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Book Review

Publisher's Note:

The exciting and inspiring true story of Apollo 8, the first crewed spaceship to break free of the Earth's orbit and reach the moon, by the best-selling author of Apollo 13. What's more exciting that spaceships and astronauts? How about a spaceship carrying the first astronauts ever to see the moon first hand -- on Christmas! The year was 1968, and the American people were still reeling from the spacecraft fire that killed the Apollo 1 crew a year earlier. On top of that, there were rumors that the Russian cosmonauts were getting ready to fly around the moon. NASA realized that they needed to take a bold step -- and that they needed to take it now. They wanted to win the space race against Russia and hold true to President Kennedy's promise to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. So in a risky move, a few days before Christmas of that year, they sent Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders to the moon! This book about the exciting and inspiring true story of Apollo 8, the first crewed spaceship to break free of Earth's orbit and each the moon, tells the story of these three brave men, the frantic rush to get their rocket ready, and the journey that gave the American people -- and the world -- a new look at the planet we live on and the corner of space we inhabit. Filled with the science and training required to put a person into space, and every detail of what it's like to live in a spaceship for days on end (including what happens when astronauts need to use the bathroom), this book is sure to leave…

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To the Moon!: The True Story of the American Heroes on the Apollo 8 Spaceship

by Jeffrey Kluger

Reviewer: LuLu
Genre: Non-Fiction
Recommended Age: 12+

Overall Book Review:

NASA has not put a man on the moon since 1972, but the fantastic feat, extraordinary technology, power, and bravery, it takes to go to space is still a topic that creates excitement. Before there was even a moon landing, there had to be a manned mission into lunar orbit, the Apollo 8 mission.

Jeffrey Luger and Ruby Shamir chronicle not only the task of Apollo 8 but briefly overview all that came before, starting with the Gemini program, in their non-fiction novel, To the Moon!: The True Story of the American Heroes on the Apollo 8 Spaceship. Mainly focusing on astronaut Frank Borman’s endeavors from 1961 until his manning of the Apollo 8 mission in 1968. There is a lot of information, names, and technological references relayed within that seven-year period, which cannot only be overwhelming but for some, incredibly dull. The authors try to remedy the factual overload by intermittently inserting personal and family details with recorded conversations. The attempt to humanize the story does not fall entirely flat; there is at times the success of emotional appeal in which the reader can feel engaged with the story.

An attractive book for those who love space, history, data, and are already familiar with some of the NASA’s past efforts.

Review of an Advance Reader Copy

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language Rating:  2 religious exclamations.

Violence/Gore Rating:  A few reports of violence, including war, riots, assassinations, and accidental death(s).

Sex/Nudity Rating:  Married couple hug.

Mature Subject Matter:

None

Alcohol / Drug Use:

None

Overall Book Rating
Profanity/Language
Rating:
1
10
Violence/Gore
Rating:
2
10
Sex/Nudity
Rating:
1
10

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About the Reviewer

LuLu
I appreciate books of all genres, but my main squeeze is fiction. Depending on my mood it could be romance or suspense; lately I’ve been courting fantasy. When I don’t have my nose in a book, I am locating tasty paleo recipes, writing in-coherent poetry, and crafting with paper.

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