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Out There
Lisa Nowak was dedicated, smart, and courageous―one of the first astronauts to fly a space shuttle mission after the horrific 2003 Columbia disaster. But that was before a fit of pure, primal jealousy landed her in an airport parking lot in Florida, where Lisa had a fateful, near-fatal confrontation with the woman believed to be her romantic rival. Did Lisa intend to kidnap―or kill―Air Force captain Colleen Shipman because she was involved with fellow astronaut William Oefelein? What was the nature of Lisa's connection with True love or dangerous obsession? As the details of Lisa's news-making journey unfolded―she donned a disguise, even wore a diaper during her 900-mile car ride to find Colleen―Americans couldn't help but Why? In this captivating account, master crime journalist Diane Fanning goes straight to the heart of the case. Through interviews with key family members, friends, and colleagues, the author reveals for the first time the real story behind the headlines―and casts a light on Lisa's groundbreaking fall from grace.
278 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 30, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 26, 2016
Diane Fanning did an excellent piece of writing in the telling of this story. Her attention to detail is always spot-on and once you start, it reads so smoothly that
you can't put it down. I highly recommend it. It also points out to all of us how fragile the mind can be given tremendous pressures we put upon ourselves to win.
you can't put it down. I highly recommend it. It also points out to all of us how fragile the mind can be given tremendous pressures we put upon ourselves to win.
November 7, 2016
Disgraced astronaut Lisa Nowak's criminal 'enterprise' was brief and botched, and is dealt with in the books' first sixteen pages. That leaves plenty of room for her experiences at the Naval Academy and on the Space Shuttle, as well as some history of women in space and of the Shuttle program generally. The book was published before Nowak's case was adjudicated.
May 16, 2020
Wow it is truly amazing what infatuation can do. Although William should have been more forthcoming with his new relationship.
Lisa is a smart, dedicated and gutsy young woman whom goes into the space program, and one of the first to fly a space shuttle but when she meets William and falls head over heels, all of her smarts go out the window and this leads here down a very dark path. Sad to see such a wise woman fall so far due to loving a man whom had moved on. This is one very sad story more than anything else.
Lisa is a smart, dedicated and gutsy young woman whom goes into the space program, and one of the first to fly a space shuttle but when she meets William and falls head over heels, all of her smarts go out the window and this leads here down a very dark path. Sad to see such a wise woman fall so far due to loving a man whom had moved on. This is one very sad story more than anything else.
November 1, 2023
An intriguing read that folds the astronaut love-triangle case into the much bigger picture of how people make their way into NASA, the tremendous pressures involved in being an astronaut and how personal lives can go sideways as a result. A whole lot of this book is speculation-- Lisa Nowak, the only person who really knows what happened and why -- did not weigh in at all, so speculation is really all we have. The moral of this story, if there is one, is that you should stay far away from Clear Lake, Texas. Bad things happen there!
October 2, 2017
True Crime
Good true crime book. A little unusual, since it was more about the scandal of an astronaut's love life than a real crime. I think Ms. Fanning told the story well and with great sensitivity. Only one side of the story was told by the newspapers and the author gives us the rest of it.
Good true crime book. A little unusual, since it was more about the scandal of an astronaut's love life than a real crime. I think Ms. Fanning told the story well and with great sensitivity. Only one side of the story was told by the newspapers and the author gives us the rest of it.
August 2, 2019
Good read
Interesting story, though too many mentions of "first woman this, first woman that". Who cares about gender. What a shame that Nowak threw away a lifetime of accomplishment in one night. She got off too easily in Florida, though the Navy seems to have taken it seriously and did the right thing.
Interesting story, though too many mentions of "first woman this, first woman that". Who cares about gender. What a shame that Nowak threw away a lifetime of accomplishment in one night. She got off too easily in Florida, though the Navy seems to have taken it seriously and did the right thing.
November 19, 2019
Good book for an outline of the story but not too much depth into Nowak's psyche or her motivation.
April 18, 2023
This book gets good reviews??? The only thing this book (all 400 pages of it) is about is the “Space program” which to me is of NO interest whatsoever. Actually there was no crime committed by [anyone] that I could see. (unless you calling spraying a little maze in someone’s face a major crime.) It’s actually about the [life and times] of one screwed up female astronaut (Lisa Nowak) and hundreds of other people and when they were born, where they were born, how they were born…….where and when they went to school (and then the entire history of the school they attended), about their parents, the grand parents, their great grand parents……..and on & on & on. And this boring and monotonous genealogy crap includes; every astronaut in the story, the police, the attorneys, the kid working at the local ice cream shop and every person introduced in this book! Just shoot me! Put me out of my misery! After lumbering through about 300 pages of this boring story, I finally threw up my hands and surrendered. I slammed shut the book (or in this case, my Kindle). Enough is enough. Like I say, I couldn’t see where any major crime was committed by “anyone”! The only “crime” I could see was; [the writing of this book]!! One review I read states; “OUT THERE is the in-depths story of, etc”, In-depth is right! Twenty thousand leagues under the sea in-depth!
If one is enthralled by the [space race and astronauts one might find this interesting but if one picks up this book to read a [true crime] book, forget it!
If one is enthralled by the [space race and astronauts one might find this interesting but if one picks up this book to read a [true crime] book, forget it!
January 7, 2013
As a true crime book, this was a bust. The crime isn't all that interesting. Once you've read the headline about the astronaut wearing a diaper to drive cross country to beat up her old boyfriend's new girlfriend, you pretty much know the story. I guess after she figured out there wasn't a there there, the author fell back on relaying many interesting details about the life of an astronaut both on the ground and in the space station.
August 2, 2011
The book, although semi-interesting, spent a little bit too much time discussing "time in space", right down to Nowak's songs she woke up to, rather than more discussion about the crime itself, or the actual love triangle. No pictures of Colleen Shipman. Pretty disappointed.
September 3, 2013
What a stupid woman to give up being an astronaut and all for a man!
August 8, 2016
I really enjoyed this book!
August 23, 2016
I'm being generous about the 3 star rating. I'm disappointed. This book was more about the assailant's career than the crime itself and the legal outcome.
April 19, 2017
Super interesting true life story! I'll read more of this author.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews