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wolf_midnight_11's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
This book is amazing! And changed my perspective on my own life completely!
cptnstphy's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
Really neat book, very enjoyable with his sense of humour and amazing experiences. Indeed you can learn a lot about many facets of life on earth from his career.
katdfleming's review against another edition
4.0
Incredible story. I learned so much about life before, during, and after space. Highly recommend!
chelseatm's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this would be a biography of Chris Hadfield's life but instead it's a wonderfully organised, concise collection of life skills. I found it especially helpful because at this point in my life I am at a very big transition so all of his advice about perspective, stress, and planning were very enlightening.
My favourite piece of advice was 'aim to be a zero.' it's basically his idea that you're either entering a new situation as a minus one (you are taking something from the room), a zero (neutral), or a plus one (you're adding something to the room). Obviously everyone wants to be a plus one and they want that known. I know I was like that we I started practicum. I wanted everyone to know right away that I could be valuable. Hadfield's thinking, though, is that by entering the room acting like a plus one, you're actually becoming a minus one because you're losing that humility and focusing more on people knowing how important you are. Thus aim to be a zero. Just focus on contributing and eventually people will see you as a plus one but a genuine one
My favourite piece of advice was 'aim to be a zero.' it's basically his idea that you're either entering a new situation as a minus one (you are taking something from the room), a zero (neutral), or a plus one (you're adding something to the room). Obviously everyone wants to be a plus one and they want that known. I know I was like that we I started practicum. I wanted everyone to know right away that I could be valuable. Hadfield's thinking, though, is that by entering the room acting like a plus one, you're actually becoming a minus one because you're losing that humility and focusing more on people knowing how important you are. Thus aim to be a zero. Just focus on contributing and eventually people will see you as a plus one but a genuine one
midici's review against another edition
4.0
This book was an interesting, in-depth look at the space program, the everyday life of an astronaut, and about how a good attitude and a willingness to work long and hard will make the difference every time.
I don't know anyone who doesn't think space is cool in some sort of vague, what-the-heck-is-even-up-there-anyway contemplation. But this book provides a realistic look at what it means to spend your entire life aiming to improve humanity's overall mission of space exploration, and maybe have a slight chance of getting to go up into space yourself.
Chris Hadfield became very popular on social media because, as he puts it, "my son had some spare time." I follow his twitter feed, and geeked out over his videos from the ISS just like millions of other people. Reading this book felt like getting a behind the scene look at what really goes on in space agencies, and it was every bit as interesting as those videos and tweets.
The lessons he chooses to impart throughout this book is about how the way you choose to live your life is every bit as important, if not more important, than the Big Events. Going up to space is exciting - but not possible without being willing to do the hard work that makes the space agency possible and without accepting that you may never get your chance. And that lesson can work for a lot of different life events.
I don't know anyone who doesn't think space is cool in some sort of vague, what-the-heck-is-even-up-there-anyway contemplation. But this book provides a realistic look at what it means to spend your entire life aiming to improve humanity's overall mission of space exploration, and maybe have a slight chance of getting to go up into space yourself.
Chris Hadfield became very popular on social media because, as he puts it, "my son had some spare time." I follow his twitter feed, and geeked out over his videos from the ISS just like millions of other people. Reading this book felt like getting a behind the scene look at what really goes on in space agencies, and it was every bit as interesting as those videos and tweets.
The lessons he chooses to impart throughout this book is about how the way you choose to live your life is every bit as important, if not more important, than the Big Events. Going up to space is exciting - but not possible without being willing to do the hard work that makes the space agency possible and without accepting that you may never get your chance. And that lesson can work for a lot of different life events.
myyouthsal's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
5.0
wintrovia's review against another edition
4.0
This is the life story of astronaut Chris Hadfield, not the lead singer of Metallica James Hetfield, for some reason the two names get mixed up in my mind.
The title is a bit misleading as it’s not really a guide to life on earth, it’s more a biography of his life. This is a definite bonus, as I’d much rather hear about his interesting life rather than bland motivational cliches.
There are moments in the book where Hadfield tries to translate the things he learned in space into broader life lessons but these don’t quite work for me and I was pleased that they were fairly few and far between.
I loved reading about the process he went through from being a kid that dreamed of becoming an astronaut to being the commander on the International Space Station. It makes you realise how many years of dedication and hard work go into preparing for these brief stints that astronauts spend up in space.
Hadfield’s an affable kind of chap and the book is full of self-deprecating humour and he seems like a very nice man. This makes the book good company and his style is very conversational and easy to follow.
It’s a strange criticism to make but one slight weakness of the book is the lack of drama and tension. This isn’t because he’s a poor author and more because he’s an excellent astronaut. So the anecdotes he tells rarely end in disaster or mayhem, it’s usually just a case of things going wrong, they work out a solution, then they put their plan into action. So it’s not a thrill ride of near death escapes, just an enjoyable account of the day to day activity of an astronaut.
The title is a bit misleading as it’s not really a guide to life on earth, it’s more a biography of his life. This is a definite bonus, as I’d much rather hear about his interesting life rather than bland motivational cliches.
There are moments in the book where Hadfield tries to translate the things he learned in space into broader life lessons but these don’t quite work for me and I was pleased that they were fairly few and far between.
I loved reading about the process he went through from being a kid that dreamed of becoming an astronaut to being the commander on the International Space Station. It makes you realise how many years of dedication and hard work go into preparing for these brief stints that astronauts spend up in space.
Hadfield’s an affable kind of chap and the book is full of self-deprecating humour and he seems like a very nice man. This makes the book good company and his style is very conversational and easy to follow.
It’s a strange criticism to make but one slight weakness of the book is the lack of drama and tension. This isn’t because he’s a poor author and more because he’s an excellent astronaut. So the anecdotes he tells rarely end in disaster or mayhem, it’s usually just a case of things going wrong, they work out a solution, then they put their plan into action. So it’s not a thrill ride of near death escapes, just an enjoyable account of the day to day activity of an astronaut.