Reviews for Ilan Ramon: Israel's First Astronaut

The average rating for Ilan Ramon: Israel's First Astronaut based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2011-07-26 00:00:00 Marie Steckbeck I picked this book up from the bargain bin on Amazon and read it in 2008 as part of my ongoing appetite for space history books. I was then unaware of the author's reputation, so here's fair warning: Philip Chien was busted by Wired magazine in 2006 for fabricating quotes and sources (Wired News Writer Faked Info), and apparently he also had a penchant for writing glowing reviews of this book under pseudonyms--one or more of which may still exist on Amazon. So be wary that the author of this book has earned a reputation for falsification. With that out of the way, here are my brief comments about this book. The astronauts come off as smart, driven people with special skills, but aren't supermen and superwomen. Good job on the human side. Chien really wants us to forget about the accident for most of the book and focus on the science manifest, which he seems to think is a big win. Chien's analysis of the accident is subjective, and he reads like a guy trying to 'set things straight.' The accident needs critical eyes with objective analysis, not bias. Chien uses no footnotes or endnotes and his sourcing is poor. I guess he thinks a few websites will do for his sourcing. I could have done without the constant reminders to visit the book's website, too--I'm not interested in reading marketing pamphlets. Chien's writing vacillates between third person and first person. I'm looking for journalism/history, not a memoir. I suppose Chien could be pretty good at this stuff if he properly sourced his material and brought a good balance to his writing. As it is, it's a deeply flawed book. Read with caution.

Review # 2 was written on 2013-06-08 00:00:00 Vanessa Velez Halfway through this book. So far, a very dry read, very technical, and statistic oriented.