Rating: 
Summary: Authentic, authoritative, and impossible to put down.
Review: This book pulls the reader along with the force of a Saturn V as it eloquently recounts one of the most audacious adventures in the history of man.
With a journalist's eye for detail, Chaikin describes the difficult journeys to the moon and the harsh climate astronauts faced once there. He shows us the thoughts and fears of men riding a spacecraft so frail its hatch bulged outward from its own cabin pressure, then landing amidst moon dust so abrasive it wears the rubber handles off tools in a matter of days, and finally driving for miles on a vehicle flimsy enough that it would have collapsed under its own weight back on earth.
"A Man on the Moon" works on many levels--it's an authoritative history, a detailed character study of the various astronauts, and a rip-roaring page turner. One senses the sheer enormity and complexity of the Apollo program, but Chaikin takes care not to bog the reader down, and he focuses on the truly tense and meaningful moments in each mission, rather than simply chronicling everything from start to finish. Chaikin also shows how individual astronaut personalities conflicted with and complimented one another, during both the crew selection process and the actual missions. Perhaps most importantly, though, he does the one thing that invariably makes history come alive--he shows that events weren't foreordained but were rather the consequence of a great deal of planning, preparation, hard work, gutsy decisions, and a lot of luck.
Only one minor (but relatively memorable) fault stood out--when describing Apollo 11, Chaikin misquotes a Bible passage that Buzz Aldrin said to himself after landing on the moon. It's a trifling detail, but it's the kind of thing that sticks out in the mind.
Still, the sheer number and specificity of the recollections from the various astronauts makes it clear that Chaikin has done his homework. He's gotten inside their heads; indeed, he's gotten them to take us inside, too, to take us to a place we've never been, to show us what it really felt like to walk on the moon. This will be--this surely is--the definitive history of Apollo.
Rating: 
Summary: Amazing Book, some flaws.
Review: This is an amazing book, and makes me feel even more respect for those involved with the Apollo program. He describes well the large push of people and resources working together to achieve something astronomically great (pun not intended). This is one of those books that you only put down when you're exhausted from reading - not because you're sick of it. Chaikin covers the entire Apollo series from the start to finish and does a very good job of stiring up awe inside you. He introduces us to the astronauts, their families, the NASA staff at the Cape, and the thousands of people working together to make it all a reality. You really feel the achievement of Apollo 8, the tension and subsequent relief of Apollo 11, the we-will-overcome attitude of Apollo 13, and the anger at the early end of the Apollo program when the politicians lacked the will to continue. Some of the most sobering words in the book are that we've lost the ability to return to the moon. This is a book I will read again.
Having said that, his coverage of the most historically significant mission - Apollo 11 - is lacking. Perhaps this is to do with the reclusive nature of the participants, but it is a downfall of the book. I can't help feel that the book needed more coverage of what Armstrong and Aldrin were feeling once they detached from the command module and headed for the moon. I guess the author can only record what they were prepared to share.
I can't help feel inspired about my own goals and things that are important to me after reading this book. Big things are possible to those who try. And this book has encouraged me to try.
Rating:
Summary: If you could have only one book about the Apollo missions...
Review: This is it. Man on the Moon is an indepth read of all the Apollo missions, and the numerous individuals involved in fulfilling President Kennedy's desire to land a man on the moon and return him safely to Earth before 1970. Man on the Moon influenced, to a large extent, the HBO mini series "From the Earth to the Moon", which is my opinion,one of the best pieces of television ever made.All the Apollo missions are covered, beginning with the illfated Apollo 1, when Grissom, White and Chaffee died of asphyixation, to Apollo 7 (the first manned mission after Apollo 1), to the last mission Apollo 17, when Cernan and Schmitt were the last men to walk on the moon. Some missions naturally have more attention focussed on them; Apollo 8, Apollo 11, and Apollo 13. Despite this, Chaikin still devotes much time to the other missions, and the circumstances surrounding them. Chaikin has a particularly easy reading style, which given the technical backdrop for the book, is impressive. He introduces the reader to all the major players, Astronauts, Engineers, and Officials of NASA, all brought vividly to life. He provides plenty of ancedotes in his discussions of each particular mission, making for entertaining reading. If you want to know about the manned Apollo missions, get this book. You won't regret it.
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