Neil M. Maher

This is a non-fiction book about NASA’s space program in the 1960s and in context with the social movements of the time. In the introduction, the author states that the book shows how the Apollo program worked in synergy with the Civil Rights, women’s rights and environmental movements. Instead of “synergy” though, Maher demonstrates how NASA functioned in spite of and in opposition to those movements and only caving in under political and financial pressure to address those concerns. By its own stated metric, the book failed to prove its point, instead demonstrating how NASA exacerbated social and cultural divisions. Overall, it’s an informative but awkwardly written book that inevitably leaves the reader disappointed with arguably one of the US’s greatest achievements.… (altro)

Frankly, I was on the verge of giving up on this book but kept on going because I had reached the part about the CCC's part in developing Great Smokey Mountains National Park. But it was only grit that kept me going after that. At heart, this is an academic book more than it is a popular history book. I had expected much more in the way of stories of individual CCC recruits and descriptions of their lives. That information is there, but rather sparse. And the book desperately needed a better editor. Thoughts, themes, and phrases would be repeated over and over (often within mere pages of a prior appearance). It brought to mind something written by an 8th-grader told to write a thousand-word essay and in which the student focused on meeting the word count more than on conveying information well. While [b:Rightful Heritage: Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Land of America|25816604|Rightful Heritage Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Land of America|Douglas Brinkley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1439314552l/25816604._SY75_.jpg|45626008] is a much longer book than Nature's New Deal, I found it much more instructive in the history of the CCC and New Deal-era conservation.… (altro)