John Glenn: A Memoir

Rating:
Summary: The Story of a Perfect Life?
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: A True Hero tells his story
Review: I enjoyed this book. It is an easy read, yet tells an inspiring tale. John Glenn's story truly is the story of America from the Depression to World War II to Korea to the Space Race to the Senate and back to the Space Shuttle. He tells it in a straightforward, down-home style; his prose is far from scintillating or exciting-in fact, it can be a bit dull at times, and somehow he never quite "drew" me in to his personality. (Has he deliberately cultivated a bland personality and writing style so as to offend no one, being as he is a politician?) i found his discussion of his Senate career to be the least interesting part of the book; however, he does have some choice comments about a few topics and a few Presidents.

But really, overall, it's a pleasure to read about such a courageous, decent, man who succeeded in reaching his wildest dreams through hard work, goals and values. Cheers to John Glenn, a true American Hero!

Rating:
Summary: Folksy Review
Review: i know john and he is everything in a true american hero.an inspiration for all

Rating:
Summary: Delightful biography, but short on space hardware
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Fireflies in space
Review: John Glenn is a space pioneer and knows first hand that there is a "lot more water than land on earth". You feel his honesty in his writing, his no-nonsense approach to every day of his life. And then at age 70 he goes out into space again. Flying "Friendship 7" around in space is the climax of his life for this "down-to-earth" man. The forceful fist of destiny came down on Glenn in the form of his image, the mirror, which knocked him out of politics; he thought he dropped out, but he was dropped out until after Watergate when the Senate calls him. Up to date nobody seems to know: what were the "fireflies" in the night of space surrounding "Friendship". There is this mystery in the otherwise "nuts-and-bolts" story of John Glenn.

Rating:
Summary: Learn more about one of America's heroes
Review: John Glenn was always the Boy Scout of the astronauts, though interestingly he was never an actual Boy Scout. As we find here, his town didn't have a Boy Scout troupe, though a bunch of his friends and he formed their own, similar organization.

This is a full autobiography, going from childhood up until now. Glenn really did have a straightforward life, growing up in a town straight out of Norman Rockwell, marrying his childhood sweetheart, flying planes in World War II, becoming a test pilot and then a Mercury astronaut. He covers all of this in detail and goes on to his political career. Nothing is breathtakingly exciting (except perhaps some of the World War II bits and his Mercury flight), but it remains interesting nonetheless, told in Glenn's straightforward, matter-of-fact voice. He covers his political career, and I think it's characteristic that Glenn is more pleased with some of the subtle changes he managed to make to make government procurement less wasteful than any more headline-grabbing activities. He had the misfortune to run for president as a dull man in an era where spectacle and celebrity are everything.

Toward the end, he covers his return to space on the space shuttle. I think this was a pure publicity stunt on behalf of NASA (if not, then why was experienced astronaut Story Musgrave grounded on account of age?). Glenn, of course, doesn't see it that way. Certainly it wasn't a useful activity, and he provides some support for it.

So, read this not for any grand revelations but to learn more about one of America's heroes. We have too few of them.

Rating:
Summary: A thrilling, exhiliarating autobiography
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Critical Reflections
Review: There have been many assessments of John Glenn since February 1962, but perhaps none so critically important as those he has made in his Memoir's. All of us have fallen short of fully living our values and maintaining our ethical standards as we move through a life filled with temptations; we are but mortal. While Glenn is certainly an American hero of the highest caliber, and one of my favorites, his shortcomings remain a puzzle to me. The paradox of John Glenn is found in the staunch moralistic tone of his life before his Senate career, and his stance after taking that oath of office.

His criticism of the moral behavior of his fellow Mercury astronauts in 1960 is in stark contrast of his support for a president who was equally as guilty some 40 years later. His support for a political agenda that represents a normalization of deviancy leaves me wondering if his professed Christianity is truly a "born again" commitment or simply cultural attribute that can be influenced by power.

Glenn agonizes over his "guilt by association" in the Keating affair and presents a rather weak defense. He states that one of his reasons for entering politics was to prove that good men can survive and triumph in an atmosphere where power corrupts. Yet he leaves himself open on several occasions to simply reinforce the notion.

Glenn reviews his life in a manner that I found interesting and informative. As an avid space historian, he filled in a few areas of his life and the early manned space program that were unknown to me. Of interest too, are the occasional factual errors that have crept into the book, perhaps because much of the final composition was probably done by his co-author, Nick Taylor (who, overall, did a great job). Gordon Cooper's flight did not terminate early because "his spacecraft lost orbital velocity" but went the full 22 orbits. And, Gus Grissom was not "the first person to fly in space three times". He would have been had he not been killed in the Apollo fire. That privilege belongs to Wally Schirra who was the only astronaut to fly Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo.

John Glenn accomplished more in his three careers (Marine, Astronaut, Senator) than most of us will do in any one lifetime. We pray that his legacy will truly be greater than three Migs, 137 orbits and 9,414 senate votes.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent beginning biography
Review: This biography provided an excellent primer to John Glenn's life. The book is highly readable. Although, I did wish that he would have covered in greater depth his experiences during the intial formation of the Mercury 7. It did make up for this by examining the beginnings of his political theories. I do suggest this book to anyone who wishes to gain a broad overview of this man's life.

Rating:
Summary: John Glenn was reading his own book, so I decided to save
Review: time & go with the audio(albeit abridged) version.I figured it would be light & easy. Not that Gleen isn't smart. It's just that there is no pretense to the man. His stories are interesting if his delivery leaves something to be desired. They reveal little about the inner man. It is a standard, straight ahead autobiography of a man who isn't a writer. He was sucessful in several different fields then retired to do the best part all over again. Hero is an overused word today. But he a real one. That's a go. So are his memoirs.