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We Could Not Fail: The First African Americans in the Space Program Paperback – September 6, 2016

by Richard Paul (Author), Steven Moss (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 73 ratings
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The Space Age began just as the struggle for civil rights forced Americans to confront the long and bitter legacy of slavery, discrimination, and violence against African Americans. Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson utilized the space program as an agent for social change, using federal equal employment opportunity laws to open workplaces at NASA and NASA contractors to African Americans while creating thousands of research and technology jobs in the Deep South to ameliorate poverty. We Could Not Fail tells the inspiring, largely unknown story of how shooting for the stars helped to overcome segregation on earth.

Richard Paul and Steven Moss profile ten pioneer African American space workers whose stories illustrate the role NASA and the space program played in promoting civil rights. They recount how these technicians, mathematicians, engineers, and an astronaut candidate surmounted barriers to move, in some cases literally, from the cotton fields to the launching pad. The authors vividly describe what it was like to be the sole African American in a NASA work group and how these brave and determined men also helped to transform Southern society by integrating colleges, patenting new inventions, holding elective office, and reviving and governing defunct towns. Adding new names to the roster of civil rights heroes and a new chapter to the story of space exploration, We Could Not Fail demonstrates how African Americans broke the color barrier by competing successfully at the highest level of American intellectual and technological achievement.

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  1. Print length
    312 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    University of Texas Press
  4. Publication date
    September 6, 2016
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 0.9 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    9781477311134
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1477311134
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Surprising and insightful. ― New York Times Book Review Published On: 2015-04-24

The first African Americans to join the United States space program encountered pushback both inside and outside NASA's doors. When they moved to Cape Canaveral and other Deep South pillars to work on Apollo missions, the Ku Klux Klan was there to greet them. Even history and space program buffs should find insight in We Could Not Fail's fresh look at a well-treaded era. ― Esquire Published On: 2015-05-04

This account of 10 pioneers, told against the backdrop of the civil rights era, highlights the intersection of technology and race in U.S. history, continuing innovations in technology, and the struggle of minorities to participate. ― Booklist Published On: 2015-02-11

Paul (documentary producer) and Moss (English, Texas State Technical Coll.) offer a complementary narrative to our national story about the civil rights movement, providing a nuanced look at how integration and civil rights ideals shaped and were shaped by federal employers. . . . Vital and of interest to all Americans, from history and space buffs to students, researchers, and casual readers. ― Library Journal Published On: 2015-04-01

President John F Kennedy's ambition to put a man on the moon was a key part of his legacy, but less well known is how his administration used NASA as an agent for social change during the civil rights movement. It's a nearly forgotten history that authors Richard Paul and Steven Moss investigate in their new book, We Could Not Fail. It profiles some of the first African Americans in the US space programme and the lasting impact of their work. ― BBC World News Published On: 2015-05-15

We Could Not Fail is hard to put down. Reading about the personal experiences of African Americans with technical expertise before the civil rights era resonated strongly, as it likely will for any reader with African-American ancestors. The book's discussion of free African-American communities also sheds light on an important, but often overlooked, part of American history.

We Could Not Fail is not only a terrific read but also an important historical book, collecting and documenting features of life in the South for African Americans that have not heretofore been recorded.

-- Claudia Alexander ― Science Magazine Published On: 2015-05-15

This comprehensively researched book is replete with fascinating details about ways in which the civil rights movement influenced the space program. . . . It makes an important contribution to African American history. -- Julianne Malveaux ― The Washington Post Published On: 2015-07-24

About the Author

A former producer of The Diane Rehm Show, Richard Paul is an award-winning independent public radio documentary producer whose work includes Race and the Space Race, about the first African Americans in the space program. Paul was the 2012–2013 Verville Fellow in Space History at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. His feature stories have appeared on NPR’s Morning Edition and PRI’s Studio 360.Steven Moss is Associate Professor of English at Texas State Technical College and a Fellow of the Kellogg Institute. His master’s thesis, “NASA and Racial Equality in the South, 1961–1968” (Texas Tech University, 1997), was one of the first academic works on the topic.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1477311130
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of Texas Press; Reprint edition (September 6, 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 312 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781477311134
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1477311134
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.9 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 73 ratings

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
73 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

smoothfox
5.0 out of 5 stars Scrapbooker35
Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2015
Verified Purchase
Absolutely a well written book. Holds your attention and explains reasons, cultures, history and racial discrimination in clear understandable verse. Even handed also, not too biased one way or the other. This book tells it like it was and in many ways, still is today. It is great to know African Americans solid contributions to the Space Age despite all odds.
3 people found this helpful
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Emily Carney
5.0 out of 5 stars Essential reading
Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2018
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Essential reading about the prominent, yet sometimes forgotten African American figures at NASA and related contractors during the Civil Rights era. This is a very illuminating, sometimes heartbreaking look at what it was like to live and work during this time. Ultimately, despite sometimes taking other, “less followed” roads to success in the aerospace industry, the particulars here triumphed and paved the way for others. Highly recommended, may we all remember their sacrifices and accomplishments.
3 people found this helpful
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Lee Murray Brazos Booksellers
4.0 out of 5 stars Worth the Time
Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2019
Verified Purchase
Not an easy read, but definitely worth the time you will invest. Much more tedious than The Warmth of Other Suns, it is very much burdened with a lot of stats, and other types of measurements on the effectiveness of NASA. I never got a clear read on some of the administrators--sometimes they were ineffective and shallow, other times brave. Perhaps that is real life. At times characters like Wernher can Braun felt stereotyped. Van Braun is scarcely mentioned without reference to his Nazi and SS past.

That being said, it is another level of understanding of the Sixties and race relations in the South following the lives and careers of selected men. The story is amazing, and for that reason this book needs to be read and understood and put into context with Dr. King, Hidden Figures, The Warmth of Other Suns, and several others for a clearer picture of these turbulent times. Recommended reading.
3 people found this helpful
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queen bee
5.0 out of 5 stars Very enlightening
Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2018
Verified Purchase
Very interesting coverage of this subject. As a former civil servant, it made many things clearer to me. Also i'm both thankful for the early pioneers and sad for want the had to endure.
One person found this helpful
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Pinkdama
5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read for history buffs
Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2018
Verified Purchase
"Hidden Figures" got all the buzz, but this book is just as important. A well-written account of an--until now--little explored piece of our history.
6 people found this helpful
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Vanessa S.
5.0 out of 5 stars So inspiring!!!
Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2019
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An exceptional example of courage and determination in the face of all odds!!
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Ron Cobbs
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2018
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This is an amazing book and an amazing story!! If you loved Hidden Figures, you will LOVE this book!!
2 people found this helpful
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Marsha Freeman
4.0 out of 5 stars such as the "confrontation" between NASA leadership and a poor people's march at Cape Canaveral on the eve of ...
Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2015
Verified Purchase
This book presents a balanced view of an extremely complex subject. Based largely on interviews with principals involved, it challenges some popular ideas about the subject which is an admirable accomplishment in writing history. A few seminal events in the history of NASA/African American relations, such as the "confrontation" between NASA leadership and a poor people's march at Cape Canaveral on the eve of the launch of Apollo 11 are not included, but the material covered is an important contribution to the subject.
7 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Alexander
5.0 out of 5 stars An important part of NASA history.
Reviewed in Canada on February 23, 2020
Verified Purchase
Amazing stories about amazing people. I wasn't aware that NASA was such a powerful force in enforcing federal laws regarding equal employment opportunity.
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