Audiobook Review – Spaceman by Mike Massimino (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: All Ages
Genre: Autobiography
Length: 10 hours and 54 minutes (336 pages)
Publisher: Audible Studios
Release Date: October 4, 2016
ASIN: B01LX9XCPQ
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Audiobook from Audible.com
Rating: 5/5 stars

“Have you ever wondered what it would be like to find yourself strapped to a giant rocket that’s about to go from zero to 17,500 miles per hour? Or to look back on Earth from outer space and see the surprisingly precise line between day and night? Or to stand in front of the Hubble Space Telescope, wondering if the emergency repair you’re about to make will inadvertently ruin humankind’s chance to unlock the universe’s secrets? Mike Massimino has been there, and in Spaceman he puts you inside the suit, with all the zip and buoyancy of life in microgravity.

Massimino’s childhood space dreams were born the day Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon. Growing up in a working-class Long Island family, he catapulted himself to Columbia and then MIT, only to flunk his first doctoral exam and be rejected three times by NASA before making it through the final round of astronaut selection. Taking us through the surreal wonder and beauty of his first spacewalk, the tragedy of losing friends in the Columbia shuttle accident, and the development of his enduring love for the Hubble Telescope – which he and his fellow astronauts were tasked with saving on his final mission – Massimino has written an ode to never giving up and the power of teamwork to make anything possible. Spaceman invites us into a rare, wonderful world where science meets the most thrilling adventure, revealing just what having “the right stuff” really means.”

I picked this up at an Audible sale that was BOGO on non-fiction. I really really loved this autobiography by Massimino. Not only is it well written and narrated, it’s also incredibly interesting and highly entertaining…there are also a lot of positive messages here as well. This is one of those books that I think everyone should read, it was so entertaining, thought-provoking and well done.

This audiobook is narrated by Mike Massimino himself and he does a great job. Occasionally he sounds a bit like he is reading rather than narrating, but overall he does a very good job with the narration.

This book starts with Massimino’s childhood and goes to current day. He talks about the process of becoming an astronaut and the challenges he had to overcome. He also talks a lot about the wonderful people he worked with. This ended up being a humorous, inspiring, and in general highly entertaining story.

I loved how much I got to learn about astronauts, spacewalking, and the Hubble telescope. I also loved what a positive person Massimino is and how many positive messages there are in here. There is great discussion around facing and overcoming challenges, working hard, and respecting the people who help to support you.

Overall I absolutely loved this. I started relistening to it with my husband and son and they are loving it just as much as I did. My son (12 year old) especially seems positively impacted by the story so far, he keeps talking about how hard Massimino worked and how he never gave up. It’s an eye opening story for my son to hear because he’s learning how hard work and commitment can really yield results…and he’s learning this in a way that is intriguing and entertaining. I can’t reiterate enough times what an excellent and unique blend of science and positive message this book is. Again, I highly recommend this book to everyone!!