Book Reviews and Recommended Reading
More than 350 Nonfiction, Fiction, & Children’s Books Reviewed
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Opinions expressed are those of the reviewers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Space Society. To get a book reviewed by NSS: send query with book description to [email protected] Do NOT send attached files with your query. Do NOT mail books to the NSS address. We usually respond to queries within 10 days. Note: review copies must be provided free. They can be electronic, but books must also be available in print. We are ONLY interested in books about human exploration and settlement of space.
By Popular Request: Genre-Defining Astronaut/Ex-Astronaut Autobiographies, Part Two
This Space Available, by Emily Carney. This post will spotlight two books that defined one sub-genre in spaceflight literature – the astronaut autobiography. These autobiographies are listed in chronological order, by publication date. While it would be impossible due to space and time constraints to list every astronaut memoir, these titles are often cited as having inspired other astronauts and spaceflight personalities in his or her own storytelling endeavors.
By Popular Request: Genre-Defining Astronaut/Ex-Astronaut Autobiographies
This Space Available By Emily Carney This post will spotlight four books that defined one sub-genre in spaceflight literature – the astronaut (or, in one case, ex-astronaut) autobiography. These autobiographies are listed in chronological order, by publication date. While it would be impossible due to space and time constraints to list every astronaut memoir, these four titles are often cited as having inspired other astronauts and spaceflight personalities in his or her own storytelling endeavors.
Retro Books Corner: Mike Mars Flies The Dyna-Soar, 1962
Sometimes, young adult novels from the past define the desired values and “pulse” of an entire era. One book series, very aggressively marketed to teenage boys in the early 1960s, is the “Mike Mars” series written by science fiction author Donald A. Wollheim, and published by Doubleday.
Book Review: Blue Darker than Black
This novel is the second book of an alternate history trilogy, chronicling the lives of two pilots in a secret Air Force program called Blue Gemini. This trilogy is “hard” science fiction, with care taken to get the technical details right. It all reads as if it really happened.
Book Review: Countdown: 2979 Days to the Moon
Countdown: 2979 Days to the Moon, by Suzanne Slade. Reviewed by Clifford R. McMurray. Especially wonderful about this children’s book about Apollo are the illustrations by Thomas Gonzales that adorn almost every page—some of the finest space art I’ve ever seen. For the beauty of the story and the artwork, Countdown has won a number of well-deserved awards, including the National Science Teachers Association award for best STEM book of 2019.
Book Review: Daring Dozen
Category: Children’s Books Reviewed by: Ted Spitzmiller Title: Daring Dozen: The Twelve who Walked on the Moon Author: Suzanne Slade Illustrator: Alan Marks NSS Amazon link for this book Ages: 5 to 9 Format: Hardcover, Kindle Pages: 48 Publisher: Charlesbridge Date:...
