Alan Shepard was the brashest, cockiest, and most flamboyant of America’s original Mercury Seven, but he was also regarded as the best. Intense, colorful, and dramatic, he was among the most private of America’s public figures and, until his death in 1998, he guarded the story of his life zealously.

Light This Candle, based on Neal Thompson’s exclusive access to private papers and interviews with Shepard’s family and closest friends—including John Glenn, Wally Schirra, and Gordon Cooper—offers a riveting, action-packed account of Shepard’s life.

Foreword

Prologue

PART Ⅰ IBEFORE SPACE

1 "Alan was really kind of a loner"

2 "I think I love you"

3 "The kamikazes raised hell last night"

4 "UNSAFE FOR SOLO" in Zoom Town

5 A perfectly charming son of a bitch

6 Shepard should be court-martialed

7 "Do you wish to declare an emergency?"

8 "That little rascal"

PART Ⅱ INTO SPACE

9 "We made them heroes, the first day they were picked"

10 Eyeballs in, eyeballs out

11 "Aharlot of a town"

12 "I think I got myself in trouble"

13 "We had 'em by the short hairs, and we gave it away"

14 "Light this candle!"

15 "I believe we should go to the moon"

16 "I'm sick..., should I just hang it up?"

17 How to succeed in business without really flying--much

18 "Captain Shepard? I'm Charles Lindbergh"

19 "What's wrong with this ship?"

PART Ⅲ AFTER SPACE

20 "When you've been to the moon, where else are you going to go?"

21 "I saw a different Alan Shepard, completely different"

22 "This is the toughest man I've ever met"

Notes

Bibliography

Acknowledgments

Index