Rating: 
Summary: Difficult to swallow...
Review: Holy cow! I thought this book would have been Gordo's reflections on being one of the Mercury Seven astronauts, similar to what John Glenn,Al Shepard, Deke Slayton, etc had written. In fact, only the first half of the book is about his Mercury days. The second half is a journey with Gordo into the world of the paranormal, as Cooper spends quite a lot of time with psychics, UFO fanatics, people who believe that they are being contacted by extraterrestrials, etc. Cooper is astonishingly accepting and uncritical of their stories. He says things like, "At first I was skeptical, but soon I started to believe that aliens were talking to her!" He never keys us into his thought process to show us how he was convinced and never lets us try to decide if these people were for real or just plain nuts (I assume the latter was the case). At one point Cooper even thinks that, based on what one of these people has told him, that an alien ship is coming to take him on a trip. Honest! He goes so far as to pack a bag! Overall, I would say to read the first half and forget about the rest. Both this book and Gene Cernan's "The Last Man on the Moon" serve to remind us that some of these astronauts, despite their good qualities, were very odd people.
Rating: 
Summary: Even if you're not a space fanatic, this is riveting reading
Review: I had heard from a friend that Gordon Cooper had written a book and had mentioned in it that he had seen UFOs. I found that interesting because Colonel Cooper certainly doesn't fit the profile for being a nutcase. I was waiting for someone in the bookstore the other day and picked up this book to read while waiting. My friend was delayed, and I was glad. I read 200 pages of this book without getting up. It truly is riveting and engaging. The first-hand account of Cooper's Mercury mission is written with clarity of memory like it happened yesterday. The things which Cooper chooses to talk about are also fascinating. There was not one boring page in this book! Colonel Cooper's sensible account of the UFOs which he saw in the 1950s while stationed in Germany has made me rethink the possibility of their existence. Even the comments which he has about all of the other famous people of the time that he knew, from astronauts to presidents, are revealing but at the same time in good taste. If anyone thinks we are lacking heroes today, or if he or she thinks that our heroes are hitting or catching balls, that person should read this book. Cooper's telling of the way it was in those Mercury capsules, subjected to a regular temperature exceeding 100 degrees with G-forces great enough to make his watch stop working accurately, and having to manually re-enter the atmosphere when his entire electronics package shutdown, all to wind up landing within four miles of the aircraft carrier makes one realize that true American heroes are alive and well today. I hope that the remaining four of these seven men will have many more opportunities to be appreciated verbally by a nation that will forever be indebted to them for their bravery and willingness to risk their own lives to teach men to dream.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific biography of a real hero
Review: I haven't read many other books about our early space explorers, but it's hard to imagine one with more down-to-earth info and exciting tales of the whole NASA program than this one. Gordon Cooper is one of those people whom you can't help but admire for his guts, his skill, his modesty and his downright courage. He seems to tell it like it was (and is) when it comes to the whys and wherefores of America's adventure into space. His candid opinions count for a lot because he was there and he doesn't pull any punches. And his amazing tales of UFO's and (maybe) extraterrestrial visitors really left me with a lot to ponder. This is a wonderful book about a wonderful American hero. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes an inspiring read.
Rating: 
Summary: if you want facts, avoid this book like the plague
Review: I was hardly able to finish this book. As a space buff, I want facts and figures, not careless statements such as are found here. Read the books by Duke, Cunningham, Lovell, Borman, Cernan, Slayton, Kranz, and Collins and you will get the space info you seek. It is interesting that the UFO buffs all love this book, while the space buffs didnt like it. Draw your own conclusion.
Rating:
Summary: Learning About Space
Review: I'm just starting to study all about space and astronauts and my dad gave me this book. It's very good and taught me a lot about what happened to Mr. Cooper and all of the other original astronauts. I think he's a very cool guy, and brave too. I especially liked the part about his chasing UFO's in his fighter plane, and also the stuff about the training he got, and that he fell asleep in his space capsule while he was waiting to be launched. Everybody should read this book, he's a great hero and a good writer.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting but a little flawed
Review: I've been a fan of Gordo Cooper since he visited my town of Pennsburg 25 years ago. As a result, I was really excited when he decided to write a book. Gordo writes an interesting tale that is worth reading. Are his stories that spins about UFO's and people in contact with aliens true? I'm just a little sceptical but it does make for interesting reading. As for his tales of his Mercury and Gemini missions...I wish he would have given more detail and also double-checked his memories with other astronauts and NASA folk. Inaccuracies such as on page 159, "...the awesome Saturn V, sported eight engines..." is just plain wrong. (FYI: the 1st and 2nd stage had 5 engines each and the 3rd had 1.) On page 165 Gordo claims that on the day of the Apollo 1 fire, "...Gene Kranz had considered being in the spacecraft to try to figure out a recurring problem with one of the systems." Well, unless every other book I've read so far has got it wrong, that person was actually Chris Kraft. On another note, I really did enjoy what little he provided into the life and antics of Pete Conrad. Unfortunately we'll never get to read Pete's autobiography since he died in a motorcycle accident in 1999.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting but a little flawed
Review: I've been a fan of Gordo Cooper since he visited my town of Pennsburg 25 years ago. As a result, I was really excited when he decided to write a book. Gordo writes an interesting tale that is worth reading. Are his stories that spins about UFO's and people in contact with aliens true? I'm just a little sceptical but it does make for interesting reading. As for his tales of his Mercury and Gemini missions...I wish he would have given more detail and also double-checked his memories with other astronauts and NASA folk. Inaccuracies such as on page 159, "...the awesome Saturn V, sported eight engines..." is just plain wrong. (FYI: the 1st and 2nd stage had 5 engines each and the 3rd had 1.) On page 165 Gordo claims that on the day of the Apollo 1 fire, "...Gene Kranz had considered being in the spacecraft to try to figure out a recurring problem with one of the systems." Well, unless every other book I've read so far has got it wrong, that person was actually Chris Kraft. On another note, I really did enjoy what little he provided into the life and antics of Pete Conrad. Unfortunately we'll never get to read Pete's autobiography since he died in a motorcycle accident in 1999.
Rating:
Summary: Mr. Cooper Goes To Space
Review: In a time when our only heroes seem to be overpaid actors, athletes and teenage musicians, Astronaut Cooper shows us the real thing, a red-blooded all-american guy who risked his life, not only in his pioneering space explorations, but as a leading edge test pilot and fighter pilot who put it on the line almost daily for many years, in the selfless service of his country. What a wonderful story his life is. From a tiny midwestern town, to the reaches of space, to the White House and the other capitols of the modern world, this man has truly been there and done that. His tales of chasing UFOs across the skies of Germany and commanding a crew of surveyors at Edwards Air Force Base who had their own amazing close encounter are the stuff that will attract a lot of readers' attention, but I was most taken by his revelations of the incredible efforts undertaken by the huge and dedicated team of scientists, engineers and other skilled people who made President Kennedy's dream of "putting a man on the moon, and returning him safely to earth" a reality. This was surely one of mankind's greatest accomplishments, and Gordo Cooper was a key player in it. He makes me proud to be an American, warts and all. Buy this book, you'll likely have the same experience!
Rating:
Summary: this book wasn't really written by Gordo, obviously.
Review: it is full of inaccuracies about the space program. 3 examples ( to keep it brief ). a. gene kranz was never planning to get into Grissom's Apollo 1 spacecraft for the test. ( kind of hard to do when Gene was always in Houston.) b. Mercury retrofire does not slow you down from 17,500 mph to 12,500 mph, it slows you more like 300 mph, that's all it takes. c. Russian spacecraft are not ' circular '. spherical is more like it. I am sure that Gordo gave the co author a few topics to write about, then let him write the book. big mistake !!! if you want a good book, read gene kranz, charlie duke, or gene cernan, etc. write me your comments, dave s. Phoenix
Rating:
Summary: A Hero's Significant Life written with Integrity
Review: Just finished reading Gordon Cooper's "Leap of Faith" which I finished in two "sittings"... As a woman who remembers back in the 50's and 60's being in a man's world, I found this book (even with a lot of technology in it) remarkably understandable, interesting, exciting, and profound. Cooper's "straight-arrow" approach to his love of his calling in life, along with open-mindedness and vision, captured my imagination and came as close to feeling "I know this person" more than in most non-fiction books. His story was mixed with human interest, military protocol, politics, courage, intelligence, along with love and respect for his teammates, as well as frustration with self-serving brass, kept my interest in high gear all the way. I learned behind the scenes information, some historical, that was not dipicted in the movie, "The Right Stuff". Towards the end, some of his adventures seemed somewhat surreal, but because of who this person is, I found myself weighing what was and what was not and came to the conclusion it was told with veracity, if not somewhat disappointing. Disappointed not of his writing, but the end result of one of the projects he was involved in and the failure of it due to lack of support from our military and private sector. I don't think anyone reading this book will come away disappointed. I highly recommend it.
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