Above and Beyond by Casey Sherman audiobook

Above and Beyond: John F. Kennedy and America's Most Dangerous Cold War Spy Mission

By Casey Sherman and Michael J. Tougias
Read by Maxwell Hamilton

PublicAffairs, Hachette Book Group 9781610398046
12.35 Hours • Unabridged
Format : Digital Download (In Stock)
  • 2 Formats: Digital Download
  • 2 Formats: CD

  • Regular Price: $31.99

    Special Price $25.59

    or 1 Credit

    ISBN: 9781549168628

    $12.99 With Membership: Learn More

  • Regular Price: $34.00

    Special Price $22.10

    ISBN: 9781549198090

    Free shipping on orders over $35

    In Stock ● Ships in 1-2 days

From the authors of the bestselling The Finest Hours comes the riveting, deeply human story of President John F. Kennedy and two U-2 pilots, Rudy Anderson and Chuck Maultsby, who risked their lives to save America during the Cuban Missile Crisis During the ominous two weeks of the Cold War's terrifying peak, two things saved humanity: the strategic wisdom of John F. Kennedy and the U-2 aerial spy program. On October 27, 1962, Kennedy, strained from back pain, sleeplessness, and days of impossible tension, was briefed about a missing spy plane. Its pilot, Chuck Maultsby, was on a surveillance mission over the North Pole, but had become disoriented and steered his plane into Soviet airspace. If detected, its presence there could be considered an act of war. As the president and his advisers wrestled with this information, more bad news came: another U-2 had gone missing, this one belonging to Rudy Anderson. His mission: to photograph missile sites over Cuba. For the president, any wrong move could turn the Cold War nuclear. Above and Beyond is the intimate, gripping account of the lives of these three war heroes, brought together on a day that changed history. Selected as a "Top 10 Nonfiction Books to Read" (2018) by the MA Book Awards

Learn More
Membership Details
  • Only $12.99/month gets you 1 Credit/month
  • Cancel anytime
  • Hate a book? Then we do too, and we'll exchange it.
See how it works in 15 seconds

Summary

Summary

From the authors of the bestselling The Finest Hours comes the riveting, deeply human story of President John F. Kennedy and two U-2 pilots, Rudy Anderson and Chuck Maultsby, who risked their lives to save America during the Cuban Missile Crisis

During the ominous two weeks of the Cold War's terrifying peak, two things saved humanity: the strategic wisdom of John F. Kennedy and the U-2 aerial spy program.

On October 27, 1962, Kennedy, strained from back pain, sleeplessness, and days of impossible tension, was briefed about a missing spy plane. Its pilot, Chuck Maultsby, was on a surveillance mission over the North Pole, but had become disoriented and steered his plane into Soviet airspace. If detected, its presence there could be considered an act of war.

As the president and his advisers wrestled with this information, more bad news came: another U-2 had gone missing, this one belonging to Rudy Anderson. His mission: to photograph missile sites over Cuba. For the president, any wrong move could turn the Cold War nuclear.

Above and Beyond is the intimate, gripping account of the lives of these three war heroes, brought together on a day that changed history.

Selected as a "Top 10 Nonfiction Books to Read" (2018) by the MA Book Awards

Editorial Reviews

Editorial Reviews

“The authors have assembled a page-turning narrative. An edifying history that, given America’s current global diplomatic stance, is also timely and hopefully instructive to those faced with similarly dire circumstances.” —Kirkus Reviews
The authors eloquently convey the difficulties and tensions involved in the [U-2] flights, dramatically magnified during the crisis, when miscalculations could instigate disastrous response by either side....This superbly written, tense, and sometimes sad account views the Cuban Missile Crisis from an unusual and telling perspective. —Booklist, starred
Unfolds like a spy thriller and serves as an unnerving cautionary tale in a time of reckless brinksmanship. —Boston Globe
A novelistic approach that involves dramatically recreated scenes and interweaving story lines... The focus on two lesser-known figures gives the book an added dimension beyond other Cuban Missile Crisis histories....[Above & Beyond] hums when describing the strategic maneuvering in Washington.... The authors will leave readers with a greater appreciation of the work required to combat the 'miscalculations, incorrect interpretations, and breakdowns in command and control that could lead to war'. —Publishers Weekly
Sherman and Tougias present an absorbing account of heroic U-2 pilots Rudolph Anderson and Charles Maultsby and their harrowing missions.... Fascinating. —Library Journal
The authors have assembled a page-turning narrative. An edifying history that, given America's current global diplomatic stance, is also timely and hopefully instructive to those faced with similarly dire circumstances. —Kirkus Reviews
A you-are-there retelling of the Cold War's scariest hours. —Military Times
A fast-paced read with exciting recollections of this tumultuous time guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat....thrilling and nerve-wracking....Even though you know the outcome, it's still enough to get the heart pounding and palms sweating as Kennedy ponders and the U-2 pilots soar into the cross-hairs of history. —Providence Journal
Readers get a front row seat to a dramatic moment in history. —Cape Cod Times
Here is the Cuban Missile Crisis as you've never seen it before: through the eyes of the men who flew over the island at 72,000 feet, photographing the missiles that confronted Kennedy with the real possibility of nuclear war. Sherman and Tougias tell their story with pace, riveting new detail, and tremendous economy of style. To be read at one sitting with a stiff Scotch at your elbow. —Giles Whittell, New York Times bestselling author of Bridge ofSpies
Above and Beyond is a thrilling, inspiring story that would make for relevant reading in any era, but today feels essential. It takes you inside the rooms, inside the cockpits, and sometimes inside the minds of the people confronting the most dangerous moments in human history. A tribute to true patriotism and courage, this bookreminds us that the bravest warriors, the ones who make the biggest differences, are often the ones who never fire a shot. —Jeffrey E. Stern, coauthor of The 15:17 to Paris
The Cuban Missile Crisis: it may be the most terrifying thirteen days in human history. Live it again in Above and Beyond, the riveting new book by Casey Sherman and Michael J. Tougias. Climb aboard the most famous spy plane of them all, the legendary U-2, and photograph missile sites. Take a seat in the White House Situation Room to deliberate with President Kennedy on those photographs. Turn the pages all night and marvel yet again at the intrepid bravery of those pilots, and at the leadership that was calm, thoughtful, and steady, yet resolute in the face of unimaginably high stakes. It's an adventure yarn worthy of a great spy novelist and a cautionary tale for our dangerous times. —William Martin, New York Times bestselling author of Back Bayand Bound for Gold
Intriguing... reassuring and disquieting. Reminds us of how resilient, inspired and successful American military, industrial and political leadership could be in the direst days of the Cold War. —Wall Street Journal
Just when you think the story can't get any better there is a cover-up. —The Patriot Ledger
An exciting account of the Cuban Missile Crisis with plenty of detail about the spyplanes and the brave men who flew them...The authors of the best-selling The Finest Hours have worked their magic again with this engaging true-life thriller. —Aviation History
The authors eloquently convey the difficulties and tensions involved in the [U-2] flights, dramatically magnified during the crisis, when miscalculations could instigate disastrous response by either side....This superbly written, tense, and sometimes sad account views the Cuban Missile Crisis from an unusual and telling perspective. —Booklist, starred
Unfolds like a spy thriller and serves as an unnerving cautionary tale in a time of reckless brinksmanship. —Boston Globe
Sherman and Tougias present an absorbing account of heroic U-2 pilots Rudolph Anderson and Charles Maultsby and their harrowing missions.... Fascinating. —Library Journal
The authors have assembled a page-turning narrative. An edifying history that, given America's current global diplomatic stance, is also timely and hopefully instructive to those faced with similarly dire circumstances. —Kirkus Reviews
A you-are-there retelling of the Cold War's scariest hours. —Military Times
A fast-paced read with exciting recollections of this tumultuous time guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat....thrilling and nerve-wracking....Even though you know the outcome, it's still enough to get the heart pounding and palms sweating as Kennedy ponders and the U-2 pilots soar into the cross-hairs of history. —Providence Journal
Readers get a front row seat to a dramatic moment in history. —Cape Cod Times
Here is the Cuban Missile Crisis as you've never seen it before: through the eyes of the men who flew over the island at 72,000 feet, photographing the missiles that confronted Kennedy with the real possibility of nuclear war. Sherman and Tougias tell their story with pace, riveting new detail, and tremendous economy of style. To be read at one sitting with a stiff Scotch at your elbow. —Giles Whittell, New York Times bestselling author of Bridge ofSpies
Intriguing... reassuring and disquieting. Reminds us of how resilient, inspired and successful American military, industrial and political leadership could be in the direst days of the Cold War. —Wall Street Journal
Just when you think the story can't get any better there is a cover-up. —The Patriot Ledger

Reviews

Reviews

Be the first to review this product

Author

Author Bio: Casey Sherman

Author Bio: Casey Sherman

Casey Sherman is considered one of America’s preeminent true-crime authors and investigative journalists. His books include The Ice Bucket Challenge; The Finest Hours, coauthored with Michael J. Tougias and made into a major motion picture by Walt Disney Pictures; Animal: The Bloody Rise and Fall of the Mob’s Most Feared Assassin; Search for the Strangler; and Bad Blood. He has been a finalist for the Massachusetts Book of the Year honors and the New Hampshire Literary Awards nonfiction prize. He has been a featured guest on NBC’s Today and Dateline; CBS’s The Early Show, 48 Hours, and the CBS Evening News; ABC World News Tonight, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, Discovery, The History Channel, A&E, The Travel Channel, and The View.

Titles by Author

See All

Author Bio: Michael J. Tougias

Author Bio: Michael J. Tougias

Michael J. Tougias is a bestselling author and coauthor of numerous books for adults, including There’s a Porcupine in My Outhouse, which won the Independent Publishers Award for Best Nature Book of the Year, and The Finest Hours, the basis for a Disney movie. He has also written several books for children as part of his True Rescue series.

Titles by Author

See All

Details

Details

Available Formats : Digital Download, CD
Category: Nonfiction/History
Runtime: 12.35
Audience: Adult
Language: English

We love books, and we believe that you should be able to enjoy your favorite book whenever, wherever, or whatever you are doing. Audiobooks allow that freedom.


TOLL FREE SERVICE: 1-855-369-6768

©2025 Downpour . All rights reserved. Privacy Terms of Use Purchase Terms Cookie Policy ©2025 Downpour . All rights reserved.