I enjoyed this book for many reasons: good covering of the Mercury Program, interesting description of the Russian Star City, Slayton on the Apollo-Soyuz mission , etc. In general, it brings excitement and wondering about the whole US space history.

However, I have read dozens of books on this subject and I must say that it's far from being the best of the bunch. I was more than annoyed that the authors describe themselves in the third person. It just a bit childish. After reading this book, we might have the impression that Shepard and Slayton were the big heroes in the space program. Well, if you read more about space exploration history, it might be true for Slayton but Shepard has been extremely critized in the past for, among other things, his attitude toward scientists during the moon exploration.

So, if you want a good overview of the space program in general, this book is probably ok. However, like some others, I would rather recommend "A man on the moon" or Aldrin's "Men from Earth" for a more extensive and accurate coverage.

This is the only true insiders acount of Americas race to the moon. Co-written by Alan Shepard and Deke Slayton two of the original Mercury astronauts it tells the story from the beginning. The book shares not only what they said and what they did,but also what they thought. It's candid and straightforward. From the tragedy of Apollo 1 to the triumph of Apollo 11 you'll read about how it was to be inside the pressure cooker of the space program from the astronauts themselves. Shepard was the first American in space and ultimately walked on the moon. Slayton flew on the historic Apollo-Soyuz mission that closed out the Apollo program. Their story is the one that you need to read if you want to know how we got to the moon. Don't miss this book!!

'Moon Shot' is an excellent tome that gives a clear and consise insider look at the Space program from Explorer I to Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and Apollo-Soyuz! At times, Al Shepard (one of four authors and original Mercury astronaut) seems to take the word processor away from the others and begins to change the story into, "Moon Shot: The Al Shepard Story." If you saw the adaption of this book into a documentary on TBS, you will understand. Page after page is devoted to Shepard's Apollo 14 flight but hardly anything for many of the Gemini missions. Hmmm, Shepard wasn't flying during that program...connection? All together, through, Slayton's views on the events he helped run are the real jewel. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!