Into the Sky with Diamonds: The Beatles and the Race to the Moon in the Psychedelic '60s

Ronald P. Grelsamer
AuthorHouse (2010)
ISBN 9781452070537
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (10/10)

 

“Into the Sky with Diamonds” takes us back into the vibrantly colorful times of the 1960’s.  It mainly covers two of the most exciting topics of this decade; The Beatles and the American Space Program. What makes it really interesting is that even though it is written from a fictional character’s perspective, the story is based on historical facts. 

The main character is a NASA communication specialist named Dutch Richtman.  Through his experiences we learn about the United States Space Program and the heavy competition that was involved against the Soviets in the race to reach the moon.  Using real letters that the author, Ronald Grelsamer, had received from Beatles roadie Mal Evans, we also are able to follow along with the Beatles from when the band was created, through their heyday, and then to their demise. 

Having been born in 1967, I pretty much had to learn about what happened during this decade from my history classes in school.  I had no clue about the depth of what was involved with the space program.  Reading about it, and how we were competing against the Soviets, first to get a man off the planet, and then to reach the moon, really taught me some important lessons about fairly recent American history.  The best part about this was how the author made everything so interesting.  Through Dutch’s character, we are able to see how the astronauts were affected by both the dangers of their missions and their desires to be the first to achieve what had never been done before.

In addition, being able to follow along with the Beatles and learn about both their public and private lives was also a great adventure.  It is amazing what the band went through to achieve their fame.  Having snippets of their personal lives shared with us, really adds to the story.  They definitely paid their dues to achieve the success that continues for them today, even after they have long been disbanded. Being able to peek into their personal lives and understand where the ideas of some of their songs came from gives me a much greater appreciation for their music.

I totally enjoyed reading, “Into the Sky with Diamonds.” I highly recommend for both people who were around to experience the events that occurred in the 60’s and for the younger generation who will enjoy learning about an era of history that has had a huge impact on both our NASA program and our music today.

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