The Heavens And the Earth cover

The Heavens And the Earth

by Walter A. McDougall

The space race started when America and Russia split the German rocket-scientist bounty at the end of World War II. It intensified and grew under the Cold War, and eventually subsided into mostly secret military activity as contradictions within both America and Russia sapped vitality from the race. This book covers the space race's 25 year run from the 50s to the 70s as a political entity in America under Eisenhower and Johnson and in Russia under Khrushchev.

More by Walter A. McDougall

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?