I’ve been reading Two Sides of the Moon, a dual autobiography of the space race. Dave Scott tells his story from the American side of things, and Alexei Leonov shares a Russian perspective.

I was a gung-ho space nut in the ’80s, so Scott’s half of the book covers familiar ground. It’s competent and friendly, but pedestrian; I don’t think I would recommend it as a stand-alone read. Paired up with Leonov’s account, though, it’s a lot of fun. Nobody in America really knew what the Russians were doing during the space race, and we never heard much about the cosmonauts or the progress of their space program – just the propaganda highlights. Scott and Leonov trade chapters back and forth, in roughly chronological order, and getting to watch each other’s space program through foreign eyes is what really makes the book work.

As a child of the Cold War I grew up thinking of the USSR as an oppressive wasteland run by power-mad hypocrites; their space accomplishments were scary and threatening. Through Leonov’s eyes, you see the pride and straightforward human enthusiasm that went into it all. The political posturing is miles away; what matters in this tale is the ingenuity, courage, and resourcefulness that made the milestone flights happen.