That "Geno" Cernan was commander of Apollo 17, the final manned moon mission, was a fitting conclusion to a flying career that included two previous stints in space (Gemini 9 and Apollo 10). His frank, earthy memoir of his years at NASA adds another entertaining, informative volume to the burgeoning shelf of books illuminating the inner workings of the space program and the people who made it happen. Coauthor Don Davis, a veteran journalist, helps Cernan craft a colloquial prose style that nicely captures the competitive, macho personality that seemed virtually mandatory for astronauts in the 1960s and '70s. Cernan candidly depicts the reckless streak that twice led to needless injuries jeopardizing his spot on a mission. He also acknowledges the stresses endured by his ex-spouse Barbara as she struggled to be the perfect astronaut wife--cheerful and uncomplaining for the cameras while he experienced all the fun and adventure of the job. And it sure was fun, as becomes clear in the exciting descriptions of his spacewalk from Gemini 9 and stroll around the moon from Apollo 17. Detailed accounts of each flight, including technical problems and personal tensions (particularly with Apollo 17 teammate Jack Schmitt, distrusted because he was a scientist, not a test pilot), remind readers that the space program is a human endeavor, with inevitable failures that make the triumphs that much sweeter. --Wendy Smith


From Publishers Weekly
Gemini and Apollo astronaut Cernan, helped by Davis (A Father's Rage, etc.), takes readers with him on one great space adventure after anotherAincluding Gemini 9's "Spacewalk from Hell," Apollo 1's fire, Snoopy's hair-raising swoop by the lunar surface. Readers experience the agony of life-or-death decision making in the Apollo 13 control room, exult with Cernan and geologist Jack Schmitt throughout the mission of Apollo 17 and meet legendary characters of the astronaut corps and the technical and political leaders who shared their glory. Cernan reveals the risk-taking, competitive personality and oversized self-confidence that drove his success as a test pilot and astronaut. He also acknowledges his failings as a husband to his first wife, Barbara, whom he presents as a quiet, strong homefront heroine who always found the right words in public despite her private difficulties. However, careful readers may see more of Cernan than he intended to display. His admiration and friendship may justify letting Wernher von Braun and Spiro Agnew off the hook for what many consider their political and personal misdeeds, but his unforgiving view of Buzz Aldrin seems to stem from personal animus. Why must the last man on the moon demean the second? ("[Aldrin] came flapping into my office at the Manned Spacecraft Center one day like an angry stork..."). Despite the bad taste of Cernan's words about Aldrin, this is an exciting, insider's take on what it was like to become one of the first humans in space. 16 pages of b&w photos not seen by PW. Agent, Jane Dystel. Author tour. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Book News, Inc.
Cernan, a veteran astronaut who flew in space three times, twice to the Moon, and Davis, an experienced journalist and author, join forces to tell Cernan's story. His career spanned the Gemini and Apollo programs, during which time he was both the first man to space walk during a complete circle of the Earth, and the last man to step foot on the Moon as commander of the Apollo 17 mission. This autobiography tells his whole story, from wild adventures, to relationships he sacrificed because of his work. -- Copyright © 1999 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR All rights reserved Book News, Inc.®, Portland, OR


Book Description
Eugene Cernan is a unique American who came of age as an astronaut during the most exciting and dangerous decade of spaceflight. His career spanned the entire Gemini and Apollo programs, from being the first person to spacewalk all the way around our world to the moment when he left man's last footprint on the Moon as commander of Apollo 17.

Between those two historic events lay more adventures than an ordinary person could imagine as Cernan repeatedly put his life, his family and everything he held dear on the altar of an obsessive desire. Written with New York Times bestselling author Don Davis, this is the astronaut story never before told - about the fear, love and sacrifice demanded of the few men who dared to reach beyond the heavens for the biggest prize of all - the Moon.



Download Description
A revealing and dramatic look at the inside of the American Space Program from one of its pioneers.


From the Publisher
"Gene Cernan chronicles his involvement in man's reach for the Moon with an intensity that matches the incredible excitement of that remarkable time." --Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the Moon"Gene Cernan's wild ride into history included a tortuous spacewalk devised,it seems, by Dante...with enough sacrifices and close calls to fill a lifetime." --Tom Hanks, star of Apollo 13 and producer of the HBO series From the Earth to the Moon"Gene Cernan's The Last Man on the Moon rumbled off the launchpad and propelled me into a world of hope and triumph over tragedy. It's a high-powered read I won't soon forget." --Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison"With the feel of a story recalled among friends, this is an appealingly down-to-earth account from the last man to walk on the Moon. No advanced physics, no scientific mumbo jumbo, just a thoroughly engrossing recollection of Cernan's crucial role in the conquest of space. I loved the book." --Ron Howard, director of Apollo 13"Gene Cernan shares the extra dimension beyond the usual who, what, when, where, and how of space flight. For those who would like to go and can't, this is a look into the real experience and feelings of space flight." --Senator John Glenn, first American to fly in orbit"Gene Cernan has written a whale of a personal space tale, filled with firsts, lasts, and many thrills in between. This is a super story of the emotional highs and lows of our U.S. astronauts and their families when the supreme challenge was to reach the Moon and return alive. I promise you will not be able to put it down." --Donald D. Engen, director of the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution


About the Author
Eugene Cernan is an aerospace executive, consultant and lecturer. He lives in Houston.

Don Davis was a newspaper and wire service correspondent whose assignments ranged from Selma to Saigon and Cape Kennedy to the White House before becoming a New York Times bestselling author. He lives in Colorado with his wife, Robin.

FROM OUR EDITORS

Eugene Cernan holds a unique distinction in NASA history. In all, NASA astronauts walked on the moon 12 times; Cernan did it twice. He was an astronaut throughout the storied Apollo program, and in The Last Man on the Moon, he recalls those exciting and turbulent times. From the tragic deaths in the Apollo 1 accident to Apollo 10's pioneering trip to the dark side of the moon, Apollo 11's pioneering moon walks, and the final (to date) footprints -- left by Cernan himself -- on the moon's surface, it's all here, recalled by one of the men who witnessed it.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Eugene Cernan came of age as an astronaut during the most exciting and dangerous decade of space flight. His career spanned the entire Gemini and Apollo programs, from being the first person to spacewalk all the way around our world to the moment when he left man's last footprint on the Moon as commander of Apollo 17. Between those two historic events lay more adventures than an ordinary person could imagine as Cernan repeatedly put his life, his family, and everything he held dear on the altar of an obsessive desire. Written with New York Times bestselling author Don Davis, this is the astronaut story never before told - about the fear, love, and sacrifice demanded of the few men who dared to reach beyond the heavens for the biggest prize of all: the Moon.

SYNOPSIS

Eugene Cernan was an astronaut throughout the storied Apollo program, and in The Last Man on the Moon , he recalls those exciting and turbulent days. From the tragic deaths incurred in the accident that struck Apollo 1 to Apollo 10's pioneering trip to the dark side of the moon, Apollo 11's pioneering moon walks, and the final (to date) footprints -- placed there by Cernan himself -- on the moon's surface, it's all here, recalled by one of the men who witnessed it all.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Gemini and Apollo astronaut Cernan, helped by Davis (A Father's Rage, etc.), takes readers with him on one great space adventure after another--including Gemini 9's "Spacewalk from Hell," Apollo 1's fire, Snoopy's hair-raising swoop by the lunar surface. Readers experience the agony of life-or-death decision making in the Apollo 13 control room, exult with Cernan and geologist Jack Schmitt throughout the mission of Apollo 17 and meet legendary characters of the astronaut corps and the technical and political leaders who shared their glory. Cernan reveals the risk-taking, competitive personality and oversized self-confidence that drove his success as a test pilot and astronaut. He also acknowledges his failings as a husband to his first wife, Barbara, whom he presents as a quiet, strong homefront heroine who always found the right words in public despite her private difficulties. However, careful readers may see more of Cernan than he intended to display. His admiration and friendship may justify letting Wernher von Braun and Spiro Agnew off the hook for what many consider their political and personal misdeeds, but his unforgiving view of Buzz Aldrin seems to stem from personal animus. Why must the last man on the moon demean the second? ("[Aldrin] came flapping into my office at the Manned Spacecraft Center one day like an angry stork..."). Despite the bad taste of Cernan's words about Aldrin, this is an exciting, insider's take on what it was like to become one of the first humans in space. Agent, Jane Dystel.

Booknews

Cernan, a veteran astronaut who flew in space three times, twice to the Moon, and Davis, an experienced journalist and author, join forces to tell Cernan's story. His career spanned the Gemini and Apollo programs, during which time he was both the first man to space walk during a complete circle of the Earth, and the last man to step foot on the Moon as commander of the Apollo 17 mission. This autobiography tells his whole story, from wild adventures, to relationships he sacrificed because of his work. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Kirkus Reviews

A hokey autobiography of American astronaut and moon-walker Cernan. Cernan commanded the last of the Apollo missions, number 17, destination Moon, where he and mission geologist Jack Schmitt took a walk. It was a long haul of a career to make those few steps-in all likelihood, a career exquisitely nuanced, serendipitous, and with a few tales to tell, but what gets served up here is Cernan the hayseed patriot. "The Cold War became the crucible in which my military career was forged" will tip readers off early as to where things are headed. Training in California, he experiences an earthquake and interprets it as "God's way of saying, `Welcome to the real world, you nugget.' " Vietnam rages in the background, and Cernan makes note of it with such comments as, "the bloody battle of the Ia Drang Valley proved those little guys could fight us to a standstill." He briefly hits a stride chronicling his space walk on an earlier mission-a truly hellacious, slow-motion episode, in which a welter of little glitches nearly kills him-and his profiles of the other pilots in the space program are easily the most entertaining parts of the book, although they too can be facile (of Walter Schirra, "He was a cold-nerved pilot, by God"). When he steps off the ladder of the lunar module and treads upon the surface of the Moon, he stays true to form-no poetry, just "Oh, my golly." And questions of tone aside, there is too much lumber passing as prose in these pages ("Roger was a workaholic, and I guess we all were, but off-duty, he had a great sense of humor"), despite the assistance of amanuensis Daavis. Even if Cernan is an aw-shucks kind of guy, this much corn makes his story a bland affair.