First Man: The Life of Neil Armstrong
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- Create Date：2021-08-21 06:56:38
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：James Hansen
- ISBN：1471177890
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Summary
Soon to be a major motion picture， First Man by James Hansen offers the only authorized glimpse into the life of America’s most famous astronaut， Neil Armstrong – the man whose “one small step” changed history。
In First Man， 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。
When Apollo 11 touched down on the moon’s surface in 1969， the first man on the moon became a legend。 Hansen vividly recreates Armstrong's career in flying， from his seventy-eight combat missions as a naval aviator flying over North Korea to his formative transatmospheric 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。 In the years since the Moon landing， rumors swirled around Armstrong concerning his dreams of space travel， his religious beliefs， and his private life。
This book reveals the man behind the myth。 In a penetrating exploration of American hero worship， Hansen addresses the complex legacy of the First Man， as an astronaut and as an individual。 In First Man， the personal， technological， epic， and iconic blend to form the portrait of a great but reluctant hero who will forever be known as history's most famous space traveler。
In First Man， 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。
When Apollo 11 touched down on the moon’s surface in 1969， the first man on the moon became a legend。 Hansen vividly recreates Armstrong's career in flying， from his seventy-eight combat missions as a naval aviator flying over North Korea to his formative transatmospheric 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。 In the years since the Moon landing， rumors swirled around Armstrong concerning his dreams of space travel， his religious beliefs， and his private life。
This book reveals the man behind the myth。 In a penetrating exploration of American hero worship， Hansen addresses the complex legacy of the First Man， as an astronaut and as an individual。 In First Man， the personal， technological， epic， and iconic blend to form the portrait of a great but reluctant hero who will forever be known as history's most famous space traveler。
Reviews
Strick
，
A great biography！
Emily Stewart
，
Fantastic！ A great look into Neil Armstrong as a person and into the Apollo program and the development of space travel。 Here’s hoping we see more people honoring this legacy and returning humanity to space。
Chris
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I wanted to find a good biography of Neil Armstrong to learn what he was all about （after watching the film， "Last Man"）。 Unfortunately， the movie was accurate， which is to say that Neil was a person， so engrossed in his work at the expense of relationships， kids and friends。 It was interesting to learn just how difficult it was for NASA to decided which astronaut would step out FIRST onto the moon。 Was Neil really as apathetical to pretty much every detail around the landing other then "landing I wanted to find a good biography of Neil Armstrong to learn what he was all about （after watching the film， "Last Man"）。 Unfortunately， the movie was accurate， which is to say that Neil was a person， so engrossed in his work at the expense of relationships， kids and friends。 It was interesting to learn just how difficult it was for NASA to decided which astronaut would step out FIRST onto the moon。 Was Neil really as apathetical to pretty much every detail around the landing other then "landing" as the book makes him out to be？ 。。。more
Meade Snoddy
，
I think it presented a good insight into the personality of Armstrong。 Nothing to change my opinion of him， but I was unaware of the one daughter dying in childhood。 There was too much detail on a couple of topics - his academic history and his test flights。 I tried to gloss over them， but I got sucked in and read them。
Bora
，
Although it was way too technical in the beginning （which probably would appeal to an aviator， a pilot， or an aviation enthusiast， but not to a ground dweller such as myself） I did enjoy Hansen's biography of Neil A。 Armstrong and was immersed in it until Chapter 27 when he wrote about whether Neil Armstrong took anything to the Moon for his daughter Karen。 What I'm quoting below detached me from the story and occupied my head afterward with protest and a bit anger at the author:"。。。 Another lov Although it was way too technical in the beginning （which probably would appeal to an aviator， a pilot， or an aviation enthusiast， but not to a ground dweller such as myself） I did enjoy Hansen's biography of Neil A。 Armstrong and was immersed in it until Chapter 27 when he wrote about whether Neil Armstrong took anything to the Moon for his daughter Karen。 What I'm quoting below detached me from the story and occupied my head afterward with protest and a bit anger at the author:"。。。 Another loved one that Neil apparently did not remember by taking anything of hers to the Moon was his daughter Karen。 [1] What could have made the first Moon landing more meaningful for all mankind than a father honoring the cherished memory of his beloved little girl by taking a picture of the child， dead now over 7 years--she would have been a ten year old--one of her toys， an article of her clothing， a lock of her hair， her baby bracelet。 [2] What if Neil did something for Muffie but never told anyone about it？ Not even Janet because it was of such an intensely personal nature。 [3] How much more would posterity esteem the character of the First Man？ It could have elevated the first Moon landing to an even higher level of significance。"So， the first Moon landing itself， AS-IS， was not "significant" or "meaningful" enough that it also needed something "intensely personal" and not to mention private out of Neil Armstrong such as taking something of his daughter to the Moon？ Maybe， he did and didn't want to share it with anybody as the author himself states。 [2] He doesn't know。 Nobody knows。 And， nobody needs to know--nobody other than Neil Armstrong， whom the entire world knew as a very private person， whom also Hansen portrays as such in this book。 Hansen is [3] patronizing and [1] condescending。 After this passage， I have lost respect of what the author had to say about Neil Armstrong， who sounded like he wasn't up to the author's moral standards when it came to what personal stuff to take to the Moon and how greater the whole thing would be if the First Man told the world what， if any， of his daughter he took with him。 。。。more
Kerry Ganza
，
An outstanding biography of Neil Armstrong。
Logan Allison
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An amazing book truly brings to life the story of the First Man on the moon
Charlie Keeble
，
This is the first time I have ever read an astronauts biography。 For years I have read endless tales of the space exploration missions but I never looked into the lives of the astronauts themselves。 First Man is a brilliant epic biography of Neil Armstrong。 I like the way it tells of Neil's character and the events that shaped his legacy。 Towards the end of his life he was a gentle and humble reclusive man。 But he had a wealth of adventures that came before and after he went to the Moon。 The eve This is the first time I have ever read an astronauts biography。 For years I have read endless tales of the space exploration missions but I never looked into the lives of the astronauts themselves。 First Man is a brilliant epic biography of Neil Armstrong。 I like the way it tells of Neil's character and the events that shaped his legacy。 Towards the end of his life he was a gentle and humble reclusive man。 But he had a wealth of adventures that came before and after he went to the Moon。 The events in this book reveal how his daughters death affected him and spurred him to reach the Moon with all his strength and conviction。 That America would triumph in technological supremacy。 。。。more
Andres
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Una biografía detallada y amena。 Armstrong era un obsesivo dedicado a un objetivo， toda su vida。 Pero， al parecer， también un personaje fantástico。Libro de consulta。Al infinito， y más allá！
Peter Lipták
，
Dozvedel som sa koľko nábojov bolo vystrelených z nejakej zbrane počas Kórejskej vojny ale prvé 2 hodiny štartu Saturn V je obsiahnutých v jednej vete。 Inak je to ale fajn čítanie。
Chris Kelly
，
Could not get into this。 Had some good information， but not for me
Anaïs
，
Cette biographie m'a bouleversée。 L'homme m'a touché， inspiré。 Un homme qui a les pieds sur terre et la tête dans les étoiles。 Obstiné， déterminé qui fait ce qui lui plaît en s'y donnant à fond， et avec un objectif de faire évoluer， d'améliorer les savoirs。 Tout ça sur un sujet plus que passionnant et vecteur de rêve qui est la conquête spatiale。 Et un des événements majeurs de l'histoire le premier homme sur la lune。 Cet homme qui était très concis dans ses déclarations， pudiques， tombait souve Cette biographie m'a bouleversée。 L'homme m'a touché， inspiré。 Un homme qui a les pieds sur terre et la tête dans les étoiles。 Obstiné， déterminé qui fait ce qui lui plaît en s'y donnant à fond， et avec un objectif de faire évoluer， d'améliorer les savoirs。 Tout ça sur un sujet plus que passionnant et vecteur de rêve qui est la conquête spatiale。 Et un des événements majeurs de l'histoire le premier homme sur la lune。 Cet homme qui était très concis dans ses déclarations， pudiques， tombait souvent juste， entre réalisme et poésie。 La première partie peut être pour certains， un peu plus compliquée à lire， il y a beaucoup de termes techniques， mais l'œuvre vaut tellement la peine de persévérer。 D'autant plus avec l'actualité et les avancées spatiales。 Il est encore permis de rêver， d'innover pour l'Humanité。 。。。more
Karen
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Excellent read， very detailed， well-researched， and interesting。
Charlene
，
Overall， the author did well sharing the story story of Armstrong's life。 I was not a fan of so many theories regarding events in his life。 Theories discussing speculations what ifs。 Overall， the author did well sharing the story story of Armstrong's life。 I was not a fan of so many theories regarding events in his life。 Theories discussing speculations what ifs。 。。。more
Javier Anderson
，
An insightful look into the enigmatic engineer and test pilot， Mr。 Hansens authorized biography takes a look at the life， loves， and drives that made Neil Armstrong the first man to walk on the moon， and mysteriously walk away from the publics imagination as he was。 Preserved for all time within the photos and recording that the whole world saw， the book pulls back the curtain to reveal a focus， driven man， with an early and fierce interest in flight。
Fernando Amezcua
，
Más que biografía me pareció el resultado de un amplio currículum， tras leerlo， me resultó más atractivo conocer y estudiar la biografía de Buzz y el silencioso Collins
Fiona Howells
，
Biography of Neil Armstrong， the first man on the moon。 I hate a bit of a love/hate relationship with this one。 I loved Lost Moon by Jim Lovell about the doomed Apollo 13 mission and Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly， and I was expecting similar。 I certainly enjoyed the early chapters about Neil's childhood and early life and how he ended up as a NASA test pilot。 I also enjoyed the later chapters about life after the moon landing for the Armstrong family， but I did find a lot of the heavy s Biography of Neil Armstrong， the first man on the moon。 I hate a bit of a love/hate relationship with this one。 I loved Lost Moon by Jim Lovell about the doomed Apollo 13 mission and Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly， and I was expecting similar。 I certainly enjoyed the early chapters about Neil's childhood and early life and how he ended up as a NASA test pilot。 I also enjoyed the later chapters about life after the moon landing for the Armstrong family， but I did find a lot of the heavy scientific descriptions a bit of a slog （there are only so many acronyms I hold in my head at any one time）。 Decent read， but not my favourite space biography。 Good photos though （which were lacking in Hidden Figures） 。。。more
Tyler Standish
，
A fantastic portrayal of a great human that dared greatly and accomplished an extraordinary human first。 I always considered Neil Armstrong a hero and this book helped provide the humanity to the myth that has been built around him。 I appreciate the author's respect for Neil Armstrong while describing the extraordinary accomplishment that defined his life， but always returning to the fact that he was a human with human qualities。 The book achieves a penetrating look into the most celebrated astr A fantastic portrayal of a great human that dared greatly and accomplished an extraordinary human first。 I always considered Neil Armstrong a hero and this book helped provide the humanity to the myth that has been built around him。 I appreciate the author's respect for Neil Armstrong while describing the extraordinary accomplishment that defined his life， but always returning to the fact that he was a human with human qualities。 The book achieves a penetrating look into the most celebrated astronaut in history and reminds us of his humanity。 。。。more
Toria
，
I thought this was a safe bet being about astronaut Neil A。 Armstrong。 But I found this massive book to be tedious to get through and I didn't gel with James R Hansen way of writing about Neil A。 Armstrong found it rather boring and a bit bla bla bla which I don't want to feel like in a biography or nonfiction。 I thought this was a safe bet being about astronaut Neil A。 Armstrong。 But I found this massive book to be tedious to get through and I didn't gel with James R Hansen way of writing about Neil A。 Armstrong found it rather boring and a bit bla bla bla which I don't want to feel like in a biography or nonfiction。 。。。more
Elanor Wainscott
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Found this very dry and tedious。
Andrew Gommesen
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This is an intriguing book about the first man on the moon。 He did a lot of different things but most importantly he stayed humble。 Great book！！！
Rob
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An intriguing biography about a real american hero， and possibly the greatest American。 The book tries to get behind the curtain of Neil Armstrong but the author can't seem to accept what is obvious to everyone else: neil armstrong was a machine。 He was a logical， mathematical， engineering type who was not burdened with emotions， which is what enabled him to achieve such greatness while maintaining such humility， in large part at the expense of his interpersonal relationships and his family。 I w An intriguing biography about a real american hero， and possibly the greatest American。 The book tries to get behind the curtain of Neil Armstrong but the author can't seem to accept what is obvious to everyone else: neil armstrong was a machine。 He was a logical， mathematical， engineering type who was not burdened with emotions， which is what enabled him to achieve such greatness while maintaining such humility， in large part at the expense of his interpersonal relationships and his family。 I would love to read more about Armstrong's first wife， Janet， who supported Neil and lived and suffered through all the difficult parts of his life， but didn't get the benefit of his later years when he started to slow down and appreciate life。 She is the victim of his story， and her sacrifice is a large part of his， and therefore America's， success。 。。。more
Jackim
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Interesting man， with a fascinating story！
Chuck Hemesath
，
Awesome read， especially for NASA and space exploration fans。
Uyen
，
It all began with the famous Moon speech of president JFK， which I still find fascinating some 60 years later since it was delivered in 1962。 "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things， not because they are easy but because they are hard"。 7 years later， in 1969， Neil Armstrong - an American man， became the first person to step on the surface of the Moon。The book was long and in my opinion， nowhere near an easy light read。 It took me almost 2 months to finish roughly 400 It all began with the famous Moon speech of president JFK， which I still find fascinating some 60 years later since it was delivered in 1962。 "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things， not because they are easy but because they are hard"。 7 years later， in 1969， Neil Armstrong - an American man， became the first person to step on the surface of the Moon。The book was long and in my opinion， nowhere near an easy light read。 It took me almost 2 months to finish roughly 400 pages mainly because it did not spark the incredibility of this man， at least in the first half of the book。 Neil Armstrong was a normal man， with a normal upbringing and normal education。 But I soon realised this might be the whole meaning behind his story: he was just a normal suburban kid who loved to fly; he was an ordinary American who portrayed the dream， hope and ambition of his fellow Americans。Armstrong is described as an incredibly quiet and private person。 Throughout the book， he can be seen as someone who managed to seperate his professional life and personal life so effectively to the point he did not even bring any Moon souvenirs back for his wife and his children。 A man with very few words and somewhat cold to others， he was the opposite of what a stereotype national hero would be like。 "A reluctant American hero who always believe he was just doing his job" is the exact impression I get from reading this book。 Rather than an individual who is vocal and outspoken about his achievement， Neil Armstrong remains a mystery man to me， whom little was known about except for his historic step on the Moon and the famous quote "That's one small step for man， one giant leap for mankind"。As much as I was impressed with Neil Armstrong， Janet Armstrong - his first wife， was the one that caught my attention。 I can almost feel her pain as she could not relate to Neil sometimes and had to go through the grieving process of losing a child alone without her husband's support。 I have the greatest respect for her for living in the spotlight being a national hero's wife， for filling in the gap of her busy husband in their two remaining children's lives。 And just like Neil， she was just an ordinary American woman。 An incredible ordinary American woman。 。。。more
Freeread
，
สิ่งที่ไม่เคยเกิดขึ้นคือสิ่งที่อันตรายที่สุด
Enrique Sebert
，
2。5/5Realmente es poco interesante el personaje de Neil。 Parece que aunque tiene muchos méritos， el único que le dió sabor a todo fue ser el primer hombre en pisar la luna。 Fuera de eso， es un sujeto insípidos en todos los sentidos， no sé si por miedo a compartirse porque fue criado de esa forma o qué lo llevó a ser tan cerrado。Si a eso le agrega que el lenguaje es medio técnico （ingeniería de aviones） y se detalla información sobre todos los vuelos de Neil， se obtiene una biografía CERO amistos 2。5/5Realmente es poco interesante el personaje de Neil。 Parece que aunque tiene muchos méritos， el único que le dió sabor a todo fue ser el primer hombre en pisar la luna。 Fuera de eso， es un sujeto insípidos en todos los sentidos， no sé si por miedo a compartirse porque fue criado de esa forma o qué lo llevó a ser tan cerrado。Si a eso le agrega que el lenguaje es medio técnico （ingeniería de aviones） y se detalla información sobre todos los vuelos de Neil， se obtiene una biografía CERO amistosa。 Creo que el optimismo que cargué en estos días fue el responsable de que terminara este libro， de otra forma lo habría abandonado como las dos veces anteriores que intenté leerlo。 。。。more
Tara van Beurden
，
I wanted to rate this book much higher than I have， but in all honesty， I simply could not。 This book dragged for me - it felt very much like a book written by a nerd about a nerd。 Neil Armstrong， if he had not been the 'first man' would have been an exceptionally boring individual。 To an extent， even he acknowledged this， and his choices after the moon landing exemplified this。 Unfortunately， that makes his biography rather dull。 Why Hansen felt it necessary to list absolutely every type of pla I wanted to rate this book much higher than I have， but in all honesty， I simply could not。 This book dragged for me - it felt very much like a book written by a nerd about a nerd。 Neil Armstrong， if he had not been the 'first man' would have been an exceptionally boring individual。 To an extent， even he acknowledged this， and his choices after the moon landing exemplified this。 Unfortunately， that makes his biography rather dull。 Why Hansen felt it necessary to list absolutely every type of plane Armstrong flew， how many times he flew it， and for how many hours， I'm not sure。 But it makes for very dull， academic reading。 Overwhelming， I came away with the feeling that Armstrong， whilst exactly the right man to fly to the moon from the sense of his technical knowledge， expertise and diligence， is perhaps not the man I would have otherwise wanted to represent humanity - he comes across as closed off， reclusive， and lacking in proper people skills。 It's one thing to not take advantage of one's fame， I feel its another to， in some sense， ignore the fact that people are inspired or fascinated by you。 I've never been famous， so I can't speak for the pitfalls of fame， but like his rather bizarre relationship with first wife Janet， it seems that Neil's reluctance to engage with the public came as much from a place of not really understanding people。 I probably wasn't surprised by this， having watched what I now realise is an exceptionally good portrayal in the movie adaptation of this book， but it still feels a little disappointing。 。。。more
Hilda
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Es un libro bien escrito， al principio Neil Armstrong me era indiferente， pero conforme fui avanzando en la lectura debo confesar que me cayó muy mal。 Es un tipo con muy buena suerte， especialmente para conocer a las personas correctas en el momento correcto， que no vieran sus errores y que no vieran que era un egoísta manipulador; su único talento fue ser muy buen piloto （no extraordinario， simplemente muy bueno） y de ahí fue una cadena de puros golpes de suerte y una que otra buena decisión。 Q Es un libro bien escrito， al principio Neil Armstrong me era indiferente， pero conforme fui avanzando en la lectura debo confesar que me cayó muy mal。 Es un tipo con muy buena suerte， especialmente para conocer a las personas correctas en el momento correcto， que no vieran sus errores y que no vieran que era un egoísta manipulador; su único talento fue ser muy buen piloto （no extraordinario， simplemente muy bueno） y de ahí fue una cadena de puros golpes de suerte y una que otra buena decisión。 Que merecía ser el primer hombre en la luna。。。 NO， y el lo sabía y también estuvo consciente de que en la etapa final hizo "trampa y manipulación" （sin pensar salirse con la suya）， y esa culpa es la que al final hizo que insistiera en que no era merecedor de todo el reconocimiento que le dieron （cosa que mucha gente confundió con falsa modestia）。 Al menos tuvo algo de decencia al sentirse culpable， desafortunadamente nunca tuvo el valor de admitir todo los errores， manipuleos y engaños。 。。。more
Darius Murretti
，