When I was 11 years old, my grandfather took me to see the Right Stuff. I was absolutely fascinated with space. I sat for three hours and hardly breathed. I wanted to be an Astronaut. A few drawbacks; (1) they were all men, (2) they had all been in the military, (3) and none of them wore glasses. I was (1) a girl, (2) never, ever going to serve in the military (no offense to those who have) and (3) my eyesight was bad.
As I got older, it became clear that I could never be an astronaut. I was horrible at math and just ok at science. I would love toe say that nothing deterred me from my dream, but it did. I never gave it more serious thought. But that did not change my love of all things space. I was again awed when I saw Apollo 13. I have read all the books I can find about astronauts. None of them have been as down-to-earth, funny, and easy to read as Spaceman by Mike Massimino.
I loved this book. First off, he’s from a working-class family. He refused to give up on space flight despite a few obstacles. He is a graduate of Columbia and MIT. He is super smart and quite possibly the warmest person whose memoir I have ever read. His book is easy to read and engrossing. You feel like you know him by the time the story ends. Though he is quite possibly a genius, he keeps his writing accessible.
If you have never read a book about becoming an astronaut or traveling to space, read this one. It is utterly enjoyable. I highly recommend it.
I received this book from Blogging for Books and received no other compensation for my review. The views expressed herein are mine and mine alone.
Words From Ms. Wise 