In all his works, Wolfe shows Ashow the events chronicled were presented to and perceived by the American public. Chuck Yeager, the undisputed hero of the book, was relegated to obscurity when tight security was clamped on his breaking the sound barrier. The Mercury 7 astronauts, on the other hand, were made available to the media as stellar examples of "single combat warriors" who could win the Cold War. Presented to the media and, therefore, the American public like debutantes at a society ball, they were celebrated and feted before actually going into space. Ironically, after Wolfe's book and the film based upon it, Yeager himself became a celebrity.

Rediscovered nearly three decades after his most impressive accomplishments, Yeager wrote a best-selling autobiography, starred in a number of television commercials, and has a perennially best-selling series of flightsimulation computer games based on his experiences and expertise.

Wolfe...