Andrew Smith - Moondust Book Review
Moondust Book Review
Did you know that only twelve people have landed on the Moon? Of these twelve people, all of whom were men, only nine are still alive. Moonduust, by Andrew Smith, helps inform readers about the Apollo programs and the different Apollo missions. The books also gives an insight into the political manoeuvring going on behind the scenes. Andrew Smith, compelled by the knowledge that soon the Earth would be left without any Moonwalkers, set himself the goal of tracking down and talking to all of the remaining astronauts that had set foot on the Moon.
Moondust is heavily laden with facts, taking time to share with you the details of the astronaut's travel expenses, meagre financial compensation, the total cost of the Apollo program and the finer details of Fermi's Paradox. So, this is definitely a book for the more mechanically minded rather than rom-com or murder-mystery fans. Having said that, the book does provide a very moving insight into how each of the astronauts coped with their sudden rise to fame and how they coped with the fact that they would never be able to beat the experience of walking on the Moon. Most interesting of all, is how many of the more skilled astronauts trained as hard if not harder than everyone else only to have to stay in orbit around the Moon while the other two astronauts from each mission were allowed the ultimate glory.
The passages concerning Aldrin's disappointment at being the second rather than the first man on the Moon seem somewhat exagerated, however, the fact he did not take any photos of Armstrong on the Lunar surface is somewhat strange. Moreover, Armstrong's decision to spend as little time in the public eye as possible and Smith's failure to obtain a proper, full-length, face-to-face interview with mankind's most famous astronaut is very telling in itself.
One of the things that lets the book down is Smith's integration of a separate narrative that gives his primary perspective of the lunar landings as a young boy - it may have worked had it been added a little more subtly, however, as it is it seems to have been added as an afterthought to balance the high volume of facts, figures and other such statistics.
Overall, this book is an essential read for 'wonna be' astronauts but others with less enthusiasm about all things space, may find this a little heavy going. It is indeed thought provoking but in a rather pessimistic way and Smith the conclusion is hinted at, if not fully revealed, from the very start.
I give, Andrew Smith's 'Moondust' a Great Book Guide score of 60% - It's just OK I'm afraid.
Moondust is heavily laden with facts, taking time to share with you the details of the astronaut's travel expenses, meagre financial compensation, the total cost of the Apollo program and the finer details of Fermi's Paradox. So, this is definitely a book for the more mechanically minded rather than rom-com or murder-mystery fans. Having said that, the book does provide a very moving insight into how each of the astronauts coped with their sudden rise to fame and how they coped with the fact that they would never be able to beat the experience of walking on the Moon. Most interesting of all, is how many of the more skilled astronauts trained as hard if not harder than everyone else only to have to stay in orbit around the Moon while the other two astronauts from each mission were allowed the ultimate glory.
The passages concerning Aldrin's disappointment at being the second rather than the first man on the Moon seem somewhat exagerated, however, the fact he did not take any photos of Armstrong on the Lunar surface is somewhat strange. Moreover, Armstrong's decision to spend as little time in the public eye as possible and Smith's failure to obtain a proper, full-length, face-to-face interview with mankind's most famous astronaut is very telling in itself.
One of the things that lets the book down is Smith's integration of a separate narrative that gives his primary perspective of the lunar landings as a young boy - it may have worked had it been added a little more subtly, however, as it is it seems to have been added as an afterthought to balance the high volume of facts, figures and other such statistics.
Overall, this book is an essential read for 'wonna be' astronauts but others with less enthusiasm about all things space, may find this a little heavy going. It is indeed thought provoking but in a rather pessimistic way and Smith the conclusion is hinted at, if not fully revealed, from the very start.
I give, Andrew Smith's 'Moondust' a Great Book Guide score of 60% - It's just OK I'm afraid.
Books I recommend:
Moondust In Search of the Men Who Fell to Earth
Amazon Price: (as of 12/25/2009) 
