I am amazed at how interesting this book is. I expected to read a lot of factual information about Scott Kelly’s time at the International Space Station, this book was all that and so much more. The author shares detail about his formative years, growing up with a father who was an alcoholic. He goes on to say how he didn’t do well in school, barely passing through each grade and not doing any better in high school. He had trouble sitting still for anything and thinks if he grew up today, he would be diagnosed with ADHD. It all changed when he came across a copy of The Right Stuff after starting college. The book suddenly made everything clear to him. Becoming an a navy pilot and hopefully eventually an astronaut was now his goal. He then writes about the struggle and hard work that went into improving his grades in college, so he could finally be accepted at a military academy.
He intersperses his past with his career as an astronaut and how he ended up going to the International Space Station. Through words and photos he shows us what it’s like to get there and live there for a year. He covers some of the difficult things such as how careful they have to be with everything because things float away. There are difficulties eating, working on equipment and even going to the bathroom.
I highly recommend this fascinating book. I would love to see this reduced in size for elementary school kids to show them that they too can reach their dreams by working for them. This book is so inspirational that I think he could change a few lives by reaching children at young ages.