Over the course of time barrels of ink, forests of paper,
and miles of film have been used to tell the tales of NASA’s original seven Mercury
astronauts. These brave men were the subject of countless books, magazine
profiles, photographs and films. Yet aside from what amounts to a passing
glance in Life Magazine, the women behind these men have never been the front
and center focus.
Until now. The Astronaut Wives Club: A True Story is
a terrific concept from bestselling author Lilly Koppel; as she tells the story
of the women who were in most cases thrust into the national spotlight because
of their proximity to this new breed of hero, cast more from the pages of comic
books than from America’s armed services.
It’s difficult to imagine in this day and age with
comparably massive computing capabilities at our fingertips in our homes the
lofty advances that were being undertaken to hurtle these men into outer space
and for their families to be idealized for the outfits and makeup they wore and
favorite recipes they served up. It’s equally striking the impact those advance
had on our everyday life and the relative ease that most Americans cast these
heroes aside as the space program continued to evolve.
For NASA purists seeking insights into the life of these
women whose lives paralleled their heroic husbands from a space program
perspective The Astronaut Wives Club will
likely prove disappointing from the frothy, tabloid-like approach to portions
of the story. For me the book is an interesting time capsule portrait more of
American life, that it is the tale of space program. It is a snapshot of life
in a different era; pre-dating so-called women’s liberation, and focusing on
patriotism, family and domesticity before the mantra became “you can have it
all.”
The distinct differences in the wives are highlighted early
in the book, but as the story evolves and the relationship bond between these
unique women grows and the danger and the tragedy that is part and parcel of
their husbands career choice combined with their front page existence comes
home to roost; their membership in this unique club rallies them together. It is
a truly striking story of courage and a different era in our history.
