Public Loneliness: Yuri Gagarin's Circumlunar Flight (17 page)

The Red
Stuff – The True Story of the Russian Race for Space
and the accompanying
film documentary about Gagarin had some very valuable intervals with the early
cosmonauts. It also had some great archival footage of the Soviet space program
and the public spectacle which surrounded it.

Yuri Gagarin’s
own
To the Stars
is somewhat problematic as a historical source. But
despite—and perhaps because of—the author’s outright lies and omissions, it
still provides some valuable insights.

The anonymous
contributors to Wikipedia continue to ensure that their site remains a handy
and generally reliable reference, but this story highlights some of the
intriguing problems with the site, and with history and biography in general.
(The Gagarin article claims he was a Christian, but relies on only one source;
Jenks insists he wasn’t, but acknowledges the pervasiveness of this rumor in
recent years. The disputes about such basic facts greatly contributed to my
fascination with the Gagarin story, and left me charmed by a man who could
remain so long in the public eye while remaining so maddeningly opaque.)

Giano
Cromley’s been an indispensable companion on the unending voyage that is
independent publishing; it’d be a far lonelier journey without him, and I’m
tremendously grateful for his feedback and support.

Last, but
first. To Octavia, Genesis, and the son whose name has been whittled down to a
few intriguing possibilities: you are the most wonderful family a man could ask
for, and I love you tremendously.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mr.
Brennan earned a B.S. in European History from the United States Military
Academy at West Point and an M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University in New
York. His writing has appeared in the
Chicago Tribune
,
The Good Men
Project
, and
Innerview Magazine
; he's also been a frequent
contributor and co-editor at Back to Print and
The Deadline.
He resides
in Chicago.

ABOUT TORTOISE BOOKS

Slow and
steady wins in the end, but the book industry often focuses on the fast-seller.
Tortoise Books is dedicated to finding and promoting quality authors who
haven’t yet found a niche in the marketplace—writers producing memorable and
engaging works that will stand the test of time.

Other
titles include:

Resistance

The Last Good
Halloween

Ninety-Seven to Three

Project Genesis

Zero Phase: Apollo 13 on the Moon