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4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
I listened to more of this than I read, and I really enjoyed Scott Kelly reading his own memoir. I was prepared to dislike him when it started because he is pretty full of himself, but I got to like him by the end. I like how candid he is about things, and that he spoke up when problems needed addressing or when he himself made a mistake.
Five stars for the ISS segments, 4 for his personal backstory. I found some of that a bit dull or disjointed. I was fascinated by a lot of the space stuff I learned, and impressed at how well the people on the space station work together whether their countries want them to or not. The International Space Station all in all is pretty amazing.
I didn't mind the detailed descriptions of boring routine work like fixing the toilet, although some people in my book group found it a little too detailed.
The experiences on the space station are pretty interesting just in themselves, but there is some nice writing in the book, like this:
"For the rest of my mission, I occasionally look out the window and catch sight of the area at the end of the truss where Kjell and I worked on that second spacewalk. It looks far away, farther than home, and it gives me a strange feeling of nostalgia, like the feeling I get when I visit my old neighborhood in New Jersey. Not just a place I've spent time, but a place imbued with strong emotions, a place familiar yet at the same time distant, now unreachable." (p. 332)
A definite recommend for people interested in space or memoirs, and for book clubs.
Five stars for the ISS segments, 4 for his personal backstory. I found some of that a bit dull or disjointed. I was fascinated by a lot of the space stuff I learned, and impressed at how well the people on the space station work together whether their countries want them to or not. The International Space Station all in all is pretty amazing.
I didn't mind the detailed descriptions of boring routine work like fixing the toilet, although some people in my book group found it a little too detailed.
The experiences on the space station are pretty interesting just in themselves, but there is some nice writing in the book, like this:
"For the rest of my mission, I occasionally look out the window and catch sight of the area at the end of the truss where Kjell and I worked on that second spacewalk. It looks far away, farther than home, and it gives me a strange feeling of nostalgia, like the feeling I get when I visit my old neighborhood in New Jersey. Not just a place I've spent time, but a place imbued with strong emotions, a place familiar yet at the same time distant, now unreachable." (p. 332)
A definite recommend for people interested in space or memoirs, and for book clubs.
Kelly describes his life leading up to and during his time on the International Space Station. Humbly written and candid, Endurance is full of new insights into the both glamorous and humiliating life of the face of NASA and a living science experiment.
Suffers from "ghostwriter ran out of time syndrome." Margaret Lazarus Dean, a writer, co-authored the book, and the first few chapters are engaging and well-turned. After that, not so much. Kelly manages to make living in space seem tedious. "Skywalking" by four-time shuttle flier Tom Jones is a much more visceral, vivid space memoir.
Had this on my to read for ages, strangely. Once I finally started reading it was (as expected) very interesting. The time-lines were sometimes a bit unclear, but I really liked the overall view on what exploring space entails and the humans making it possible. It's one of those books that takes longer to read because I get side-stepped and look up some things more in detail elsewhere, and that's a good sign :).
"Endurance" is a fun read - you won't be bored with this one. I liked the no-nonsense writing style and smart pacing, in particular how the early chapters alternate between the one-year mission in space and Scott Kelly's earlier life and career. If he had written the book in chronological order the reader would feel impatient in the earlier sections. Also, having the space mission span the entire book only helps the reader better grasp the full duration of the author's time in space.
You'll enjoy learning interesting facts about the International Space Station, how it operates and what it's like to live there; what a real takeoff and landing are like to experience, the dangers of a spacewalk, and the difference between Russian and American space traditions. I did expect more on the scientific experiments that were performed by and on Scott Kelly as part of the mission (a total of about 400) since that was the purpose of his mission, but the book doesn't really dwell on that, partly because the data was still being analyzed at the time of writing and more data (from different human subjects) will be needed to draw conclusions.
As a bonus, there are some beautiful photographs taken from space which are included in the book.
You'll enjoy learning interesting facts about the International Space Station, how it operates and what it's like to live there; what a real takeoff and landing are like to experience, the dangers of a spacewalk, and the difference between Russian and American space traditions. I did expect more on the scientific experiments that were performed by and on Scott Kelly as part of the mission (a total of about 400) since that was the purpose of his mission, but the book doesn't really dwell on that, partly because the data was still being analyzed at the time of writing and more data (from different human subjects) will be needed to draw conclusions.
As a bonus, there are some beautiful photographs taken from space which are included in the book.
A great adventure combined with reflections on the life spent getting into space
I was just a grade school kid who was skipping school to watch Gemini launches and for me this was the first book since The Right Stuff that recreated the excitement I remembered about the space program. A great mix of describing all the work it took getting into space and reflecting on the personal impact of being away from children, family and loved ones. It pulls you in from the first page.
I was just a grade school kid who was skipping school to watch Gemini launches and for me this was the first book since The Right Stuff that recreated the excitement I remembered about the space program. A great mix of describing all the work it took getting into space and reflecting on the personal impact of being away from children, family and loved ones. It pulls you in from the first page.
Fantastic to hear what it is really to live in space. The mix of romantic views and day-to-day life is fascinating.
This is written by an astronaut, so while it’s not brilliantly written, the story itself is interesting and engaging.
3.5 stars. First time reading an memoir about space and learned a lot about how astronauts are chosen and what they endure going to, being in, and returning from space. Scott Kelly has humble beginnings but it becomes clear that he is quite an extraordinary person. Parts of the book reads like his expedition log as he goes into specific details about many of his missions.