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Summary: Michael Collins' "Carrying the Fire"
Review: I found this to be a highly-entertaining, very insightful look into the life of an astronaut during the Space Race of the 1960's. Col. Collins has an unique blend of humor, drama and history in this selection. I highly recommend this book for astronaut buffs!
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Summary: If You Intend to Loan This Book Out, Be Prepared to Buy Two
Review: I hate reviews that alternatively gush or are entirely critical of an author's work. Such reviews could be boiled down to a simple "buy the book" or "don't buy the book". Having got that out of the way, this is the best autobiography I have ever read. Period.Michael Collins has produced what should be the definitive text for any writing class and for any history class dealing with the latter half of the 20th Century. The writing is clear and concise. The technical subject matter does not overwhelm the human story. Humor is woven throughout (Collins alone in the bar telling the bartender that he's going "up there" - which earns him considerable distance from the bartender and no more drinks after the first). For someone who was literally one of the chosen few and came out on top in a competition among the "best of the best", the self-deprecating style is delightful and, quite frankly, refreshing. Nothing can be better than an important story, well told. This is it. Three sad points, however. First, I am unaware that Michael Collins ever wrote another completely unique book (his second outing was a somewhat simplified version of this book). We are all poorer off as a result. Using this work as an example, I would buy a book on the pros and cons of wet socks if it was written by Michael Collins. Second, while men like Michael Collins are probably still around, I am not sure that we are giving them the opportunity to show us the greatness we can achieve when we put our minds to it. This book reminds us that real heroes aren't judged on what their latest movie did at the box office or what their latest baseball contract is worth. Men like Collins signed on to risk their lives as part of a group accomplishing something that was truly exciting and worthwhile. Can any of us even name one astronaut from the latest shuttle or ISS mission (not including kid singers who want to buy a ride - or have others buy it for them)? The fact that times have changed so much from Collins' heydays is sad. Third, this is the second copy of this book that I have had to purchase. Against my better judgment, I loaned my first copy to a friend (just who I can't now recall) and never saw it again. I'm telling the next guy who asks to borrow this one to go out and buy his own. I suggest you do the same. And oh yeah - buy the book.
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Summary: The inside story -- well written
Review: I read it, and re-read it. I couldn't put it down. Along with the information on the US Space program itself, it has insights into the family life of the astros as well as how they interacted with each other. As a bonus, a strong sense of humor comes through in the writing that makes the sometimes technical nature of the book spring to life. It is very entertaining! Far from a dry account of "I did this," you are left with a clearer sense of the incredible magnitude of the US Apollo and Gemini programs. If you ever wondered what went through those men's minds as they made history, this is the book for you! Thank you Mr. Collins!
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Summary: Still the best space autobiography
Review: I read this book before I was interested in space and astronomy. It changed me forever. There is no better book for telling you "like it is". Not a lot of hindsight or second guessing, just good narrative as if you we're there. It's number one on my list for gifts to anyone who can read!
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Summary: Funny stuff!
Review: I thought Collins's book was the best of any I have read about the golden age of the US space program. Collins was funny; made me laugh out loud a bunch. I also recommend "Deke!" and "A Man on the Moon."
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Summary: He writes as well as he flies
Review: If Michael Collins hadn't become a pilot he could have done very well as a writer. The book explains the space program from the inside through the eyes of someone who saw much more than men and machines. Collins puts humanity into the science while exploring the heroic exploits of both the astronauts as well as the people behind the scenes. This isn't a brag book. It is an honest recount of the most exciting achievement to occur in my lifetime. His other book, Liftoff, is just as well done. Michael Collins makes me proud to be American. He is a true hero.
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Summary: When Will We Return?
Review: If only the people in power could read Astronaut Collins' account of Apollo 11 and be as moved and inspired by it as I was, I know that we as a nation would go back and continue the fantastic, noble and important exploration that was begun by heroes like Collins so long ago. Politics began and ended the space race but only vision and courage can propel us further--Carrying The Fire portrays both.
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Summary: Probably the best of the astronaut autobiographies
Review: In "Carrying the Fire" Michael Collins has given us a very unusual picture of the manned space program: a human and a humble one. While many of the astronaut autobiographies have been marred by shameless self-promotion ("Off the Planet" by Jerry Linnenger, or "The Last Man On the Moon" by Gene Cernan to name two), Astronaut Collins gives real warmth to his coming of age in the Gemini and Apollo programs. He is surprisingly honest about his own anxieties and fears, as well as candid about his role as "the one who didn't get to walk on the moon" on Apollo 11. Offered command of a later lunar landing, Collins demured, both out of respect for his family and out of a fear of pushing his luck. Collins often comes off as cranky and irritable, but never lets you forget that he started as an "outsider" amd had to climb his way to the top of the Astronaut hierarchy. I was especially impressed with his candid assessments of the other astronauts. Overall, a great read. Not as dramatic as some other books of this type, but probably more honest.
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Summary: Probably the best of the astronaut autobiographies
Review: In "Carrying the Fire" Michael Collins has given us a very unusual picture of the manned space program: a human and a humble one. While many of the astronaut autobiographies have been marred by shameless self-promotion ("Off the Planet" by Jerry Linnenger, or "The Last Man On the Moon" by Gene Cernan to name two), Astronaut Collins gives real warmth to his coming of age in the Gemini and Apollo programs. He is surprisingly honest about his own anxieties and fears, as well as candid about his role as "the one who didn't get to walk on the moon" on Apollo 11. Offered command of a later lunar landing, Collins demured, both out of respect for his family and out of a fear of pushing his luck. Collins often comes off as cranky and irritable, but never lets you forget that he started as an "outsider" amd had to climb his way to the top of the Astronaut hierarchy. I was especially impressed with his candid assessments of the other astronauts. Overall, a great read. Not as dramatic as some other books of this type, but probably more honest.
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Summary: THE BEST DESCRIPTION OF SPACEFLIGHT EVER WRITTEN
Review: Many of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo astronauts have written autobiographies but this is the only one that really describes what spaceflight is like, as experienced by the astronaut himself. Mike Collins puts the reader right into the spacecraft alongside the author. He also describes the training the astronauts went through as well as short but colorful descriptions of his fellow astronauts. It is indeed unfortunate that none of the twelve men who walked on the moon has written an account that is of the caliber of this book. A reader interested in the Apollo program from the viewpoint of the men who flew in it should read, in addition to this book, Andrew Chaikin's masterpiece "A Man on the Moon" and can skip the other astronaut autobiographies.
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