Dark Side of the Moon

Nov 16, 2024 4:23 PM

Author:Gerard DeGroot

For a very brief moment during the 1960s, America was moonstruck. Every boy dreamed of being an astronaut; every girl dreamed of marrying one. But despite the best efforts of a generation of scientists, the almost foolhardy heroics of the astronauts, and 35 billion dollars, the moon turned out to be a place of 'magnificent desolation', to use Buzz Aldrin's words.

In Dark Side of the Moon, Gerard DeGroot reveals how NASA cashed in on the Americans' thirst for heroes in an age of discontent and became obsessed with putting a man on the moon, in the process limiting what could be acheived in space. Drawing on meticulous archival research, DeGroot cuts through the propaganda peddled by the Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson administrations - not to mention the NASA spin doctors - and exposes the truth behind one of the most revered myths of American history.

Reviews

A canny academic's take on the real reason behind America's obsession with beating the Soviets to the Moon, and the absurdity of what they found

—— Esquire

Annoyingly thorough and readable

—— Giles Whittell , The Times

DeGroot gets off to a terrific start: his prose is punchy, his contentions startling, his indignation palpable

—— John Preston , Sunday Telegraph

It can't be denied that beyond the dingy politicking, lunatic number-crunching and slide-rule stuff, there was something grand about the US space programme. DeGroot's achievement is to have preserved that, even as he exposes the dark side

—— Brian Morton , Sunday Herald

An elegant contribution to the history of the space age. For space nuts who think Apollo is all about heroism, it should be compulsory reading

—— Andrew Smith , Sunday Times

DeGroot goes far beyond his precise academic remit in bringing us this caustic, absorbing and suttee exploration of how and why the dream died

—— Euan Ferguson , Observer

DeGroot has a good ear for anecdotes and his narrative is highly amusing.

—— John Michell , Spectator

An enjoyably written argument

—— Sinclair McKay , Daily Telegraph

A gripping account

—— Adam Forrest , The Herald

DeGroot tells the story of the American lunar mission with verve and elegance

—— Richard Aldous , Irish Times

Fascinating, gossipy and occasionally hilarious

—— Jeffrey Taylor , Express

Ackroyd's view of Venice is not that of an infatuated lover... but more the magisterial distillation of much knowledge and reading, conveyed in prose that aspires to the glassy elegance of La Serenissima herself

—— Harry Eyres , Financial Times, Travel books of the year

Opulent, shimmering prose

—— Celia Brayfield , The Times, Christmas books

Ackroyd does Venice, his sonorous, scene painting prose advancing in rhythmic columns until no quarter of the city has escaped assimilation.

—— Ian Pindar , Guardian

Ackroyd's achievement is to bring the city back to life and help you to experience differently. Take it with you next time you visit.

—— Kate Quill , The Times

His dark tapestry ... deserves a place in every visitor's luggage

—— Independent

Ackroyd writes about Venice as an idea, with stylish meditations on such topics as time, light, water, sexuality, politics and psychopathology...he writes so well that at times he'd drive you mad - "Venice represented an idea that was itself eternal" - but if you just climb into his gondola and go where he takes you, the rewards are great indeed

—— Arminta Wallace , The Irish Times

Many books have been written about Venice by authors like Mary McCarthy and Jan Morris. Ackroyd's advantage is his poetic eye

—— Colin Waters , Sunday Herald

Ackroyd writes beguilingly as he weaves his way around the lagoon, supplying interesting details en route...

—— Jane Knight , The Times

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