Two Sides of the Moon: Our Story of the Cold War Space Race

I've read most of the astro books and most of the the books on the Apollo program, as well as many books on the Soviet space program as well.

I found Leonov's writing and accounts to be very compelling, but Dave Scott's accounts were fairly lackluster compared with some of the other astro writings (Mike Collins, Eugene Cernan, etc.). Leonov's background information on the Vokshod 2 Mission and accounts of encounters with the Chief Designer, along with his admiration for Yuri Gagarin, made the book well worth the read.

One significant bone I would like to pick with Dave Scott, however, is the commentary on page 243. Dave attributes the phrase "If you can't be good, be colorful" to Neil Armstrong.

Really?

NASA plants a tree at the JSC for each astro that has passed on. During the Holiday season, the trees are decorated with clear lights. All but one. In a tribute to the late, great Pete Conrad, one tree is lit with colored lights. Pete was a gap-toothed, wise-cracking, joke-playing misfit of an astro that was the third man to walk on the moon, and he originally coined the phrase.

Neil, on the other hand, was quiet, studied, reserved, and only spoke when it appeared that his words had been carefully chosen. There was no "colorful nature" to Neil whatsoever. Would have made more sense to attribute the phrase to Walt Cunningham.

The reference is not only incorrect, but odd that Dave would attribute such a phrase to one that was so clearly not colorful. Makes me wonder about the accuracy of some of the other statments in the book.

Anyway - Pick it up for Alexei's read and skip the sections that say "Dave Scott".

COUNTERFEIT. This is not even readable. Do yourself a favor and order from a reputable bookstore. Over half the book was faded and missing print

this is avery good book.Scott and Leonov are two talented individuals who provide an excellent perspective on their own two countries space programs.If you want a book that describes the details of what the sights are like in outer space,Then this book is not for you.You can try Gene Cernan's"last man on the moon"Or Michael Collins"Carrying the Fire."However,If you want a perspective on the space race from both sides,then this book is for you.It is my favorite book on the space program for that reason.

This book is strongly recommended for those who are interested in history of human spaceflight

This was an enjoyable read.

Very good read! I enjoyed the back and forth of both men and how they recalled their time as space travelers. Good insight into how the American and Russian space programs were run.

Found the book quite engaging and easy to read.
I agree with the others - the ghost writer for Dave Scott could have done a better job, but still - good reading, very vivid descriptions of the Lift-offs, Lunar experience etc.
Decent job.
Leonov lives up to his image and part in space exploration - interesting material and also quite personal - a lot less official than the Soviet officer would normally provide.

I had to buy this book for a college course I am taking. The price was much better and shipped very quickly.

I went to a Royal Geographic talk in Hong Kong by David Scott. He made a very interesting speaker and spoke of his life as a priveleged American growing up in the space race era. He then spoke about the Russian, Alexei, who was growing up at the same time in Russia who came from a very underpriveleged background and how the two of them met in space. He decided to write the book showing how the two very different upbringings brought them to space at the same time. An outstanding true story that brings its readers up to date with the space race and the cold war. I highly recommend it to all readers, young and old!

It doesn't matter if you are a student of history, a space nut, or just looking for a good story, "Two Sides Of The Moon" has something for everyone. While I confess there are areas I wished contained more detail about some of the missions (Apollo 15), it is still in my opinion one of the finest Cold War/Space Race books ever written. A compelling story about a turbulent time in American and USSR history by the men who made it.