Book: “Deke!” by Deke Slayton

Who? Deke Slayton, Original 7 Mercury astronaut who was grounded due to a heart complaint. He stayed with NASA, and oversaw the Apollo programme, including selecting crews. He went on to fly himself in Apollo-Soyuz.

Written by: Slayton, apparently, with assistance from a ghost writer. I would, however, say that some of this was keyed by Slayton himself – the reasons will become apparent.

Style: First person. Dry.

Covers period: Slayton’s entire life, from Wyoming farm boy right through to his death in 1994.

Pictures? Not in my copy, but I’m told there are some in the hardback version.

REVIEW

I have deliberated for some time over writing this review, for several reasons. There is a tendency for someone like myself, a confirmed fan of Apollo, to want to say nothing but positive things about the men involved in the programme. Yet I also do not want to “review” a product without being honest – and with this book, that put me in an awkward situation.

I was excited to read this book. Slayton was the “inside man” of Apollo; the Original 7 astronaut, grounded due to a heart problem few believed was enough to ground him, who went on to play a fundamental role in Apollo crew selection. The story finishes grandly, with Slayton regaining full flight status and flying into space himself with Apollo-Soyuz. It all sounds like the making of an excellent auto/biography.

Earlier, I said that I genuinely believe Slayton typed some of this himself. The reason? It is as dry as a bone, the kind of dry, analytical style that I do not think many natural writers would produce. At first, Slayton’s simple approach and his apparent refusal to be phased by, well… anything, is refreshing and enjoyable. After awhile, when he’s gone through yet another horrible point in his life and he’s still calm and collected about it, the style begins to rankle.

For me, the point of an autobiography is to be illuminating. This is the author’s chance to tell the truth, once and for all. To provide insight, to give their unique perspective, their personal slant on things. Yet this book is devoid of this. I came out of it knowing nothing more about Apollo, or Slayton himself, than I did before I opened the cover.

We follow Slayton through his farm-based childhood, his time as an Air Force pilot, his selection for the Mercury programme… and it’s just relentless, an ongoing drone of nothing but facts and figures. That isn’t why I read an autobiography; I can get that from a design sketch. I realise, absolutely, that test pilots are the worst people to ask to emote, but most manage it better than this book does.

I was excited to read the details on astronaut selection, only to be disappointed to find nothing revealing whatsoever. It was just basic; I picked him to go with him on that mission. Now, there may have been an element of that, but there should be reasons – why did you pick “him”? Why him for that mission? Surely the thought process was a little more detailed than shuffling names around?

Basically, the book bored me. I found myself leafing through it, not really reading – and I am the person who recently had to set aside Dave Scott’s book and force myself to leave it alone, for fear I’d finish it too quickly. Slayton comes across as a fine, upstanding man who did a hell of a good job – in everything but his memoirs. More of the man, less of the mission, and an autobiography suddenly starts to sparkle.

Rating: * * * * *