The Barber, The Astronaut, and The Golf Ball (Lone Star Book Blog Tour)

The Barber, The Astronaut, and The Golf Ball

By Barbara Radnofsky and Ed Supkis

 

Biography / Golf / Space Travel

Publisher: Stoney Creek Publishing

Pages: 202

Publication Date: September 17, 2024

 

SYNOPSIS

In 1971, famed astronaut Alan Shepard returned from the moon and went to get a haircut. Before settling into the barber’s chair in Webster, Texas, near NASA’s Mission Control, Shepard gave his longtime barber and friend, Carlos Villagomez, an autographed golf ball.                                  

During his Apollo 14 moonwalk, Shepard had conducted a world-famous demonstration of gravity by hitting a golf ball in an out-of-this-world sand trap. It took him two tries.

Carlos, a Navy combat veteran and barber for numerous astronauts, says Shepard gave him the ball immediately after he returned to earth and was released from quarantine.
Had Shepard taken a third ball to the moon? And did he give it to his barber as a token of their long friendship?                                 

The debate provides a backdrop for The Barber, The Astronaut, and The Golf Ball, a story of two extraordinary men and their lasting friendship. The book offers a rare glimpse behind the scenes of America’s space program at its pinnacle and shows the ordinary people who supported one of the nation’s most monumental scientific endeavors.

 

Praise for The Barber, The Astronaut, and The Golf Ball:

 

It’s perfect!! Barbara and Ed capture Daddy and his long friendship with Carlos. --Laura Shepard, Daughter of Alan Shepard

 

Brings back the glory days of the U.S. Space Program and the importance of the "little people" who made it happen.  We see stern Shepard in a new and admirable light - in Shepard's high regard for the vast team of dedicated supporters who enabled astronauts to succeed. --Charlie Duke, Apollo Astronaut

 

 

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Barbara Radnofsky and Ed Supkis grew up in the 1960s in the shadow of NASA’s

Manned Spacecraft Center and married in 1982. They have three children and five

grandchildren. The couple —with many other community members — are co-owners of

Brazos Bookstore, an independent bookseller. As children of NASA scientists, Barbara, and Ed had front-row seats to the development of the space program and the community built around it on rural cow pastures near Webster, Texas.

 

Barbara Radnofsky is a writer, mediator, teacher and lawyer. She’s the author of A Citizen’s Guide to Impeachment, a nonpartisan explanation of U.S. constitutional impeachment history and practice.

 

Ed Supkis, MD is a board-certified anesthesiologist specializing in cardiac anesthesia. He served as Director of Quality Assurance for the Division of Anesthesiology and as Medical Director of Respiratory Care for the Division of Surgery and Anesthesiology. 

 

 

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REVIEW

 The Barber, The Astronaut, and The Golf Ball is an unexpected historic look at the moon landing and details surrounding it. I've spent a fair amount of time reading about space and space exploration. I love movies like Apollo 13 and The Martian. I've also spent a fair amount of time going to the space museum in Alamogordo, NM, so I was very, very excited to read this book. It's highly informative, detailed, and in my opinion, entertaining. 

While I love space, I didn't know a lot of the information that was in this book. For context, I've read a lot about Laika and animals that went into space, as well as Letters to John Glenn: P.S. I Listened to Your Heartbeat, all of which are highly fascinating and insightful reads. Therefore this book was pretty great for me and my general interests. 

I was surprised with how much detail was provided within this book. It goes into great depths with certain components, which makes it exceedingly informative. This is both a highlight and a potential detriment. The level of detail may not be ideal for all readers, but for anyone very interested in this subject matter, it'll likely be okay still. Nonetheless, it can be pretty intensive and slightly long-winded. I didn't mind it, but I can see where it wouldn't work for everyone. 

Nonetheless, The Barber, The Astronaut, and The Golf Ball is a fascinating blend of trivia and biography. Space aficionados will have a great time with it, while casual readers may run into some issues with the amount of detail present. I do recommend this book and give it a Lone Star rating of ✯✯✯✯.

 

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