Moonrise
4.8/5
Critic Rating
“Truer, but also darker.” This is the real origin story behind America’s decision to go to the moon. The story we learn starts with Sputnik, then President Kennedy’s challenge, and ends with triumph: an American flag on the lunar surface. But in the 50 years that have passed since the moon landing, as presidential documents have been declassified and secret programs have been revealed, a wilder story has begun to emerge. “Moonrise,” a new Washington Post narrative mini-series, digs into the nuclear arms race of the Cold War, the transformation of American society and politics, and even the birth of science f...
Critic Reviews
Score: 4
Remy Varga • The Australian • Oct 6, 2023
"Sometimes the narrative of Moonrise tangles and it’s hard to differentiate between what’s real, what’s fiction and what’s a dream. Maybe that’s the point, but it’s confusing. The music is part dreamscape, part cheap keyboard noise. It works but is at times overpowering. Moonrise is a good podcast to drift into on long hot summer days. …"
Score: 5
Keelin • Mentally? A Magpie. • Sep 20, 2023
"This podcast looks back at The Space Race with more perspective, more creativity, and more unclassified documents than we’ve seen... there is no choppiness to the story or quality. This is a gorgeous glide of audio documentary to listen to."
Score: 5
David Shaywitz • Forbes • Oct 27, 2019
"...a thoroughly captivating podcast...Moonrise isn’t a takedown; rather, Cunningham introduces what might be called companion narratives, which collectively provide a far richer understanding of the motivations behind the race to the moon. Cunningham challenges and extends our thinking about space exploration, and about the complexity swirling around all human endeavors, even the most heroic."
Score: 5
David Shaywitz • Forbes • Oct 27, 2019
"...a thoroughly captivating podcast...Cunningham’s overriding message, it seems, is that we’re awash in narratives, in part because we make sense of the world through stories....Cunningham challenges and extends our thinking about space exploration, and about the complexity swirling around all human endeavors, even the most heroic."
