October 2006. Sputnik. The Shock of the Century, by Paul Dickson.  This was a great book for anyone who likes both science and history. The author outlines the history of rocketry and profiles the pioneers like Hermann Oberth and Robert Goddard. I was shocked to read of the treatment that Goddard received from the press during his lifetime, considering how critical his work turned out to be.  The author also gives a good overview of the popular mindset in the 1950's and the place the "missile gap" had in the 1960 election. Overall this was a very well wriitten book, including the footnotes. I read every footnote in this book and felt like they added some real insight, and in siome cases humor, to the story. The best one was on page 221 which told the story of the famous "Earthrise" picture from Apollo 8. I'd recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the history of the last half of the 20th Century. This book gives a great perspective on a pivotal event in 1957 that clearly steered the future of the United States and indeed the world.
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