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Hashtag Histories
#Houston70: The Miracle Journey of Apollo 13
This is not a book in the normal book format. It is the story of the incredible Apollo 13 mission in 1970 told as if in real time in the form of imaginary social media posts written by the main participants and observers. The narrative is based on astronaut accounts, NASA transcripts of the astronauts’ conversations with Mission Control and live broadcasts of the major U.S. TV networks covering the unfolding drama hour by hour. There is a list of major sources at the back of the book. Apollo 13 was a mission that gripped the entire nation and the world. It would test the courage, endurance and ingenuity, not just of three astronauts but also of the thousands of controllers, technicians and engineers back at Mission Control in Houston and across America.
- GenresSpaceNonfictionHistory
208 pages, Paperback
First published May 26, 2014
61 people are currently reading
79 people want to read
About the author
Philip Gibson
66 books7 followersI am a retired teacher of English, having taught and lived in (in order): England, Spain, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan and Laos.
I came to Laos 22 years ago, married a Lao lady and now live with my wife and two teenage boys on our small farm on the forested banks of the Nam Ngum River (tributary of the Mekong) about 25 miles from the capital city of Vientiane.
I came to Laos 22 years ago, married a Lao lady and now live with my wife and two teenage boys on our small farm on the forested banks of the Nam Ngum River (tributary of the Mekong) about 25 miles from the capital city of Vientiane.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 29, 2014
Author Philip Gibson has introduced a novel way of writing about history with his hashtag history series, using fictionalized social media posts based on historical facts to show history from a totally different perspective. In Houston #70, a retelling of the Apollo 13 mission through tweets, posted by well-known personalities of the time such as astronaut Jim Lovell, or news anchor Walter Cronkite.
Experiencing this historic event through a series of 144 character tweets is a bit weird at first, but you quickly get caught up in the tension and excitement, and much like what happens when the twitterverse comes alive during breaking news today, you find yourself sucked into it as if it was just happening.
I previously read Havana #62, an account of the Cuban Missile crisis, which was not bad, but had a few entries I found hard to swallow. Houston #70, on the other hand, is completely credible. I can imagine that if Twitter had existed back then, these are just the sort of things that might have been posted.
Kudos to Gibson for coming up with a new way of sharing history with a general reading audience. You’ll find this book entertaining and well worth reading.
I received a free review copy of Houston #70.
Experiencing this historic event through a series of 144 character tweets is a bit weird at first, but you quickly get caught up in the tension and excitement, and much like what happens when the twitterverse comes alive during breaking news today, you find yourself sucked into it as if it was just happening.
I previously read Havana #62, an account of the Cuban Missile crisis, which was not bad, but had a few entries I found hard to swallow. Houston #70, on the other hand, is completely credible. I can imagine that if Twitter had existed back then, these are just the sort of things that might have been posted.
Kudos to Gibson for coming up with a new way of sharing history with a general reading audience. You’ll find this book entertaining and well worth reading.
I received a free review copy of Houston #70.
August 18, 2014
A Myrt's Review
#Houston70 - The Miracle Journey of Apollo 13 by Philip Gibson
Another Great Edition of Hashtag Histories!
I am a big fan of this series which recounts a historical event as if it was happening in the style of current social media. Historical figures use the format of social networks like Twitter using actual quotes they said during the time.
#Houston70 is the story of the Apollo 13 crisis which was headed to the moon when an explosion critically damaged one of the modules aborting the mission to the moon and the priority immediately became getting the crew safely home. It was an incredibly intense time with the crew working with Mission Control trying to come up with ways to bring them safely home. Walter Cronkite kept the people anxiously watching at home updated the whole time.
The book is a great way to learn about and relive that mission and at times it does capture the tension of that time. A thumbnail biography is included for each person involved. This was an entertaining and unique look at a significant moment in history. I highly recommend it!
I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
#Houston70 - The Miracle Journey of Apollo 13 by Philip Gibson
Another Great Edition of Hashtag Histories!
I am a big fan of this series which recounts a historical event as if it was happening in the style of current social media. Historical figures use the format of social networks like Twitter using actual quotes they said during the time.
#Houston70 is the story of the Apollo 13 crisis which was headed to the moon when an explosion critically damaged one of the modules aborting the mission to the moon and the priority immediately became getting the crew safely home. It was an incredibly intense time with the crew working with Mission Control trying to come up with ways to bring them safely home. Walter Cronkite kept the people anxiously watching at home updated the whole time.
The book is a great way to learn about and relive that mission and at times it does capture the tension of that time. A thumbnail biography is included for each person involved. This was an entertaining and unique look at a significant moment in history. I highly recommend it!
I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
January 8, 2025
unbelievable challenges solved
Great book of issues defeated. I would have preferred that many of the problems would have been explained in detail as to the issues caused. Main bus alarm = what?
Great book of issues defeated. I would have preferred that many of the problems would have been explained in detail as to the issues caused. Main bus alarm = what?
February 21, 2015
puts you right in the middle of the Apollo 13 mission.
gIves on a very clear vision of the flight and recovery of Apollo 13. Hard to put down a real great job by all.
gIves on a very clear vision of the flight and recovery of Apollo 13. Hard to put down a real great job by all.
July 23, 2015
Houston 70
Oh what a ride !! I rode right along with those boys ! Could not goto bed till book was finished ! It was so.real just like being inside that capsule.
Oh what a ride !! I rode right along with those boys ! Could not goto bed till book was finished ! It was so.real just like being inside that capsule.
September 10, 2015
Really good account of what happened to Apollo 13 loved the hashtag relaying of story
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews