George Pendle reads from and answers questions on, Strange Angel: The
Otherworldly Life of Rocket Scientist John Whiteside Parsons (Harcourt).
March 15th at 7pm at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena.
FREE.
I have to say, it’s a wonderful read, and in my opinion it’s far more impressive than the other Parsons biography, Sex And Rockets (which, itself, wasn’t bad!)…
John Whiteside Parsons (1914-1952) was a pioneer of rocket science, a fixture at Caltech with an uncanny ability to understand and control the dynamics of explosions.
At the same time, Parsons was a key figure in the Los Angeles occult scene, presiding over the local chapter of the Ordo Templi Orientis, and in constant communication with Aleister Crowley.
Science writer Pendle follows Parsons on his life’s journey through both science and the occult, exploring the surprising connections between the two disciplines. Including newly found archival material and correspondence, Strange Angel paints the fullest picture yet of Jack Parsons’ extraordinary life, with a cast of characters that includes Robert Heinlein, Wilfred T. Smith, Howard Hughes, Grady McMurtry, L. Ron Hubbard and Albert Einstein.
695 E. Colorado Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91101
Tel: 626-449-5320