{"product_id":"9780156031790","title":"Strange Angel: The Otherworldly Life of Rocket Scientist John Whiteside Parsons","description":"\u003cbr\u003eROCKET SCIENTIST KILLED IN PASADENA EXPLOSION screamed the headline of the Los Angeles Times. John Parsons, a maverick rocketeer who helped transform the rocket from a derided sci-fi plotline into a reality, was at first mourned as a scientific prodigy. But reporters soon uncovered a more shocking story: Parsons had been a devotee of black magic. \u003cp\u003eGeorge Pendle re-creates the world of John Parsons in this dazzling portrait of prewar superstition, cold war paranoia, and futuristic possibility. Fueled by childhood dreams of space flight, Parsons was a leader of the motley band of enthusiastic young men who founded the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a cornerstone of the American space program. But Parsons's wild imagination also led him into the occult- for if he could make rocketry a reality, why not magic? \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith a cast of characters including Howard Hughes, \u003cbr\u003eL. Ron Hubbard, and Robert Heinlein, Strange Angel explores the unruly consequences of genius. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Houghton Mifflin Harcourt","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47730429001968,"sku":"9780156031790","price":20.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780156031790_p0.jpg?v=1763658220","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780156031790","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}