Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: Off the Planet: Surviving Five Perilous Months Aboard the Space Station Mir by Jerry M. Linenger ISBN: 0-07-137230-X Publisher: McGraw-Hill/Contemporary Books Pub. Date: 12 December, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.98 (42 reviews)
Rating: 2
Summary: Gen-X in space, or, Jerry Linenger as Super Ego!
Comment: What is it with this guy? Perhaps the answer comes from Bryan Burrough's book, "Dragonfly"(a must-read, if only as an antidote), which yields a far more balanced view of this self-centered egomaniac. While in astronaut training, Linenger's colleagues dubbed him "Hollywood", a name he richly deserves.
No, seriously, I don't question that riding Mir for five months took some heavy stones -- but why no kiss-and-tell books from Linenger's unfortunate Mir-mates? One gets the feeling they wish he'd just go away.
Dangers in space? Well, duh!! Linenger wants it both ways - the "aw shucks, t'ain't nothin'" veneer of a Chuck Yeager, with the recognition of a rock star and our endless appreciation for his "daring". What on earth (pardon the pun) did he expect? An airbone Hilton like the movie 2001? Throughout his odyssey, Linenger adopts the attitude of "what's in it for me?" rather than trying to find ways to contribute to the success of the mission. Gen-x space.
During his five months in orbit, Linenger blew off his ground support crew, antagonized his colleagues, and managed to fully live up to the stereotype of "ugly American."
This book is an embarassment...it's no wonder NASA began distancing itself from Linenger the minute his shuttle flight home touched down. Arguably, other Mir visitors (Michael Foale, in particular) had even hairer moments -- but they've accepted it as part of a very risky job, and not used it as a springboard to stardom. Foale is still on flying status -- Linenger is not. 'Nuff said.
It's interesting to note that most of the truly heroic astronauts(John Young - first shuttle flight, two Apollo flights, Neil Armstrong - first moon walker, Story Musgrave - two Hubble missions, including the repair mission) have shunned the spotlight, while the hacks (Buzz Aldrin, the Ed McMahon of astronauts, and Linenger himself) have tried to trade starlight for limelight.
Rating: 5
Summary: A very human astronaut's tale
Comment: I was wrong. I picked up Jerry Linenger's long-overdue book expecting it to be a somewhat bland account of an astronaut's existence aboard Mir. Instead I found it to be eminently readable, and a truly facinating tale, with enough intensely dramatic content to keep me reading beyond each chapter heading. Other reviewers have mentioned his account of the fire aboard Mir - a very harrowing description indeed, but I was fascinated by some of the smaller vignettes, such as his terror at standing on the end of a robotic arm, thrust out and away from the shuttle, feeling like he was in perpetual freefall off a cliff. I've read many books by and about a lot of space explorers, and it was nice to find a solid, human account of life as a recent NASA astronaut. All too often these days the astronauts just seem to be the same person going up on the same shuttle doing the same things, and little is known about them beyond their names. Thank you Jerry for humanising the shuttle-Mir program. But above all else I wish to congratulate him for a superb book written without the ubiquitous ghost-writer. The words are his own, and I feel he's crafted this book superbly. I certainly enjoyed it a great deal, and wish it every success.
Rating: 3
Summary: The truth about life on Mir
Comment: Jerry Linenger wrote "Off the Planet" to describe his out-of-this-world (literally) experiences on the Mir spacestation, as an American astronaut working with the Russians. This autobiographical book goes into Jerry's adventures with Mir's copious mechanical problems, his reflections on life on earth, and the politics of the cooperative space program between Russia and the United States. I received this book after Jerry spoke at a conference I attended. I do not usually read books in this genre, but to my surprise, it was an entertaining read and I ended up purchasing another copy for my father.
The format of the book is not exactly chronological. Each chapter could be a standalone essay, focusing on a different event or issue on Mir. The early chapters introduce Jerry, and show the progression of his career up to his training for Mir. The last few chapters go into Jerry's newfound perspective on existence, and the difficult adaptation back to earth life.
Jerry's writing style is as direct and unceremonious as his speeches. He explains complicated scientific issues with ease, and even this liberal arts major could understand what he was talking about. He talks about lofty topics, like Russian-US relations. Then he'll move on to discuss how astronauts use the bathroom, or the difficulties of eating pretzels in space.
There have been quite a few criticisms of this book. Some have said that Jerry is egotistical. If he hadn't admitted this fault in the book, I wouldn't have noticed it. It seems appropriate for an accomplished astronaut to be proud of his work. Others claim that there is another side to the story, but there is always another side to the story. I know that I am reading about Mr. Linenger's perspective of the events on Mir, and I can put it into context with other published works.
I already agree with the sentiments with which Jerry Linenger sums up his book. He tells us that we should live each day as if it is our last, to enjoy all the natural bounties that the earth gives us, and to value our precious time on the planet. Each breath of oxygen and moment in the sunlight should be cherished. I completely agree. One way that this book has changed me is that it has made me more aware of the space program. When I hear about unmanned landings on Mars or even events on Mir, I perk up and listen more closely than I had in the past.
 |
Title: Letters from MIR: An Astronaust's Letters to His Son by Jerry M. Linenger ISBN: 0071400095 Publisher: McGraw-Hill/Contemporary Books Pub. Date: 19 August, 2002 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
 |
Title: Dragonfly: NASA And The Crisis Aboard Mir by Bryan Burrough ISBN: 0887307833 Publisher: HarperCollins Pub. Date: January, 2000 List Price(USD): $26.95 |
 |
Title: Genesis : The Story Of Apollo 8 by Robert Zimmerman ISBN: 0440235561 Publisher: Dell Pub. Date: 01 December, 1999 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
 |
Title: This New Ocean : The Story of the First Space Age by William E. Burrows ISBN: 0375754857 Publisher: Modern Library Pub. Date: 05 November, 1999 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
 |
Title: Waystation to the Stars by Colin Foale ISBN: 0747273804 Publisher: Headline Book Pub Ltd List Price(USD): $29.95 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
