Rocket Men: The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man’s First Journey to the Moon

Voice actor Porter effortlessly captures the full swing of events that led America to surpass the Soviet Union in the race to be the first country to orbit moon. Set against the backdrop of Vietnam War protests and racial tensions following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., the story centers on the three astronauts picked to head the excursion. Astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders, along with a team of NASA engineers, planned and executed the mission in the span of four months. Porter fully captures the thrill of pulling together the risky Apollo mission, in which the slightest miscalculation could have meant death for the three-man crew. Whether laying out the technical specs of a rocket, conveying the human interactions between the astronauts and their families, or recreating in-flight banter between the crew, Porter’s narration is highly engaging. Skillfully rendered by Porter, this is an epic tale of American triumph. A Random House hardcover. (Apr.)