Mercury Rising: John Glenn, John Kennedy, and the New Battleground of the Cold War Free Audiobook Download by Jeff Shesol

The book traces the history of the Cold War from John Glenn's Mercury-Redstone to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Shesol discusses how political, cultural, and economic forces shaped each American president's view of the USSR and its adversary—and vice versa. It is a comprehensive text that provides invaluable insight into one of America's most fascinating periods.

Mercury Rising: John Glenn, John Kennedy, and the New Battleground of the Cold War is a biography by Jeff Shesol, who seeks to examine the early lives and careers of both John Glenn and John Kennedy in an effort to determine how they were shaped by their experiences as military heroes.

John Glenn’s trip to orbit aboard Friendship 7 in 1957 captivated the nation. In 1962, he would be President John F. Kennedy’s first choice to head the Soviet Union’s space program, but it took another year for a triumphant, televised parade in Washington to put Glenn atop the world’s most famous office building. Jeff Shesol uses all these details to tell a story of the Cold War and its tragicomic impact on America and Russia.

Mercury Rising: John Glenn, John Kennedy, and the New Battleground of the Cold War is a fascinating look at a pivotal moment in history. The beginning of the book covers John Glenn's journey through space and his personal life. It then jumps to JFK Jr.'s father and discusses how his attempt to get closer to Russia was thwarted by the CIA. Finally, the author discusses how JFK Jr's death affects America during that time and what that means now. The audiobook download had some dramatic effects such as requiring two speakers, but it worked well enough considering how much information there was to take in.

The story begins at the height of the Cold War and ends with John Glenn's historic orbit of Earth in 1962. The book focuses on one high point in a long series of battles, skirmishes, crises, and betrayals that have taken place between Russia and America - a battle that has played out over decades: the struggle for control of space.

A journalist's account of how the U.S. and Soviet Union both attempted to out-develop one another in space In a drastic change from the era of human spaceflight, Jeff Shesol tells the story of American and Soviet attempts to out-develop one another in space, with John Glenn as the pivot point. His numerous expeditions would set off a Cold War arms race that would culminate with his death in orbit.