Jay Barbree
"Live From Cape Canaveral" (2007)
Author: Jay Barbree
Genre: Nonfiction (History/Space Travel)
Book Summary:
Author Jay Barbree is the only reporter to cover every space mission flown by astronauts. He takes the reader from 1957 when he watched Sputnik 1 pass overhead from a field in Georgia, to the space shuttle program and the international space center and everything in between. His anecdotes of both astronauts and fellow journalists give readers both an inside story on all aspects of the space program as well as showing the evolution of how the press covered it. Barbree also provides analysis of the US rivalry with Russia as well as his opinions of the military bureaucracy and its negative impact on the space program. He concludes by touching upon the plans for a lunar outpost that would aid our travel to Mars and beyond.
Geographical Setting: Cape Canaveral, Florida and various locations in the USA and Russia
Time Period: 1957 to present with some flashbacks to earlier years
Appeal Characteristics:
The characters in "Live from Cape Canaveral" come to life with Barbree's anecdotes. He lived and worked along side many of them and gives us a first hand look at their pranks, their dedication and their fears. When he quotes Neil Armstrong saying he felt like a kid in a candy shop when he was on the moon you can feel his excitement. The setting in Florida invites the reader to share what it was like to be at Cape Canaveral when it was the most exciting place to be for anyone interested in space or new technology. It is interesting when he compares the sleepy little fishing village of Cocoa Beach with the growth of the space center. To help with this the book has numerous black and white pictures scattered throughout as well as a section of color pictures in the middle. These graphics really help put a picture to the person, the location or the rocket being described. The pace is steady but seldom slow as we move from success to setbacks and back to success. The tone is neither dark nor light. It hits an appropriate medium with serious topics such as the Challenger disaster given the solimnity it deserves while at other times the anecdotes of the astronauts pranks gives the book a fun feel. The writing style though always gives the sense of the wonder and admiration that Barbree feels for his subject. When he talks about returning to the moon or continuing to Mars you can feel his desire to be there when it happens.
Real-alikes: For readers who enjoy learning about the early history of the space program try A Ball, a Dog, and a Monkey: 1957, the Space Race Begins by Michael D'Antonio. This book covers the first year of the space race from the Russians preparing Sputnik to Americas first satelite launch. Its look at the fascinating characters who were at the begining of man's quest for space and the quick pacing as the US races against Russia make this a good choice. Another book that follows the US space program is Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon by Catherine Thimmesh. Here we follow the tremendous effort involved in putting a man on the moon, not from the astronauts view but from all the behind the scenes workers, from the seamstresses who made the space suits to the employees who built the lunar landing module. The writing style of the Robert F Sibert Informational Book Medal winner is both informative and inspiring as we follow the successes and challenges that lead to this milestone in the space program. The characters are well drawn out using their direct quotes and NASA transcripts to put a human face to the scientific work. A classic book about the space program and a National Book Award winner is Tom Wolfe's The Right Stuff. This book starts even earlier that the previous titles with Chuck Yeager's days as a test pilot and gives a close look at the inner lives of the astronauts that began the space program. The characters draw you into the events as they become first guinea pigs for NASA and then a nation's heros. The pace is fast as the space program grows and the astronauts compete to be sent into space. For readers who enjoy the work that goes into a scientific discovery try Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time by Dava Sobel. This book tells of the life of John Harrison and his 40 years spent inventing the chronometer, the first insturment that could keep accurate time for navigational purposes.The writing style is fun as well as educational and the well developed setting gives the reader a feel of what the time period was like. Another book that puts scientific discoveries into easily understandable stories is Circles: 50 Round Trips Through History, Technology, Science, Culture by James Burke. These short essays from hisScientific American column covers a huge realm of creations and inventions from a wide variety of time periods and scientific areas. With his writing style he demonstrates the connections of inventions through degrees of seperation in a fun and facinating way. The pace is quick as we fly from one connection to the next and ending back where we started.
Red Flags: Anecdotes of astronauts breaking the law with pranks, death in the Challenger disaster covered.
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