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The Right Stuff

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The Right Stuff

Written by: Tom Wolfe
Narrated by: Dennis Quaid
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About this listen

From "America's nerviest journalist" (Newsweek) - a breathtaking epic, a magnificent adventure story, and an investigation into the true heroism and courage of the first Americans to conquer space. "Tom Wolfe at his very best" (The New York Times Book Review)

Millions of words have poured forth about man's trip to the moon, but until now few people have had a sense of the most engrossing side of the adventure: namely, what went on in the minds of the astronauts themselves - in space, on the moon, and even during certain odysseys on earth. It is this, the inner life of the astronauts, that Tom Wolfe describes with his almost uncanny empathetic powers that made The Right Stuff a classic.

©1979 Tom Wolfe (P)2017 Audible, Inc.
United States US Air Force Aviation Adventure Air Force
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What listeners say about The Right Stuff

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Entertaining History

I enjoy history readings. After visiting the Kennedy Space Center I re-watched Apollo 13 with new interest. This was entertaining and historical. I like Denis Quaid as an actor but he sometimes sounded like he'd had a few drinks in this narrative. But it wasn't really a distraction fo me. Just variety in style.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great History, Mediocre Reading

Dennis Quaid suprised me. Given his starring turn in the film of the book, I had looked forward to hearing his reading. Unfortunately, he was either mis-directed or poorly interpreted. You have to work to get past him, and that's unfortunate.

The book is a great retelling of the space race and the Cold War era, masterfully told and researched by the unparalleled Tom Wolfe. The details, thoughts, conversations, machinations, all of it - gives a broad-eyed vision of the kind of people, doing the kind of things, that led humanity to the moon.

#Audible1

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great retelling

This is a great retelling of the history of the space program in America, told with such clarity and detail one feels as if they were there. Dennis Quaid is the perfect narrator, given the tone of the book. Wonderful stuff cover to cover.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Dated now but meaningful regardless

Denis Quaid’s performance was criticized in some reviews. To me, it was the necessary ingredient to make this book even better. Having starred in the film, and having the right mix of accents, Quaid does a great job in bringing the characters to life.

And for that the foundation are Wolfe’s words, dripping with awe and admiration for the astronauts and their wives. The description of Yeager’s last flight and crash in the NF-104 is riveting.

An enjoyable read/listen, i’ve seen the movie many times and was glad to learn more about Conrad, Armstrong, Schirra and Slayton, who were cut out of the film.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Perfect match!

Dennis Quaid's narration is a perfect match for Tom Wolfe's entertaining and interesting take on the American space race!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Mercury astronauts and fighter pilot jocks

Tom Wolfe tells the evolution of fighter jocks from Air Force test pilots into NASA astronauts. It provides personal insight into the lives of the Original Mercury Seven, as well as the daring tales of Chuck Yaeger's historic supersonic flights.

Fantastic narration by Dennis Quaid, accents and all.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great book, enjoyable narration

An intriguing story of test pilots who became astronauts in the dawn of the space race. Tom Wolfe tells their stories in his typical entertaining, vivid and thorough fashion. Dennis Quaid does a great job as narrator though sometimes the wordy passages get the better of him.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Entertaining and informative.

I liked hearing the accounts from the various characters as if it was written in the first person. It took a while for Dennis Quiad's voice as narrator grew on me. By the middle I really appreciated his take on the narrative .

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A classic

I read this book in college 20 years ago and it was wonderful to revisit this classic story read by Dennis Quaid, who definitely has the ‘right stuff’.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Quaid brings Wolfe to life

Dennis Quaid sets the bar very high for an audible book performance. Truly the right stuff!

#Audible1

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1 person found this helpful