posted 01-24-2024 05:11 PM               

From the New York Times bestselling author of "Midnight in Chernobyl" comes the definitive, dramatic, minute-by-minute story of the Challenger disaster based on fascinating new archival research and in-depth reporting — a riveting history that reads like a thriller.

On January 28, 1986, just seventy-three seconds into flight, the space shuttle Challenger broke apart over the Atlantic Ocean, killing all seven people on board. Millions of Americans witnessed the tragic deaths of a crew including New Hampshire schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe. Like the assassination of JFK, the Challenger disaster is a defining moment in 20th century history—one that forever changed the way America thought of itself and its optimistic view of the future. Yet the full story of what happened, and why, has never been told. Until now.

Based on extensive archival research and meticulous, original reporting, "Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space" follows a handful of central protagonists — including each of the seven members of the doomed crew — through the years leading up to the accident, a detailed account of the tragedy itself, and into the investigation that followed. It’s a compelling tale of optimism and promise undermined by political cynicism and cost-cutting in the interests of burnishing national prestige; of hubris and heroism; and of an investigation driven by leakers and whistleblowers determined to bring the truth to light. Throughout, there are the ominous warning signs of a tragedy to come, recognized but then ignored, and later hidden from the public.

Higginbotham reveals the history of the shuttle program, the lives of men and women whose stories have been overshadowed by the disaster as well as the designers, engineers and test pilots who struggled against the odds to get the first shuttle into space. A masterful blend of riveting human drama and fascinating and absorbing science, "Challenger" brings to life a turning point in history — and the result is an even more complex and astonishing story than we remember.

• Hardcover, 560 pages
  
• Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster (May 14, 2024)
  
• ISBN-10: ‎198217661X
  
• ISBN-13: 978-1982176617

posted 05-14-2024 12:03 AM               

New York Times best-selling author revisits 1986 space shuttle tragedy in 'Challenger' (interview)

Adam Higginbotham was touring with his first book when he got the idea from a frequent question.

The New York Times best-selling author of "Midnight in Chernobyl," Higginbotham had spent years researching the April 26, 1986 explosion, which caused the worst nuclear disaster in history.

"People often asked me whether I remembered where I was when I heard the news about Chernobyl," said Higginbotham in an interview with collectSPACE. "And I always had to admit I didn't, but what I did remember very clearly was where I was when I heard about Challenger, which happened almost exactly three months before."

"So when I started looking for something to write for my second book, Challenger was already on my mind," he said.

posted 10-17-2024 09:41 PM               

The nonfiction award went to Higginbotham for "Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space," an account of the 1986 space shuttle disaster that killed its seven crew members. The judges praised the book as "meticulously reported, beautifully written, and devastating in its account of an entirely preventable tragedy."

Jurors for the nonfiction award were journalists Hannah Bae and Mary Ann Gwinn, alongside Kirkus editor-in-chief Tom Beer.