time in history brought people into the orbit of the moon.

Apollo 8. Apollon 8: The Thrilling Story of the First Mission to the Moon

Author Jeffrey Kluger

Publishing house Knygoliv

Pages 432

Year 2019

Cover solid

Language Ukrainian

Format 60×90/16 (145×215 mm)

Site kniga.biz.ua

Jeffrey Kluger is a famous American journalist and writer. He has nine books and many articles to his credit. One of the most popular editions is called “Apollo-13” (Lost Moon).

It was this book that was made into a feature film of the same name by Ron Howard in 1995, starring Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, and Kevin Bacon. Next, he will write a book about Apollo 8, which was translated and published by Knygolav publishing house in 2019.

The main events in the book take place at the end of 1968 around the first manned space flight to the moon. Three brave astronauts, Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders, for the first time in human history, went to the Earth’s satellite on the Apollo 8 spacecraft. They were the first to circle the moon in its orbit, saw the reverse side of the satellite with their own eyes, conducted a number of studies, took a bunch of photos and successfully returned to Earth.

The upper paragraph is the climax of the book. But it itself begins years before that. The author tells in detail about Apollo 8 captain Frank Borman, as well as about two other crew members. He unfolds before the readers a broad picture of the mood in the USA at that time, shows their political crisis and problems, the elements of the “cold war” against the USSR and the space race.

The Union was the first to put its satellite into Earth’s orbit, and also launched the first man into space. Against this background, American President John Kennedy promised that by 1970 the United States would be the first to conquer the moon. Therefore, NASA did everything to turn the words of its murdered leader into reality.

As we know from history, they succeeded. First there was the success of “Apollo-8”, and in six months “Apollo-11” did even more and then man first set foot on the surface of the moon.

The price of these successes was very high. There were also failures and deaths of astronauts, a lot of work, trials, scandals and ruined lives. This whole path is very detailed, but at the same time interestingly described in this book.

Apollo 8. The story of the first flight to the Moon” is not just another scientific pop. It is an exciting adventure that reads better than any fiction. Although the publication uses a lot of technical details, they are all explained and do not interfere with following the main course of events.

The book is written simply and fascinatingly. Sometimes I forgot that I was reading science fiction, which means that it can be made into a new movie. “Apollo-8” will easily suit a wide range of readers – from teenagers to adults with various interests and hobbies. And for connoisseurs of space and its research, this is generally a must-have for the home library.

Apollo 8. The story of the first flight to the moon” has a hard cover, a medium font and yellowish paper that is pleasant to the touch. There is a handy satin ribbon bookmark, as well as a collection of photos of the team members, their preparations for the flight, the moon and other events mentioned in the book.

Despite the 400 pages of text, the publication is read very quickly and without interruptions. I literally could not tear myself away for several days until I saw the words of thanks from the author and realized that it was over. I recommend it to everyone who loves books and space.

Pros:
the quality of the edition is good, there is a convenient satin ribbon bookmark, an incredibly written story from which it is impossible to tear yourself away, there are detailed and understandable explanations of flights, the life of astronauts, their training, how they got to NASA, etc.

Cons:
not found

Conclusion:

Apollo 8. The story of the first flight to the Moon” is a very interesting book that draws you in and encourages you to read. In terms of attention-grabbing, it easily competes not only with other popular science publications, but also with series or films.

We recommend it for all fans of space, lovers of nonfiction and sci-fi pop. It will also be interesting to everyone who watches programs about space, the history of science, etc.