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159 reviews for:
Spaceman: An Astronaut's Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe
Mike Massimino, Tanner Colby
4.5 AVERAGE
159 reviews for:
Spaceman: An Astronaut's Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe
Mike Massimino, Tanner Colby
4.5 AVERAGE
I had so much fun with this one. I loved Massimino on "Big Bang Theory," and his memoir is told in the same dry, heavy Long Island accent. The story is fantastic. Even the parts that would seem like bragging - he somehow makes it just facts. He's all about the team, helping the universe, and generally just trying to make a difference every day. I loved it. It helped that a lot of things he talked about I have seen, toured, etc. He talks about one of his launches and I thought "Hey! I was there for that one!"
Spaceman is a memoir by astronaut Mike Massimino. He reflects on his life and retraces his path of becoming an astronaut. As one would expect, there were numerous obstacles and hurdles which Massimino needed to overcome in order to achieve the realization of becoming an astronaut. He details these challenges and what he learned along the way.
Massimino is a loveable and personable man. Watch an interview of him and you’ll immediately see his charm and humility. I listened to the audiobook, which he narrates. This added another element that made his story even more engaging.
I loved this book. You will be drawn into this story. You will be inspired to take control of your own life and to set the bar higher of what you can accomplish. I highly recommend this book to everyone!
You can read more of my takeaways from the book here: https://samuelpedro.com/spaceman-by-mike-massimino-review-takeaways-and-thoughts/.
Massimino is a loveable and personable man. Watch an interview of him and you’ll immediately see his charm and humility. I listened to the audiobook, which he narrates. This added another element that made his story even more engaging.
I loved this book. You will be drawn into this story. You will be inspired to take control of your own life and to set the bar higher of what you can accomplish. I highly recommend this book to everyone!
You can read more of my takeaways from the book here: https://samuelpedro.com/spaceman-by-mike-massimino-review-takeaways-and-thoughts/.
adventurous
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
This is a great feel good read from beginning to end. As someone who has been completely fascinated by space since I was about 5, I found myself smiling so much while reading this. You can't help but feel inspired throughout by the incredible things humans have accomplished on the space frontier as Mike's effusiveness for NASA and the space program just pours through his words. Highly recommend.
Massimino's story of a childhood dream coming true is extremely relatable. I hope his dream that this book rekindles curiosity for space exploration comes true.
I have been dreaming of becoming an astronaut for years now. I 100% plan on studying astrophysics in college and I want to pursue a career at NASA. This book has to be my favorite book that I have read in my entire life. I was able to relate to many aspects of Massimino's upbringing and learning about his journey of becoming an astronaut has given me so much hope and inspiration that I can do it too. It was enjoyable to hear more about his life leading up to his missions than focusing the entire book on his time in space. His narration brought a sense of humanity to the work that astronauts do and it was exciting to take a look "behind-the-scenes" of an average day working at NASA.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
The best thing about this book? Mike Massimino is a regular guy. He's a guy you'd want to sit down and have a beer with, the guy who might be your kid's cub scout leader, or your neighbor who lets you borrow the edger. This book is about Mike's rise to superhero astronaut, and all the bumps, failures, and doubts along the way. He's a regular person (albeit a super-smart, courageous one), and look what he did!
Mike doesn't dwell too long on his childhood in New York, but does include some important aspects about his growing up that helped him along his path. The meat of the story is his quest (at times thought quixotic) to work for NASA and eventually become an astronaut. Unlike many memoirs, this book focuses only on the important parts of the story, and doesn't include every anecdote or biographical tangent. It's tight, entertaining, fascinating, and, most importantly, honest. It's not overwhelming with scientific explanations. This is a human interest story. At times, my palms were actually sweating while reading about Mike's first EVA on his flight to repair the Hubble.
And Mike didn't write this book to make himself look like a hero. He doesn't leave out the doubts, the fears, the downright terrors, he experienced, both during his studies and exams and also while in space. He even talks about having imposter syndrome, feeling that he wasn't good enough, smart enough, or prepared enough to go into space. But time and again, he was tested, and he was the right man for the job. That's a real struggle a lot of us mortals can identify with, which only makes this book more intriguing. I was amazed at the lengths he went to in order to overcome deficits, even to the point of not accepting that his vision wouldn't pass him into astronaut training. He was going to have 20/20 vision no matter what. For Mike, there is no door that is completely closed.
Spaceman gets five big ol' stars from me. This is a book for everybody. I'm passing this on to my middle-schooler, who wants to work for NASA as soon as humanly possible. Whether you're interested in space exploration or not (and if not, what's wrong with you?), this is a story that everyone can relate to. Mike Massimino is my new hero. Read Spaceman, and he'll be your hero too. I only hope that maybe if I write him a fan letter he'll send me an autographed photo. How about it, Mike?
I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.
My review is also posted on flyleafunfurled.com.
Mike doesn't dwell too long on his childhood in New York, but does include some important aspects about his growing up that helped him along his path. The meat of the story is his quest (at times thought quixotic) to work for NASA and eventually become an astronaut. Unlike many memoirs, this book focuses only on the important parts of the story, and doesn't include every anecdote or biographical tangent. It's tight, entertaining, fascinating, and, most importantly, honest. It's not overwhelming with scientific explanations. This is a human interest story. At times, my palms were actually sweating while reading about Mike's first EVA on his flight to repair the Hubble.
And Mike didn't write this book to make himself look like a hero. He doesn't leave out the doubts, the fears, the downright terrors, he experienced, both during his studies and exams and also while in space. He even talks about having imposter syndrome, feeling that he wasn't good enough, smart enough, or prepared enough to go into space. But time and again, he was tested, and he was the right man for the job. That's a real struggle a lot of us mortals can identify with, which only makes this book more intriguing. I was amazed at the lengths he went to in order to overcome deficits, even to the point of not accepting that his vision wouldn't pass him into astronaut training. He was going to have 20/20 vision no matter what. For Mike, there is no door that is completely closed.
Spaceman gets five big ol' stars from me. This is a book for everybody. I'm passing this on to my middle-schooler, who wants to work for NASA as soon as humanly possible. Whether you're interested in space exploration or not (and if not, what's wrong with you?), this is a story that everyone can relate to. Mike Massimino is my new hero. Read Spaceman, and he'll be your hero too. I only hope that maybe if I write him a fan letter he'll send me an autographed photo. How about it, Mike?
I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.
My review is also posted on flyleafunfurled.com.
This is one of the best memoir I’ve read in a while, Mike Massimino passion and determination will leave you inspired.
But the best part about this book it made me feel like I was with him throughout the book getting his masters and PhD and getting the acceptance to NASA and going to space and so much more. Highly recommend giving it a read
But the best part about this book it made me feel like I was with him throughout the book getting his masters and PhD and getting the acceptance to NASA and going to space and so much more. Highly recommend giving it a read