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First Man
- The Life of Neil A. Armstrong
- Narrated by: Jeremy Bobb
- Length: 16 hrs and 26 mins
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First Man
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Publisher's Summary
Soon to be a major motion picture, this is the first - and only - definitive authorized account of Neil Armstrong, the man whose “one small step” changed history.
When Apollo 11 touched down on the Moon’s surface in 1969, the first man on the Moon became a legend. In First Man, author James R. Hansen explores the life of Neil Armstrong. Based on over 50 hours of interviews with the intensely private Armstrong, who also gave Hansen exclusive access to private documents and family sources, this "magnificent panorama of the second half of the American twentieth century" (Publishers Weekly, starred review) is an unparalleled biography of an American icon.
In this “compelling and nuanced portrait” (Chicago Tribune) filled with revelations, Hansen vividly recreates Armstrong’s career in flying, from his 78 combat missions as a naval aviator flying over North Korea to his formative trans-atmospheric flights in the rocket-powered X-15 to his piloting Gemini VIII to the first-ever docking in space. For a pilot who cared more about flying to the Moon than he did about walking on it, Hansen asserts, Armstrong’s storied vocation exacted a dear personal toll, paid in kind by his wife and children. For the near-50 years since the Moon landing, rumors have swirled around Armstrong concerning his dreams of space travel, his religious beliefs, and his private life.
A penetrating exploration of American hero worship, Hansen addresses the complex legacy of the First Man, as an astronaut and as an individual. “First Man burrows deep into Armstrong’s past and present.... What emerges is an earnest and brave man” (Houston Chronicle) who will forever be known as history’s most famous space traveler.
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What listeners say about First Man
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Langer MD
- 2019-03-22
Good Biography
This book is very well researched. Much of the narrative is based on recorded interviews and documents, some of which are pretty dry. War records and stuff you could get from the IMDB. Pays some lip service to controversies...Aldrin's personality, Aliens, "Faking" the landing, but doesnt really confront the issues.
Very accurate but does little to explain who this man was. Still, fascinating guy and an enjoyable book. This rates 6.5 stars out of 10.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2018-11-04
Armstrong is historical
Armstrong is historical. His life story very exciting and rich with flavour.
I’m glad to have learned more about his life and will probably go see the museum about him with my family sometime in the future.
Thanks for creating this book.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Tom
- 2021-05-31
good but a few extras
the book does go into a lot of details, that does put the moon landing In the context of a life. this is one of it's chard, you get the sense that he did more than walk on he moon. but sometimes the litanies drag on a bit, but they might have to at times. And since Armstrong was private, the biographer almost has to stay with bare essentials, because more was not volunteered, and he wisely avoided becoming an amateur psychologist
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ed Johnson
- 2020-05-26
Human History of the Human Future
Very intriguing book and dry at time with technical stuff but filled with interesting trivia and little chuckles. I would recommend it.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- A Reader
- 2018-06-06
Not really 'unabridged'
I own the original hardcover book, for which Audible had previously offered only an abridged version.
I've been eagerly awaiting this "unabridged" version for several months, and downloaded it immediately when it became available. What a disappointment to learn that this audiobook is based on a new, abridged paperback version, published in preparation for the release of the "First Man" film later this year.
Drastic surgery has been done on the original. Chapters have been rearranged and entire passages eliminated. As a point of comparison, the original hardcover length is 784 pages; the new paperback is just 464 pages.
The Armstrong story is fascinating, but this audio production doesn't do it justice. Jeremy Bobb, the narrator, is monotonic, and between his reading style and the butchered editing of the original book, the chapters on Armstrong's early years in the Navy and as a test pilot sound like a resume recitation, full of numbers and obscure abbreviations.
I just finished the audio version of Michael Collins's "Carrying the Fire," which I found to be a better written story with a much more evocative narrator (David Colacci).
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94 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Josh Boyle
- 2018-10-26
As always, the book is better than the movie
This was a very well written and interesting book from start to finish. So much so, that almost any time I could listen to a few minutes, I would pop in my earphones. While it provides many facts and details about Neil Armstrong, I still left not feeling as though I knew him as a friend would know him, as I sometimes feel with other biographies. However, given Armstrong's very private nature, I think that is what he would have preferred, and in that sense I feel the author spectacularly succeeded.
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7 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- M. Watson
- 2018-09-02
First Man
The first half is full of names and dates but your patience will be greatly rewarded with the second half.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- David D
- 2018-07-17
Best overall book on Neil Armstrong!
A significant amount of detailed information relating to Apollo 11 mission and how difficult it was in order to be successful. Most people think about Armstrong as a lucky person to be chosen as the first man to set foot on the moon. None of this would’ve been possible if it were not for the following three attributes of Armstrong.
1- excellent pilot
2- ability to deal with stress during emergency procedures
3- very mechanically knowledgeable with engineering background.
4-Ability to work with different type of people under all kinds of conditions
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Patrick Jennings
- 2018-06-12
Insightful Biography
Thought this was going to be a dry recital of facts about a very interesting person. However, once I got into this book it was hard to put down. Very much appreciate the writing and telling of this book. Also, it is ended in a very wonderful way!!
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
- ARviewer
- 2018-06-07
Volume of speaker too low even at max. Reads more like a textbook
Voice too low even at highest setting. Preview keeps playing and will not allow book to play
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Melissa
- 2019-01-10
You need an Aeronautical Engineering degree to sta
I truly don't understand the positive reviews of this book. I have never had a book make me feel as though I needed a degree in aeronautical engineering to understand. I felt like the author merely documented Neil Armstrong's flight log. There were so many acronyms that I couldn't follow, so many flight stats that I was profoundly bored listening to and the book bounced back and forth in a way that made you crave a more chronological order of events. Neil's 2nd son was already 3 years old before he was even mentioned as being born. I feel as though this book is strictly for astronauts, pilots, engineers and possibly a small section of scientists and mathematicians. I would like to say that I did finish the book. It was like that marathon that you so badly wanted to quit and give up and cried the last 10 miles of......but I forced myself to stick with it. I should have just watched the movie.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- casey
- 2023-11-29
Great background and history work up
On of the best biographies I’ve read. I learned more from this biography than I have learned my own reading about Armstrong.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- heather kreager
- 2023-10-13
good book
it takes you back in time, and it lets you know what happens. this all happened before I was born.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Grayson
- 2023-09-16
Great Listen
This was a fantastic listen. I would highly recommend for anyone interested in the moon landing.
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