Reviews
"Unforgettable days and some unforgettable characters were brought vividly back to me by this truly wonderful book. They were fun × they were also incredibly difficult, hard-working, and agonizing times, watching dear friends launch into space with my heart in my mouth. This book offers a treasure trove of memories."-Dee O'Hara, nurse to the astronauts, "[ Into That Silent Sea ] dispenses with distracting technical jargon and nationalistic jingoism to deliver ten superbly composed, thoughtfully balanced chapters about the astronauts and cosmonauts who flew Mercury and Vostok/Voskhod missions. . . . Avid readers will revel in the authors' masterful compilation of these straight-forward, detailed mini-biographies."- Air Power History, "As well as vividly picturing the men, this book also accurately tells the story of the very first women to train for spaceflight in Russia--and women like me in America who hoped for the same opportunity to reach for the stars."--Wally Funk, rocket pilot for Interorbital Systems Corporation, "[Into That Silent Sea] dispenses with distracting technical jargon and nationalistic jingoism to deliver ten superbly composed, thoughtfully balanced chapters about the astronauts and cosmonauts who flew Mercury and Vostok/Voskhod missions. . . . Avid readers will revel in the authors' masterful compilation of these straight-forward, detailed mini-biographies."-Air Power History, "Eminently readable, well-crafted. . . . The merits of this popular history rest in the elegant narrative and the authors' thoughtful awareness of the space explorer genre."- Air & Space Smithsonian, "Unforgettable days and some unforgettable characters were brought vividly back to me by this truly wonderful book. They were fun times; they were also incredibly difficult, hard-working, and agonizing times, watching dear friends launch into space with my heart in my mouth. This book offers a treasure trove of memories."-Dee O'Hara, nurse to the astronauts, "A well-written account about the Americans and Russians who were the first to fly into space. . . . [The book] offers some excellent profiles of these individuals that are accessible to both newcomers to space history and well-read enthusiasts alike."- Space Review, "Francis French and Colin Burgess don't have any special hooks or other gimmicks inInto That Silent Sea; instead, they simply offer a well-written account about the Americans and Russians who were the first to fly into space. . . . The book . . . offer[s] some excellent profiles of these individuals that are accessible to both newcomers to space history and well-read enthusiasts alike."-The Space Review, "Into That Silent Seais an excellent reminder of just what Gagarin and other trailblazers did and how they became international celebrities in their own right. We seem to have forgotten just how new the frontier of space was. . . . Many people today seem to view space programs as an extravagance or with disinterest. For those who remain interested in those programs and have read the prior histories and memoirs, it never hurts to be reminded of just how pioneering the first steps were."-Tim Gebhart,Blogcritics.org, Boston.com, " This frank, entertaining, no-holds-barred ride through the golden age of space flight takes us behind the official stories, into the real lives of the very first astronauts and cosmonauts." -- Wally Schirra: Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo astronaut, "As well as vividly picturing the men, this book also accurately tells the story of the very first women to train for spaceflight in Russia-and women like me in America who hoped for the same opportunity to reach for the stars."-Wally Funk, rocket pilot for Interorbital Systems Corporation, "French and Burgess's history will engage the space-program audience."YA/S: Advanced supplementary reading for teens fascinated by space travel, "[An] eminently readable, well-crafted contribution to the burgeoning genre of first-person accounts and popular histories of space explorers. . . . The merits of this popular history rest in the elegant narrative and the authors'' thoughtful awareness of the space explorer genre."-Air & Space Smithsonian, "[ Into That Silent Sea dispenses with distracting technical jargon and nationalistic jingoism to deliver ten superbly composed, thoughtfully balanced chapters about the astronauts and cosmonauts who flew Mercury and Vostok/Voskhod missions. . . . Avid readers will revel in the authors' masterful compilation of these straight-forward, detailed mini-biographies."- Air Power History, "This frank, entertaining, no-holds-barred ride through the golden age of space flight takes us behind the official stories, into the real lives of the very first astronauts and cosmonauts." Wally Schirra: Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo astronaut"Unforgettable days and some unforgettable characters were brought vividly back to me by this truly wonderful book. They were fun times; they were also incredibly difficult, hard-working, and agonizing times, watching dear friends launch into space with my heart in my mouth. This book offers a treasure trove of memories." Dee O'Hara, nurse to the astronauts"As well as vividly picturing the men, this book also accurately tells the story of the very first women to train for spaceflight in Russia--and women like me in America who hoped for the same opportunity to reach for the stars." Wally Funk, rocket pilot for Interorbital Systems Corporation"[An] eminently readable, well-crafted contribution to the burgeoning genre of first-person accounts and popular histories of space explorers. . . . The merits of this popular history rest in the elegant narrative and the authors' thoughtful awareness of the space explorer genre." Air & Space Smithsonian "Francis French and Colin Burgess don't have any special hooks or other gimmicks in Into That Silent Sea ; instead, they simply offer a well-written account about the Americans and Russians who were the first to fly into space. . . . The book . . . offer[s] some excellent profiles of these individuals that are accessible to both newcomers to space history and well-read enthusiasts alike." The Space Review "French and Burgess's history will engage the space-program audience." Booklist "A well-written account about the Americans and Russians who were the first to fly into space. . . . [The book] offers some excellent profiles of these individuals that are accessible to both newcomers to space history and well-read enthusiasts alike." Space Review "For space fans, this is a good read." CHOICE " Into That Silent Sea is an excellent reminder of just what Gagarin and other trailblazers did and how they became international celebrities in their own right. We seem to have forgotten just how new the frontier of space was. . . . Many people today seem to view space programs as an extravagance or with disinterest. For those who remain interested in those programs and have read the prior histories and memoirs, it never hurts to be reminded of just how pioneering the first steps were." Tim Gebhart, Blogcritics.org, Boston.com "I enjoyed every page of this nearly 400-page tome. I was disappointed to finish it simply because I wanted to read more. . . . If you're new to this field of reading I'd highly recommend starting with this book. The background on the spacefarers is very interesting." Today in Space History Blog "The straightforward yet engrossing writing style of this history will interest readers from the junior-high level to adults. . . . What is especially compelling about this race into space story is the humanistic narrative, describing the individual cosmonauts and astronauts. . . . For younger readers, the description emphasizes the characteristics of determination, scholarship, loyalty, comraderie, dedication, and fitness--traits that are essential for astronaut applicants." Rita Hoots, Journal of College Science Teaching, " Into That Silent Sea is an excellent reminder of just what Gagarin and other trailblazers did and how they became international celebrities in their own right. We seem to have forgotten just how new the frontier of space was. . . . Many people today seem to view space programs as an extravagance or with disinterest. For those who remain interested in those programs and have read the prior histories and memoirs, it never hurts to be reminded of just how pioneering the first steps were."-Tim Gebhart, Blogcritics.org, Boston.com, "A well-written account about the Americans and Russians who were the first to fly into space. . . . [The book] offers some excellent profiles of these individuals that are accessible to both newcomers to space history and well-read enthusiasts alike."-Space Review, "Eminently readable, well-crafted. . . . The merits of this popular history rest in the elegant narrative and the authors' thoughtful awareness of the space explorer genre."-Air & Space Smithsonian
