Don't forget to turn out the lights

I'm currently reading The Last Man on the Moon by Gene Cernan and Donald Davis. I got it three, maybe four years ago, right when it came out. I was going through a spell where I was reading pretty much every book written or co-written by an astronaut. I do that sometimes. But I never got around to the Cernan book. Maybe because the title was just too depressing, from a reality standpoint.

But I'm reading it now, and it's a joy. What makes the difference, I'm convinced, is that it seems real. Other astronaut books get the facts right, and most of them are fairly well written. Michael Collins wrote Carrying the Fire without a "pro" writer to help him, and that book is one by which all others are measured. But they're all whitewashed to a certain degree: Everyone respected each other, and everyone has good things to say about the astronaut fraternity. Even well-known public disagreements are soft-pedaled. Cernan doesn't do this. He says, "You know so-and-so? He was a real jerk-face." Or, "This guy, he scared the willies outta me." He calls himself on his own shortcomings, and isn't afraid to point out those of others, either. But he does it in such a matter-of-fact way, there's no malice behind the words. Very entertaining. I almost feel like I know the guy, which isn't something I can say about John Glenn or Jim Lovell, even though their books are just as enjoyable...

Now Playing: Howard Shore The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring