Publisher's Synopsis
In War and Rockets, Wernher von Braun's life unfolds in a sweeping tale of ambition, morality, and technological innovation set against the turbulent backdrop of World War II and the Cold War. This gripping historical novel reimagines the journey of one of the 20th century's most brilliant yet controversial figures-a man whose genius helped shape both the weapons of war and the dreams of space exploration.
As a young engineer in Nazi Germany, von Braun's passion for rockets leads him into a Faustian bargain, working on the V-2 rockets that terrorize Europe. Despite his ambitions for space travel, his groundbreaking work is used for destruction, and the weight of this legacy haunts him. When the war ends, von Braun is spirited to the United States under the secretive Operation Paperclip, where he begins his second life as a leading architect of America's space program.
Caught in the crossfire of history, von Braun grapples with his role in both war and peace. Can he atone for his past as a creator of weapons by becoming a visionary of space exploration? As he helps NASA reach for the moon, von Braun must wrestle with the ethics of his choices, his ambition, and the cost of the dreams he pursued.
War and Rockets is a deeply human exploration of genius, morality, and redemption, blending the drama of war with the wonder of space. Through the lens of von Braun's life, it examines the contradictions of a man who was both a builder of weapons and a dreamer of the stars, asking whether one can ever truly escape the shadow of war.
