Publishers Weekly
04/10/2023
In this colorful account, Hansen (First Man), a history professor at Auburn University, narrates the 1969 voyages undertaken by two British men to cross the Atlantic by rowboat. Drawing on interviews with McClean (Fairfax died in 2012), Hansen writes that the two were nearly diametrical opposites: Fairfax, 31, was a “profligate gambler playboy,” and 26-year-old McClean was a paratrooper who’d overcome a hardscrabble childhood. The men began from opposite ends of the Atlantic—McClean departed Newfoundland on May 17 and headed toward Ireland about four months after Fairfax had launched from the Canary Islands aiming for Florida. Hansen captures in vivid, sometimes visceral detail both the physical challenges (McClean’s hands swelled so severely that he could barely grasp the oars, and he bit open the blisters to release the water) and psychological tolls (in a ship log, Fairfax describes “shedding the veneer with which civilization had coated my animal instincts”) the men endured. In the end, Fairfax finished about a week before his rival, though only after 180 grueling days at sea. Hansen’s spirited entry provides a riveting examination of the human will to survive, and readers will be fascinated—if occasionally mystified—by the determination the men displayed. This is perfect for those seeking adventure without leaving their couch. (July)
Andrew Chaikin
"This remarkable book captures a little known adventure that in many ways was just as amazing—and even more harrowing—than Apollo 11.”
The Wall Street Journal
A gripping account. Fairfax was the kind of man who could restore your faith in a random and amoral universe. Tom McClean, on the other hand—is the guy you’re rooting for, an orphan seeking to assert himself in the world. He knew the value of sheer guts. The S.A.S. motto, ‘Who dares wins,’ was emblazoned on his boat’s bow.”
Alabama Public Radio
"This new book, Completely Mad is the day-by-day story of two very different men who, really by chance, were vying to be the first person to row across the Atlantic Ocean, alone. Hansen gives a good deal of biographical material and the contrasts are striking."
author of Swimming to Antarctica Lynne Cox
Hansen's book is the best adventure book I have ever read. Hansen skillfully tells the story of two men who fathomed the unfathomable - to become the first to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean. It is an incredible story: real, enthralling, and absolutely inspiring. I had to discover how these two men rowed through titanic storms and currents and continued on when all seemed lost. I loved this book!"
author of Deke! and The Astronaut Maker Michael Cassutt
"James Hansen has proven himself to be a terrific storyteller about voyages and history, and Completely Mad combines both of these notable talents. Here he relates the story of two young men, Tom McClean and John Fairfax, and the sea, both engaged in, yes, mad quests to row across the Atlantic in a time—the summer of 1969—when jets or spacecraft accomplished the journey in hours or minutes. You will travel with them on their competing journeys, tasting salt, fearing sharks, fighting the sea in this skewered mirror of a space race in this wildly engaging narrative."
author of In The Shadow of the Moon Francis French
"James Hansen is already an acknowledged expert in turning the lives of pioneering loners into gripping and insightful reads. Now he explores the exciting tale of two solo explorers each attempting to cross the Atlantic alone, in a battle with each other, with the elements, and with their own personal limits. Completely Mad is a nail-biting, epic tale of endurance—I was racing to the end to see who won."
The New York Times Book Review - Douglas Preston
What happened on these journeys — 70 days for McClean, 180 days for Fairfax — makes for reading both enthralling and horrifying. Each man had to row around 23,000 strokes a day for months on end. Hansen skillfully interweaves their stories, recounting tales of bleeding hands, capsizings, shark attacks, storms of biblical proportions, freak waves, brutal heat, freezing cold, physical prostration and psychic collapse. Hansen shows impressive research, fine storytelling skills and mastery of detail. The real star of the book is Tom McClean, today 81 years old and living in Scotland. Hansen calls him his ‘nautical Gandalf,’ with ‘veiled power, good intentions, care for all creatures of good,” adding that McClean “showed me, Jedi-like, how to steer my boat.’
The New York Times Book Review Douglas Preston
What happened on these journeys — 70 days for McClean, 180 days for Fairfax — makes for reading both enthralling and horrifying. Each man had to row around 23,000 strokes a day for months on end. Hansen skillfully interweaves their stories, recounting tales of bleeding hands, capsizings, shark attacks, storms of biblical proportions, freak waves, brutal heat, freezing cold, physical prostration and psychic collapse. Hansen shows impressive research, fine storytelling skills and mastery of detail. The real star of the book is Tom McClean, today 81 years old and living in Scotland. Hansen calls him his ‘nautical Gandalf,’ with ‘veiled power, good intentions, care for all creatures of good,” adding that McClean “showed me, Jedi-like, how to steer my boat.’
Don Noble Alabama Public Radio
"This new book, Completely Mad is the day-by-day story of two very different men who, really by chance, were vying to be the first person to row across the Atlantic Ocean, alone. Hansen gives a good deal of biographical material and the contrasts are striking."
Douglas Brinkley
A fine authorized biography brimming with groundbreaking research, fresh anecdotes and fair-minded analysis. Hansen should be commended for decoding the enigmatic Armstrong: a space hero short on words but sky-high on Midwestern integrity.
The Chicago Tribune
Hansen's mastery of detail is put to splendid use. The narrative of the moon mission is crisp and dramatic, the science clear. A compelling and nuanced portrait."
From the Publisher
Praise for James R. Hansen
Richard P. Hallion
"Hansen’s research is staggeringly impressive. A work that has great appeal for anyone interested in why we explore. A must read!"
Bookpage
Thoroughly researched and incredibly detailed. Hansen's attention to detail serves the story well, relaying the difficulty and danger inherent in the Apollo program. Along with this comes an understanding of Neil Armstrong himself.”
Kirkus Reviews
2023-04-12
The story of the 1969 race to be the first person to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
A former history professor and historian for NASA, Hansen has written extensively about science and technology, particularly aerospace history. In his latest, he turns his attention to the ocean, chronicling the lives of two adventurers who “could not have been more different.” Tom McClean (b. 1942) was a British paratrooper who had been orphaned as a child, a man in the classic tough-guy mold. Traveling west to east in his rowboat, Super Silver, his route took him from Newfoundland to Ireland. John Fairfax (1937-2012), who was known as a gambler and a playboy, traveled from east to west in his rowboat, Britannia, from the Canary Islands to Florida. In a page-turning narrative, Hansen shares the personal background of each contender as well as the challenges they faced along their nautical journeys, particularly noting the contrasts between the two men. Along their impressive voyages, they both battled gale-force winds, violent storms, shark encounters, hunger, and loneliness. Not only were their routes different; so were their approaches. “To the very end,” writes Hansen, “Tom’s commitment was very different from Fairfax’s, as he would do nothing less than complete his journey totally unassisted.” Fairfax also had a head start and tended to blame his boat for any problems he encountered. The one thing they did have in common was questioning their sanity for taking on such a monumental venture. As McClean recalled about the day he set out, “There were a few sad eyes amongst that crowd….I’ll never forget all those watching faces as I rowed out for the open sea. No question that many of them thought they were watching the departure of a man who would never see land again.”
The remarkable adventures of two men fighting nature and their own demons.
