Rating: 
Summary: Failure Is Not An Option
Review: In Gene Krantz's book you do get an interesting depiction of life behind the scenes during all of NASA's spectacular successes and failures. His writing technique is the limiting factor that prevents this book from really grabbing the reader. The other problem is the alternative sources of information concerning the period particularly The Right Stuff and Apollo 13. Both these vehicles have extensive viewership (and readership) and have set the standard for the dramatic nature of NASA storytelling. This book did contain some fascinating details on the "seat of the pants" flying the NASA team did, especially on the earlier missions. However, because the writing is so mechanical it was very hard to get emotionally attached to any particular person or persons in the story (even the austronauts we already know). This situation is created by Krantz's effort to tell us EVERYTHING that was going on during the missions (a most difficult task). One example of this is the stories he tells during Apollo 13. This most dramatic of missions has been burned in the public psyche through the movie. Yet the two most dramatic scenes (the creation of a CO2 filter and the simulation of CSM power up) are given only two paragraphs. The only other quibble with the book is the marked lack of disagreements among the staff across all the years (there were only two in the book). Now I realize that Krantz believes in Mom and Apple Pie, but it would have been interesting to see some of the dirty laundry. All in all this is an enjoyable read especially for technical people and those interested in the space program. It is a great history of some amazing achievements in our country's history.
Rating: 
Summary: Coffee Will Make You Black
Review: In the book Coffee Will Make You Black, by April Sinclair, the lead character Jean Stevenson, Stevie to her friends, tells in a narrative perspective of her adolescent years, growing up in Chicago in the 1960's. The book is like Stevie's diary. She tells you her experiences with boys, girls, love, sex, popularity, school and racism in a comical and to-the-point fashion. The book is a quick, easy, fun read that hooks you from the start. It deals with very realistic issues that are fun and interesting to read about. The book makes you feel like you are part of Stevie's chaotic life. She gives you the opportunity to share her deepest, darkest, secrets. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate the book an 8. I enjoyed reading it greatly, and finished it in one day. I liked reading it because it dealt with issues that I deal with. It tells of Stevie's hard times with boys, other girls, sex, love, popularity, which are all important to me now as a freshman in high school. It didn't take very long to get into the book because the first page is a humorous anecdote about a boy asking if 12 year old Stevie is a virgin. Stevie, confused with the meaning of virgin, goes home and asks her mamma. The whole book is little anecdotes like the one above so I liked it from the start. The book isn't very short yet the words and vocabulary are very easy and simply written so stumbling over big words is not a problem. Nothing very big happens in the book, it stays rather monotone throughout. Something I found a little hard to understand was the slang. Since Stevie is growing up in the sixties in Chicago, there are bound to be differences in slang but overall the read is easy. It may be hard for younger people to read this book because they might not get what some of the terms mean. This book reminded me of many movies about teenage-hood. Like American Pie or Election. I have never read another book by April Sinclair but I enjoyed this book and will read other works by this author. In class we have reading groups where there are four groups of five kids and each group reads a different book. To decide which book to read the teacher read the first pages of every book. I enjoyed the first page so I signed up to read this book. Since the book is written from a females perspective, I think that girls would relate and enjoy reading it more because it deals with female issues. I can imagine a guy not understanding the complete intent of the author. The book is very funny so I think that the reader should have a good sense of humor, and maybe someone that grew up in the sixties could relate to an even greater extent. " What does 'coffee will make you black mean mama?' 'The old folks in the South used to tell that to children so they wouldn't want to drink coffee. The last thing anybody wanted to be was black."' This quote is from page 111 in the book. I chose this quote not only because it is obviously the line in which the title of the book comes from, but because it also represents the feelings about different races at the time. I don't get why people ever thought that darker skin made a difference. Personally I think all racism is ridiculous and that this quote is very interesting. To think that back then the children were told that in order to stay lighter they shouldn't drink coffee is ridiculous. It shows that back then they weren't proud of their skin color and would do anything, like not drink coffee, to stay lighter. I wonder if maybe this saying was also to keep kids from just drinking coffee. Maybe they didn't want the children to drink too much caffeine. In any case being darker was the worst thing imaginable. I hope that this quote shows a little bit of how the book is written. This is a more serious moment in the book but I thought it was important. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Rating: 
Summary: We needed that book!
Review: After reading, and highly enjoying, books from many Apollo era astronauts (Shepard, Slayton, Lovell, Bean, Cernan, Collins), I wished I could learn more about the people living at the other end of the microphones, and about their work at developing, simulating and supporting America's first manned space missions. I once clearly said to myself: "What we need is a book from Gene Kranz!". Just shortly later, I had the great surprise of finding that the said book was actually released. I immediately got it and found out that I was right. We did need to know about the complex aspects of the Mercury-Gemini-Apollo missions in a view somehow parallel from the astronaut's. It really made the whole picture clearer by looking at it from a different angle. I was fascinated to learn that it all started with just a few guys, no teacher, no how-to-do sheets (and also with one few-inch flight!), and developed into very well organized and performing teams of highly capable and dedicated persons, who could efficiently get people to the Moon and back. The book really makes us figure the importance of the quite large, complex and competent support teams whose work was as crucial as the astronauts' for each mission to achieve its objectives, and for a country to reach its goal. I especially appreciated his way of introducing and give credit to each individual he felt was important in making the challenge of the century successful. Thank you very much, Mr. Kranz, for spending the energy that allowed us to share the memories of someone who had the great opportunity to closely participate in such a key period of mankind history. Many thanks for letting us in the Mercury-Gemini-Apollo Mission Control rooms. After reading your book, I couldn't agree more with you: it really does look like the next best place to be from the spacecraft.
Rating:
Summary: A new perspective on the effort to reach the moon
Review: Most of the books written about the early days of the space race and the dramatic race to the moon focus on the astronauts and their feelings upon being part of the program, with their autobiographies, and biographies written by Apollo historians, such as Andrew Chaikin's "Man on the Moon. However, this book by flight director Gene Kranz offers a new perspective on the missions, as he explains how the dramatic events in the void of space were handeled by mission control in Houston-Alan Shepard's Freedom 7 flight, John Glenn's Friendship 7 flight, the first lunar orbit on Apollo 8, the first lunar landing on Apollo 11, and the "successful failure" of Apollo 13. The story of these missions have been told many times, yes, but not in the eyes of a man in mission control. The book is not high literature, as the sentences are short and choppy, but that is not likely to concern a space buff reading this book. Overall, this book is a unique and new perspective on the early days of the space program.
Rating:
Summary: A good first effort which falls short...
Review: A fairly good description of the manned space program up to the end of Apollo from the Mission Control side, this book still leaves the reader wanting greater perspective on the overall effort to reach the Moon. Yes, the writing is unpolished, but the style does capture the man who played a critical role in the early years of the NASA Mission Control--Gene Kranz is a true American original. There is little new material here, but there are a few interesting anecdotes. More discussion of the post-Apollo era would have made this book a much better tome. Furthermore, some of the criticism of NASA today is a bit off base. The NASA of today is a much different place than the one Kranz was a part of in the Cold War era, and warrants a different vision than the space agency of 30 years ago. I enjoyed this book, and recommend it for space buffs. A better book for the casual reader, however, is probably "Moonshot" by Deke Slayton and Alan Shepard.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Much New
Review: The history has been told, and better, in other books. If not for Apollo 13, the movie, Kranz would be an unknown. His contributions to space were no more than a half dozen others, and less than some like the fabled Christopher Kraft. Kranz is no writer; it's the personal stuff that gives his book any credence. Unfortunately, he put an awful lot of focus on himself without much mention of the people who brought in on board, then trained him. The tidbits about life in NASA are interesting. But as a history, this is just another average memoir by somebody who got lucky with a movie.
Rating:
Summary: An Insider's View of the Culture of Mission Control
Review: Gene Kranz provides the reader with a remarkably vivid account of what it is like to be behind the scenes of Mission Control. From the initial procedures he wrote for the Mercury program, to the clipped voices of controllers working a spacecraft contingency to the sometimes abandoned way they let off steam off-console, Mr. Kranz brings you an accurate and very readable account of the MCC. From my own experiences of 20 years in the MCC, this book provides a very personal glimpse in how we continue to work. For the reader who remembers growing up with the highs and lows of the space race, this book will rekindle all the emotions of the time and fill in many of the blanks that can only come from an insider such as Mr. Kranz. "Failure Is Not An Option" should be required reading for any one currently working at the MCC, and for anyone wanting to learn more about what it took to put a man on the moon.
Rating:
Summary: The man behind the missions
Review: Thanks to "Apollo13", Gene Kranz's name has become known to new generations, as well as those whose memories of the moon landings had faded. Even so, few knew much about the man who played a key role in the whole of America's space programme, from its first (sometines desperate) attempts to keep up with Russia's lead, until the Shuttle took on Kennedy's torch into space. This book provides a clear insight into the space programme itself, but (unlike other books on the subject) it gives the reader a rare glimpse of the inner thoughts, fears, and patriotism of the man who was only 35 when he led the team of controllers which actually guided the Apollo missions to their objectives (and got them home when things went wrong). Kranz is open about his strong religious convictions, his patriotism for his homeland, and his absolute belief in what he was doing. His commitment to the men with whom he worked comes across strongly, "men" who themselves were in the main only just out of college. In many ways, this might be expected, from a former fighter pilot, and a man whose crewcut hair style scared off the boys chasing his daughters. What is unexpected, is the raw emotion that the experiences which he went through generated in him. Kranz is honest throughout each chapter of this entralling book. He writes as both a team player, and a team leader. Reading the book clearly shows why he is in demand at conferences to speak and pass on some of his proven ideas about clear leadership and vision. I confess to being both a space buff, and a fan of Gene Kranz. Nervertheless, I can strongly recommend the book which serves not only as another historic record of those exciting times, but also as being a book which, for once, shows in a meaningful way how something can be achieved, if the team want it badly enough.
Rating:
Summary: Rehash With an Ego
Review: In 400+ pages, the most common word is "I." Kranz offers little that is new, other than his "I" perspective, and manages to ignore some of the most important people of the space race, including his ultimate boss, Robert Gilruth, who is only now beginning to get the credit he deserves. Kranz owes his fame to Apollo 13 -- the movie, not the mission. But for a quirk of scheduling, other and better flight directors would have been in his seat during "the problem." Not that he wasn't good, and that his book doesn't give some insight into his ramrod militaristic nature; he shows how decisions were made on his shifts, or sometimes not made quickly enough. Other authors have covered the same ground on mission actitivities, with better writing skills and more colorful details. His own admission that he had little contact with astronauts leaves the book with a gap of understanding, and left this reader with the hollow feeling that too much is missing of the real story in mission control and too much is present of a fairly modest "I" story.
Rating:
Summary: Remarkable Time, Men, Women, And Accomplishments
Review: The fact that Apollo 13 did not appear in the book until page 306 of 380 pages put a great deal of NASA and their missions in perspective for me. Apollo 13 is well known by those who remember, and a generation that learned about it through the movie, and great books like, Tom Lovell's "Lost Moon". I hope as many people know about the tragedy of Apollo 1, and The Challenger is still rather fresh in the public's mind. Apollo 13 was an incredible accomplishment by all involved, and the 3 men who persevered to make it back are nothing short of remarkable. Those on the ground took everything so personally, but the crew actually had to live through it. However the book puts this mission into perspective by taking the reader through the Mercury and Gemini programs as well. Alan Shepard was the first to climb on a rocket that had a bad habit of exploding. I don't know what the "Right Stuff" actually is, but he had to made from it. And the Mercury Astronauts that followed all had experiences that were way up on the terror scale for non-astronauts/test pilots. That is one of the most eye opening parts of this book, every mission was so new, that the majority had problems that were potentially fatal. You will read about the first moon landing, I never knew what happened on that one. Manned mission hit by lightening, a mission coming back with engines still on because who knew if the heat shield was still there. Every mission is just incredible from the complexity, and despite this, the rate of success. I especially admired the manner that Mr. Kranz discussed the blown hatch on Gus Grissom's flight. The movie did a grave injustice to a man who subsequently died doing his job. The factual stories are incredible, taking liberties with what happened for dramatic effect are not necessary, and, in this case cruel. The way the Mission Control people worked together, trusted one another, and took responsibility for their actions, is better than any management book I have ever read. The young age and the responsibilty that people in their 20's had was remarkable. Mr. Kranz and all those like him are role models; their integrity and personal commitment were total. They gave this Country over a decade, a type of pride that was unique, and they did it with a special kind of class. Long before the politicians got around to it this group was ahead of the human relations curve. The final Lunar Landing included a gesture that could only be made by the USA, as we were the only Country to plant 6 flags there, and had the selflessness to pay tribute to a group that you will have to read the book to learn about. I don't believe many Countries would have done it, and I suppose it really was not a Country, as much as the men and women acknowledging what is and what is not important. An exceptional memoir!
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