A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts

By: Andrew Chaikin

Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot

Audie Award, History/Biography, 2016

This acclaimed portrait of heroism and ingenuity captures a watershed moment in human history. The astronauts themselves have called it the definitive account of their missions. On the night of July 20, 1969, our world changed forever when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon. Based on in-depth interviews with 23 of the 24 moon voyagers, as well as those who struggled to get the program moving, A Man on the Moon conveys every aspect of the Apollo missions with breathtaking immediacy and stunning detail.

©2007 Andrew Chaikin (P)2015 Audiobooks.com

Simply Outstanding and worth every penny!

This is a must for anyone even somewhat intersted in histiry, space, Apollo or dreams of a return to manned spaceflight out of LEO.

Get it. You will not regret it!

Great record of the Apollo missions

Loved this book when I read it years ago. Thought I would "read" it again via Audible. I must say Andrew Chaikin has become the go-to authority on all historical Apollo facts and details. I'm so thankful he dedicated himself to that as this book is a great account of the missions.

My only disappointment with the audio book was the reading performance. As if the facts themselves weren't enough to spark awe in the listener, Bronson Pinchot felt he had to impose his own sense of what was important via many mis-placed inflections, and in doing so, did this great work a disservice; e.g. ".. travelling at twenty five .. THOUSAND miles per hour .. ". Additionally his over use of the label "L M" when referring to the lunar module, was cringe worthy. By stating both letters separately each time (instead of using the more appropriate pronunciation "LeM" as is the common vernacular used by NASA), it revealed a lack of knowledge and preparation that became a genuine distraction.

A great takeoff followed up by a flameout

The first half of the book keeps you wanting more every time you pause it. The Apollo 13 accident is the climax of the story. Unfortunately, after that, it seems to turn into a fairly in depth geology lesson. I guess I'm just not that into rocks. Great narration throughout.

Everyone Should Read This

What did you like best about this story?

This is a story that should be well known by people the world over. Andrew Chaikin spent 8 years writing this book -- investing so much time and effort in his research as well as his writing -- and the result is an informative and interesting account of the Apollo program and its ultimate achievements.

Any additional comments?

While I enjoyed Bronson Pinchot's narration for the most part, his consistent and exaggerated emphasis -- particularly for times, quantities, distances, and weights -- became distracting. A book of this nature is chock full of that type of description, so it happened frequently. I found myself wishing he would just say it normally at least once in a while!

Incredible stories of the Apollo missions

This book is an absolutely credible journey from Apollo 1 through Apollo 17. The book is written in a near fiction in like manner, that makes you want to keep listening even after you turn car off.