I've been a fan of space exploration my whole life. I'm sure it's because I grew up on the Space Coast and saw rocket launches all the time; they were as much my childhood as the beach, they were everywhere.
I didn't think that rockets were special, or trips to the moon. I thought everybody saw them and knew them and owned them like we did. I still remember the first time the space shuttle came back from California, piggybacked on an airplane less than a thousand feet flying over the beach. We all stopped and stared - it was amazing.
I ordered Astronaut Dad because you hardly ever see a gn on this subject and the fact that it was from the perspective of astronaut kids made it all the more appealing. In this case the men are not space faring astronauts however - they are reservists. They train constantly, they prepare, and in the story the kids learn their dads are launched on spy shots that no one can ever know about. They're heroes, which the kids did not suspect, but secret heroes.
One of the really appealing things about the story was the surprise of the wives. In a lot of ways this is a behind the curtains look at the space program, at women who have moved a lot with the military, who don't what their husbands really do for a living and are thrown together in a close knit government "family" with little choice as to how or where they want to fit in. A bbq scene is particularly funny and I was quite impressed to see one of the pregnant mothers smoking - just as she would have in the 1960s. I guess I'm supposed to be shocked by such scenes but I found their honesty endearing and part of wonderful historical story.
This is the easiest book to recommend, perfect for space fans of any age but especially for teens and those with a fondness for the 1960s. The artwork is done in a wonderfully realistic manner and all the characters leap off the page. It's good stuff and shouldn't be overlooked.
[Be sure to check out the publisher's site for some preview pages.]
February 25
2008
01:41 PM
Yay, the Space Coast! Shuttle launches were a big part of my childhood, as well (though I'm young enough that after Challenger I had to stop watching for a while out of fear it would happen again right outside my bedroom window).
Still, I love Air and Space Museums more than just about anybody I know.