The Song Behind Today’s Review Title
In November of 1966 a single was released by Par-lo records — the soulful rendition of Tell It Like It Is by Aaron Neville, from the album of the same name. The single peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and #1 on the Billboard R&B chart for the week ending January 28, 1967.
On Friday of that week in January Apollo 1, during a routine test on the launch pad, suffered a tragic accident when an electrical spark ignited flammable materials in the capsule’s 100% oxygen environment. The fire raced around the interior of the capsule and resulted in the death of the three astronauts aboard. The loss of Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee was a national tragedy, and an unfortunate illustration of the song line that is today’s review title.
Neville’s single was the most notable hit from the songwriters George Davis and Lee Diamond. The duo were performers in their own right, and close friends from New Orleans.
In the years since Neville’s recording, Tell It Like It Is has been covered by some 40 different recording artists across various genres, including Percy Sledge, Nina Simone, Paul Anka, Freddy Fender, Don Johnson (yes that Don Johnson) and the musical group Heart. Heart’s version, from their 1980 double album Greatest Hits Live, features soulful and passionate vocals from Ann Wilson and a smoking guitar solo. It peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1981.
You can listen to the original recording by Aaron Neville here on YouTube. You can see the official music video of Heart’s version here.
I’ve read a lot of books about the US space program over the years. The last such book was Jeffrey Kluger’s Gemini (which I reviewed here). In that book Kluger makes the point that the number of years that have passed since the Gemini program, and the number of people involved who’ve passed away made writing about it difficult. But, as the author of several prior books about NASA Kluger had the advantage of having previously interviewed some of the key people. He also dug into NASA archives to ground his research.
This is Ryan Walter’s first book on NASA and so his options are more limited. Judging by the Notes at the end of the book Walters relied heavily on the published works of other authors in producing his book. So, there is a lot here that readers like me will already be familiar with. What’s new to me, and much appreciated, is Walter’s in-depth life stories of the three Apollo 1 astronauts, Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee.
I should pause here for those who aren’t as well versed in the history of the 1960s race to the moon. NASA began operation in the last years of the Eisenhower administration after the Soviets launched Sputnik, the first manmade satellite, in 1957. During the 1960s space race between the US and the Soviet Union, NASA conducted three successive programs with increasingly sophisticated spacecraft. Those programs were Mercury, Gemini and finally Apollo, which was the program that landed Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon in 1969.
Ryan S. Walters is the conservative author of several previous books about politics and the presidency. This is his first book about the US space program.
Walters’ book takes us through the Mercury and Gemini years and into the start of the Apollo program, up to the events around Apollo 1. That very first Apollo mission never got off the ground. Apollo 1 exploded on the launch pad during a routine pre-flight test in January of 1967, resulting in the deaths of all three astronauts on board. Walters’ account of the accident is very thorough.
Walters devotes the last chapter of his book to “The Politics” of the Apollo 1 accident, consistent with his background as a conservative author of politically oriented books. He covers the congressional hearings on the accident in an evenhanded manner.
He also spends time on corruption scandals during the LBJ presidency, some of which pre-date the accident, and none of which, by his own admission, can be directly tied to the accident or to NASA administrator James Webb. That’s not to say they aren’t interesting history; it’s just not clearly laid down why they deserve a place in this book.
I should also note that the publisher of this book is Regnery History, an imprint of Regnery Publishing, which has a history as a publisher of politically conservative books, and was founded in 1947 by Henry Regnery.
On the whole this is a fine book about Apollo 1, a tragic moment in American history that deserves remembering, and is recommended especially for those who do not already have much knowledge of the space race.
RATING: Three Stars ⭐⭐⭐
OVERALL COMMENTS: Walters’ book details a tragic moment in American history that deserves remembering. Recommended especially for those who do not already have much knowledge of the space race.
WHERE I GOT MY COPY: I downloaded my audiobook through Kobo Plus, a subscription ebook and audiobook service for users of Kobo ereaders.
Title: Apollo 1: The Tragedy That Put Us on the Moon
Author: Ryan S. Walters
Publisher: Regnery History
Publish Date: May 25, 2021
ISBN-13: 9781684510948
Publisher’s List Price: $29.99 hard cover, $14.99 ebook, audiobook not available direct from publisher
Other Books and Stuff
CURRENT BOOKS & STUFF
I finished Nothing New Under the Sun by Solomon Harrington. It’s a short, independently published book that links new ideas in technology and economics to their historic roots. I’m now working on my fourth short book for a future “short book” review day. This time it’s Sweeter Voices Still, an anthology of LGBTQ short stories. I’ve picked this up before but never quite made it all the way through.
We’ve also finished the fourth and final season of Jack Ryan on Prime. We enjoyed all four seasons, and what’s nice about the series is that you can watch it without a Prime subscription (in the US). But, to watch the follow-on movie Jack Ryan: Ghost War, we did have to sign up for a free 30 day trial. We don’t intend to extend it.
WHAT’S NEXT
Next week I’ll be reviewing 1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin. Published last fall, this book was an instant New York Times bestseller, and was also selected as a Best Book of 2025 by TIME, The Financial Times, The Economist, and Bloomberg. Here’s the publisher’s description:
In 1929, the world watched in shock as the unstoppable Wall Street bull market went into a freefall, wiping out fortunes and igniting a depression that would reshape a generation. But behind the flashing ticker tapes and panicked traders, another drama unfolded—one of visionaries and fraudsters, titans and dreamers, euphoria and ruin.
With unparalleled access to historical records and newly uncovered documents, New York Times bestselling author Andrew Ross Sorkin takes readers inside the chaos of the crash, behind the scenes of a raging battle between Wall Street and Washington and the larger-than-life characters whose ambition and naïveté in an endless boom led to disaster. The dizzying highs and brutal lows of this era eerily mirror today’s world—where markets soar, political tensions mount, and the fight over financial influence plays out once again.
This is not just a story about money. 1929 is a tale of power, psychology, and the seductive illusion that this time is different. It’s about disregarded alarm bells, financiers who fell from grace, and skeptics who saw the crash coming—only to be dismissed until it was too late.
Hailed as a landmark book, Too Big to Fail reimagined how financial crises are told. Now, with 1929, Sorkin delivers an immersive, electrifying account of the most pivotal market collapse of all time—with lessons that remain as urgent as ever. More than just a history, 1929 is a crucial blueprint for understanding the cycles of speculation, the forces that drive financial upheaval, and the warning signs we ignore at our peril.
