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4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
Straight-up: I have the biggest crush on Chris Hadfield. My stomach did a giddy little flip when I got to shake his hand. He seems like such a great, witty, considerate, and down-to-earth (ha ha) guy, and most of all, he is so unbelievably inspiring that it's nauseating. I came out of one of his talks feeling, simultaneously, deeply anxious about my lack of Life Goal Passion, but also inspired to do better.
(In particular, his advice on staying in shape is so beautifully simple: "exercise, take the stairs, and don't eat stupid things." Yes, it's simplistic esp. if you have a medical condition... but the thing is, I'M NOT EVEN DOING THAT BASIC THING AT THE MOMENT and need to kick my own ass into it, augh.)
Anyway. Having read his mini-coffee-table book of photography, the next step was his sorta-autobiography, the cutely-named An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth: What Going to Space Taught Me About Ingenuity, Determination, and Being Prepared for Anything.
This book does cover his life and education and career, from fighter pilot to test pilot to astronaut to commander of the ISS -- but more importantly and more than just an autobiography, it's about re-framing how you look at the world and your own life. Choosing to be humble and considerate, rather than an asshole. Appreciating the little things in life, and not being bitter about your current experiences possibly not measuring up to what you had in mind. Appreciating them for what they are. Embracing challenges because they help you grow. Preparing for challenges, sensibly and methodically; thinking about what the worst thing to happen might be, not as useless fatalistic fretting, but in order to prepare for and overcome it. I was frankly amazed to learn that he's afraid of heights: seriously, a fighter pilot/astronaut who's afraid of heights? Amazing. But he talks about how he faced those fears through childhood jumping out of hay lofts, and his father dangling him upside-down in an open-top plane.
I specifically chose the audiobook because, for real, I just wanted to listen to him talk for like eight hours. He's not a professional reader and so his narration is a little stilted/awkward at times, but it lends a personal touch, and I feel like you can really hear the warmth when he's talking about the people he loves, friends he's lost in devastating shuttle crashes, the anger when he's asked silly questions, his embarrassment at his own mistakes. I was laughing hysterically when he was describing how to collect urine samples in space (spoiler alert: it is messy).
I already feel like I'm going to reread the ebook at some point. Hadfield is a fucking inspiration: having watched the moon landing when he was nine years old, deciding at that moment that he wanted to be an astronaut, and then tirelessly spending the next 20+ years of his life preparing himself for that career, before Canada even had a space agency, when the job he wanted didn't even exist yet. But he did it anyway, and more, and still marched through life with the determination that he would not consider himself a failure if he didn't become an astronaut -- the point is that he was enjoying himself along the way, too. And rather than be sad or woeful that he's now retired, or view himself as being past his prime with all his hey-day behind him, he's reveling in the satisfaction of a job well-done and looking forward to the next challenge.
I'm nowhere near as set in my career goals as Chris Hadfield -- I wish I had such a clear concept of What I Wanted To Do when I was only nine years old -- but there's still a lot of lessons to be learned from him, about humility, hard work, optimism, and taking care of yourself and the planet. Throughout the whole thing, I feel like he extols a sort of zen mindfulness, enhanced by his experiences in space; I liked hearing that whether they're religious or atheist, astronauts' experiences in space amplifies whatever belief system they already had. And they sorta can't help but be environmentalists after they return, an unexpected (and annoying to their walking companions) side-effect of astronauts being constantly stopping to pick up litter. Adorable.
Plus, this intimate first-hand look into life in space -- and the painful rehabilitation afterwards, which no science fiction in my experience ever presented to me -- is fascinating, because I LOVE SPACE and never get tired of hearing more about it. He talks about that a bit, too, about how their most successful campaigning was through those everyday glimpses: people are interested in people, and seemingly-banal details like how you cut your hair in space, how you eat, etc.
I love him & I love this book.
(In particular, his advice on staying in shape is so beautifully simple: "exercise, take the stairs, and don't eat stupid things." Yes, it's simplistic esp. if you have a medical condition... but the thing is, I'M NOT EVEN DOING THAT BASIC THING AT THE MOMENT and need to kick my own ass into it, augh.)
Anyway. Having read his mini-coffee-table book of photography, the next step was his sorta-autobiography, the cutely-named An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth: What Going to Space Taught Me About Ingenuity, Determination, and Being Prepared for Anything.
This book does cover his life and education and career, from fighter pilot to test pilot to astronaut to commander of the ISS -- but more importantly and more than just an autobiography, it's about re-framing how you look at the world and your own life. Choosing to be humble and considerate, rather than an asshole. Appreciating the little things in life, and not being bitter about your current experiences possibly not measuring up to what you had in mind. Appreciating them for what they are. Embracing challenges because they help you grow. Preparing for challenges, sensibly and methodically; thinking about what the worst thing to happen might be, not as useless fatalistic fretting, but in order to prepare for and overcome it. I was frankly amazed to learn that he's afraid of heights: seriously, a fighter pilot/astronaut who's afraid of heights? Amazing. But he talks about how he faced those fears through childhood jumping out of hay lofts, and his father dangling him upside-down in an open-top plane.
I specifically chose the audiobook because, for real, I just wanted to listen to him talk for like eight hours. He's not a professional reader and so his narration is a little stilted/awkward at times, but it lends a personal touch, and I feel like you can really hear the warmth when he's talking about the people he loves, friends he's lost in devastating shuttle crashes, the anger when he's asked silly questions, his embarrassment at his own mistakes. I was laughing hysterically when he was describing how to collect urine samples in space (spoiler alert: it is messy).
I already feel like I'm going to reread the ebook at some point. Hadfield is a fucking inspiration: having watched the moon landing when he was nine years old, deciding at that moment that he wanted to be an astronaut, and then tirelessly spending the next 20+ years of his life preparing himself for that career, before Canada even had a space agency, when the job he wanted didn't even exist yet. But he did it anyway, and more, and still marched through life with the determination that he would not consider himself a failure if he didn't become an astronaut -- the point is that he was enjoying himself along the way, too. And rather than be sad or woeful that he's now retired, or view himself as being past his prime with all his hey-day behind him, he's reveling in the satisfaction of a job well-done and looking forward to the next challenge.
I'm nowhere near as set in my career goals as Chris Hadfield -- I wish I had such a clear concept of What I Wanted To Do when I was only nine years old -- but there's still a lot of lessons to be learned from him, about humility, hard work, optimism, and taking care of yourself and the planet. Throughout the whole thing, I feel like he extols a sort of zen mindfulness, enhanced by his experiences in space; I liked hearing that whether they're religious or atheist, astronauts' experiences in space amplifies whatever belief system they already had. And they sorta can't help but be environmentalists after they return, an unexpected (and annoying to their walking companions) side-effect of astronauts being constantly stopping to pick up litter. Adorable.
Plus, this intimate first-hand look into life in space -- and the painful rehabilitation afterwards, which no science fiction in my experience ever presented to me -- is fascinating, because I LOVE SPACE and never get tired of hearing more about it. He talks about that a bit, too, about how their most successful campaigning was through those everyday glimpses: people are interested in people, and seemingly-banal details like how you cut your hair in space, how you eat, etc.
I love him & I love this book.
So I have been reading a ton this year. My 112th book was "An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth" by Col. Chris Hadfield. Col. Chris Hadfield is my favorite Astronaut. I don't know if its normal to have a favorite astronaut but I do. I think he is a great person who I was a fan of before I read his book. I first learned about Col. Hadfield by a ted talk that he gave. I was intrigued by his message and I looked to learn a bit more about him. I ended up finding this book. I really enjoy self-help books, and this book really is a self-help book in disguise as a biography.
Through the book Col. Hadfield talks about his adventures as an astronaut on and off the planet. He talks about his journey to becoming an Astronaut, training, space missions, his family, and some of his goals through his life. But what made this book meaningful to me as well as interesting was his life lessons that he takes out from it.
Col. Hadfield is a believer in hard work, about humility, and about being prepared, and though my life goals are far from his goals I learned a lot of things that applied to my life. (Though being in space would be so cool ... I am not planning on joining NASA any time soon.) I really want to be the best version of myself, I want to apply better the ideas of working hard for my goals, to try to add to the teams I am apart of but to still be humble, and to prepare for all outcomes so I am prepared when the need arises.
Concepts like being a zero (if you want to know what that means then read the book, preparing for the worst outcomes, enjoying practicing rather than just seeking the end destination, and not tying my self worth on what my job is but how I live my life are all principles that I am inspired to do better with in my own life.
If you like space, if you like learning more about astronauts, and are interested in NASA this is a great book for you. But, if you enjoy biographies, stories about beating the odds, and want to hear things that will inspire you to try to live your own life to the fullest this book is also for you. I give the book a 5 out 5. I think it was just a fantastic read.
Through the book Col. Hadfield talks about his adventures as an astronaut on and off the planet. He talks about his journey to becoming an Astronaut, training, space missions, his family, and some of his goals through his life. But what made this book meaningful to me as well as interesting was his life lessons that he takes out from it.
Col. Hadfield is a believer in hard work, about humility, and about being prepared, and though my life goals are far from his goals I learned a lot of things that applied to my life. (Though being in space would be so cool ... I am not planning on joining NASA any time soon.) I really want to be the best version of myself, I want to apply better the ideas of working hard for my goals, to try to add to the teams I am apart of but to still be humble, and to prepare for all outcomes so I am prepared when the need arises.
Concepts like being a zero (if you want to know what that means then read the book, preparing for the worst outcomes, enjoying practicing rather than just seeking the end destination, and not tying my self worth on what my job is but how I live my life are all principles that I am inspired to do better with in my own life.
If you like space, if you like learning more about astronauts, and are interested in NASA this is a great book for you. But, if you enjoy biographies, stories about beating the odds, and want to hear things that will inspire you to try to live your own life to the fullest this book is also for you. I give the book a 5 out 5. I think it was just a fantastic read.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Ever read (or in this case, listened) to a book so profound that you felt the mechanics within you change? It’s this book right here for me. An Astronauts Guide to Life on Earth written and narrated by Chris left me wanting more, in his writing and in life. I love space and fast jets so it wasn’t a surprised that I’d love the theme of this but Chris’ narration felt like I was listening to a friend. He made me laugh, he made sit on the edge of my seat and he made me question my every day habits. I loved it so much I went searching high and low for a physical copy of this book.
Hadfield has a chapter at the end of the book about trying to make the transition from being an astronaut to being a retired astronaut and his plans for finding the next great thing to do so that he won't grieve over the loss of a great job. This book, apparently, is what he found to do first, and, unfortunately, for the reader, it comes off as his way of grieving for the loss of a great job. Despite the fact that there are a few places where he makes an effort to connect lessons learned by being an astronaut to experiences everyone has on earth, most of the book is a somewhat rambling reminiscence. All indicators suggest that he was trying to get down as much as he could remember so that he could relive it all again--and keep on remembering it--so there are quite a few passages that have nothing much for the reading public. One example: when he's describing getting into the Souyez in order to fly to the ISS on his last journey into space, he spends a considerable amount of time describing how he wanted his checklist and kept asking for it and not getting it until finally he got it and then, oh yeah, there were still several hours to go so there was plenty of time and nothing to worry about about the checklist. This kind of scene did not need to be in the book, and can only have been serving him in his personal reminiscence.
I did find some parts of the book to be very interesting: I have been to NASA in Houston, and we took the long half-day tour (which I HIGHLY recommend if you're ever there--it's expensive, but totally worth it), so I've been in Mission Control, for example, and I've been in the building where the training pool is, and so it was interesting to me to hear the insider's comments evoking my own memory of the place. Not many readers will have that advantage, though. I was also quite interested in the discussion of the Souyez and the contrast between it and the space shuttle, as well as the description of what it's like on the ISS with Russian and American astronauts working side by side. Probably the most interesting part of the book was the description of the tough side of being an astronaut: it's such a glamorized profession that I think most people (myself included) don't stop to think about the hardships. All the discussion of the physical problems that astronauts have to deal with, including the horrible problems on return to gravity gave me a real appreciation for the sacrifices astronauts are making in the name of expanding knowledge for humanity. I'm a fan of the space program anyway, but a lot of this discussion shows the difficulty of making the knowledge there is to be had--it's not just fun and games and floating around and blowing bubbles in outer space.
I had seen some video of Hadfield playing guitar in the space station--maybe it was the music video that he talks about at some length toward the end and which had 7 million hits by the time he landed back on earth--and this book seems to me to be an extension of the videos which brought him so much celebrity. This is not so much a guide to life on earth as it is the story of a man who loved a great job for three decades and didn't want to let it go.
I did find some parts of the book to be very interesting: I have been to NASA in Houston, and we took the long half-day tour (which I HIGHLY recommend if you're ever there--it's expensive, but totally worth it), so I've been in Mission Control, for example, and I've been in the building where the training pool is, and so it was interesting to me to hear the insider's comments evoking my own memory of the place. Not many readers will have that advantage, though. I was also quite interested in the discussion of the Souyez and the contrast between it and the space shuttle, as well as the description of what it's like on the ISS with Russian and American astronauts working side by side. Probably the most interesting part of the book was the description of the tough side of being an astronaut: it's such a glamorized profession that I think most people (myself included) don't stop to think about the hardships. All the discussion of the physical problems that astronauts have to deal with, including the horrible problems on return to gravity gave me a real appreciation for the sacrifices astronauts are making in the name of expanding knowledge for humanity. I'm a fan of the space program anyway, but a lot of this discussion shows the difficulty of making the knowledge there is to be had--it's not just fun and games and floating around and blowing bubbles in outer space.
I had seen some video of Hadfield playing guitar in the space station--maybe it was the music video that he talks about at some length toward the end and which had 7 million hits by the time he landed back on earth--and this book seems to me to be an extension of the videos which brought him so much celebrity. This is not so much a guide to life on earth as it is the story of a man who loved a great job for three decades and didn't want to let it go.
great astronaut book on Hadfield's full experience. And it verges into being an inspiring "how to live on Earth" book. Really well written and enjoyable. I had to go rewatch the Space Oddity video a few times during the read.
adventurous
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Love!! So great! Space is awesome! Hadfield tells great stories with great details about space travel and the preparations to get there, all while teaching important lessons about life. Highly recommend.
I read this book about nine years ago, this time I listened to the audiobook read by the author. It is much more interesting and impressionable with the astronaut's own voice. This is especially effective as he continually is describing his own feeling as things are happening. He covers in detail how he worked to become an astronaut, how he went through training (especially the importance of attitude and not trying to impress), working with cosmonauts and the Russian program and his missions, including detailed descriptions of problems that came up and how they solved them. This book was much better as an audiobook.
The insights this book provides are truly remarkable. It's still difficult for me to fully comprehend the immense dedication astronauts put into training day in and day out for a 'space mission' they may never even undertake. Even for those who do make it into space, their actual time spent there is often just a few months, despite having devoted decades to rigorous training and meticulous planning. Every single step is carefully choreographed, every potential failure anticipated, and solutions prepared long before they leave earth.
The disparity between the uncertainty of the field and the extraordinary effort astronauts put in is staggering. I listened to the audiobook version, narrated by Chris Hadfield himself. He thoroughly relished every moment of his journey, including the endless training. He found humor in the process, and his narration often made me laugh.
One cannot help but feel immense admiration and deep respect for his wife, who supported him at every step—even during times when the dream of becoming an astronaut seemed nearly impossible. They faced near-bankruptcy but never abandoned their dream, persevering through immense challenges. The way she shouldered the burden of the family, raising their children largely on her own during his absences, is truly remarkable.
This book taught me the importance of teamwork, staying level-headed, and, above all, how contributing to the success of your colleagues ultimately fosters your own success. Hadfield concludes the book on a profound note:
"Value the wisdom of humility, along with the perspective it provides. It’s what helped me climb down the ladder, and it won’t hurt when it’s time to climb the next one either."
The disparity between the uncertainty of the field and the extraordinary effort astronauts put in is staggering. I listened to the audiobook version, narrated by Chris Hadfield himself. He thoroughly relished every moment of his journey, including the endless training. He found humor in the process, and his narration often made me laugh.
One cannot help but feel immense admiration and deep respect for his wife, who supported him at every step—even during times when the dream of becoming an astronaut seemed nearly impossible. They faced near-bankruptcy but never abandoned their dream, persevering through immense challenges. The way she shouldered the burden of the family, raising their children largely on her own during his absences, is truly remarkable.
This book taught me the importance of teamwork, staying level-headed, and, above all, how contributing to the success of your colleagues ultimately fosters your own success. Hadfield concludes the book on a profound note:
"Value the wisdom of humility, along with the perspective it provides. It’s what helped me climb down the ladder, and it won’t hurt when it’s time to climb the next one either."