Fly Me to the Moon: the Gals They Left Behind

I'm not sure what it is about July, but I always think July = the Moon Landing. It was on July 20, 1969 to be precise.  Such an adventurous time! Was Neil Armstrong going to disappear in Moon dust? Would they be able to come back to earth? These were questions that were debated before and during the mission.

But what if that spaceman was your husband or Dad and you were waiting for them to come home? Lily Koppel's book The Astronaut Wives Club tells the other side of the story - from the wives' perspective. They too, had a part to play in the space race. They got to be involved in a lot of the PR, whether they wanted to or not. They had to present the perfect home and family life to LIFE magazine writers and photographers even if that was fiction.

Based on extensive interviews with the wives and a vast amount of research, Koppel presents an entertaining and thought provoking picture of these women who went from being military wives on desolate air bases to having tea with Jackie Kennedy in the White House. And all of this was taking place during the turbulent 1960's and 70's. Definitively an inspiring story of the women who helped make history and the space race happen - even if it was mostly behind the scenes. I highly recommend it.

Other books and movies that mention the astronaut's wives:

Tom Wolfe's book The Right Stuff does mention them - but only in passing. The Right Stuff movie does a better job at giving one visual clues as to the couples' relationships.

The HBO television series called From the Earth to the Moon has one whole episode devoted to the 'original wives club.' This is a great series produced by Tom Hanks and Ron Howard, based on the book by Andrew Chaikin called A Man on the Moon.


And then there is James Lovell's book - Lost Moon : the Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13. With his co-writer Jeffrey Kluger, Lovell has written a great and suspense filled non-fiction book. You know that they make it home. He wrote the book! But when reading this account, you are still holding your breath because it was just so close to NOT having been a successful mission. Houston, we have a problem - indeed! And all the while Marilyn Lovell is waiting at their house in Houston with friends and family wondering if she will ever see her husband again. Marilyn's story is also featured in Koppel's book, and is presented in the movie Apollo 13. Read the book and then watch the movie.

So if you happen to look up and see the big full moon around July 22, give a big 'thank you' to those brave men and women who took up the space race challenge.