Reaching for the Stars: The Inspiring Story of a Migrant Farmworker Turned Astronaut by Hernández, José M. (September 4, 2012) Hardcover

by José Moreno Hernández

Born into a family of migrant workers, toiling in the fields by the age of six, Jose M. Hernàndez dreamed of traveling through the night skies on a rocket ship. REACHING FOR THE STARS is the inspiring story of how he realized that dream, becoming the first Mexican-American astronaut.Hernàndez didn't speak English till he was 12, and his peers often joined gangs, or skipped school. And yet, by his twenties he was part of an elite team helping develop technology for the early detection of breast cancer. He was turned down by NASA eleven times on his long journey to donning that famous orange space suit.Hernàndez message of hard work, education, perseverance, of "reaching for the stars," makes this a classic American autobiography.

Genres: Nonfiction, Space, Memoir, Biography, Book Club, Autobiography, Science

Unknown Binding

First published September 1, 2012

About the author

José Moreno Hernández is an American engineer and a former NASA astronaut.
Hernández was born in French Camp, California, but calls Stockton, California, his hometown. His family is from La Piedad, Michoacán, with indigenous Purépecha roots. In an August 25, 2009 conversation with President Felipe Calderón of Mexico, Hernández stated that as a child, he lived half the year in La Piedad and half in the United States. As a child, Hernández worked alongside his family and other farmworkers throughout the fields of California, harvesting crops and moving from one town to another. He attended many schools and didn't learn to speak English until he was 12. Hernández was assigned to the crew of Space Shuttle mission STS-128. He also served as chief of the Materials and Processes branch of Johnson Space Center. Hernández previously developed equipment for full-field digital mammography at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Hernández left NASA in 2011.
In October 2011, Hernández announced that, at the urging of President Barack Obama, he would run as a Democrat for California's newly redrawn 10th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. In the national elections of 2012 he faced freshman incumbent Representative Jeff Denham in a race that was considered competitive.

Reviews

[Kristine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the privilege of working in Mission Control during the author’s Space Shuttle flight to the ISS, STS-128 (not to mention the privilege of dining at his wife’s restaurant near Johnson Space Center!). His attitude of wonder and gratitude was inspiring then and is evident in his book. His story is incredible. He does not shy away from discussing times when he experienced prejudice or other times when he benefited from diversity initiatives at NASA.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the honor of getting to hear José Hernández speak while I was visiting the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. His story and outlook on life are inspiring. I spent most of the lecture thinking, “I hope he’s published a book…” The answer was yes! I was even happier to have the chance to meet him and have my copy signed.

In this memoir, astronaut José Hernández takes us through his journey to NASA from his roots as a young migrant boy living half the year in Mexico and the other half in California. Rich with inspiration, culture, and faith, it’s difficult to put the book down and not feel rejuvenated.

I savored every page. Everything written is a testament to what determination and dedication can do for people’s lives even when the odds seem stacked against them. I can only wish that I knew with such certainty what I want from my life now as José Hernández did as a child. Even so, the roadmaps he presents for any accomplishment or dream gave me the pause I needed.

While I was reading the book, I saw the trailer for 'A Million Miles Away' which is the movie based on José Hernández’s life. It’s been a while since I’ve been this excited about a movie! It’s coming to Prime Video on September 15th (2023). I’m sure it will be as wonderful as the book.

[Daniel Braum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing Biography of Accomplishment

Amazing true story of a man and his family working together over coming impossible odds to accomplish the dream of becoming an Astronaut.

[CatReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

José Hernández (b. 1962) is a Mexican-American retired NASA astronaut who was selected for the Astronaut Corps in 2004 at the age of 42 after 11 unsuccessful attempts. He was a flight engineer on STS-128 in 2009 and spent 13 days in space; he subsequently retired from the Astronaut Corps in January 2011 when the space shuttle era came to an end and all further planned space flights would entail long-duration missions on the International Space Center and require years of training in Russia. He subsequently ran for Congress in 2012 but lost. In 2023, a biopic about his life, titled A Million Miles Away and based on this book, was released on Amazon Prime video.

In Reaching for the Stars, Hernández writes extensively about his family background (his parents were migrant workers from the state of Michoacán in Mexico), his childhood as the youngest of four siblings in Stockton, California, his high school and college years (he earned a BS in electrical engineering from University of the Pacific in 1984, and later an MS in electrical and computer engineering from UC Santa Barbara in 1986), his career as an engineer at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and meeting and marrying his wife and starting a family with her. Surprisingly for an astronaut memoir, his NASA career doesn't begin until around 75% of the way through the book, and isn't told in all that much detail. Even the narration of his one space mission focuses more on how he was feeling and the publicity interviews he did, instead of the scientific and engineering work the mission was designed around -- this is quite different from any other astronaut memoir I've read (and this wasn't a Mike Mullane military classified mission where providing details is verboten). Hernández also talks very little about working with his fellow astronauts -- reading between the lines, I get the sense he was older than many of them and spending any free time with his wife and five kids.

My favorite parts of the book were the early chapters on Hernández' childhood and the influence his parents and some of his early teachers had on his life. He writes very lovingly and respectfully of his family (though missing one of his children's births due to not leaving a work meeting early once his wife called to tell him she was in labor isn't a great look!). I personally didn't mind the Spanish words thrown in (this happened a lot throughout the entire book), though this book could have used more copyediting to cut out repetitive parts (for instance, we were reminded probably 10 times that the STS-128 mission was dropping off Nicole Stott on the ISS and picking up Timothy Kopra). The writing seems aimed at young adult readers and can be overly patronizing and encouraging at times.

Further reading: shuttle era astronaut memoirs
Sharing Space: An Astronaut's Guide to Mission, Wonder, and Making Change by Cady Coleman | Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars: The Story of the First American Woman to Command a Space Mission by Eileen Collins
Handprints on Hubble: An Astronaut's Story of Invention by Kathryn Sullivan
Riding Rockets by Mike Mullane | Chasing Space: An Astronaut's Story of Grit, Grace, and Second Chances by Leland Melvin
An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield
Spaceman: An Astronaut's Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe by Mike Massimino

My statistics:
Book 248 for 2024
Book 1851 cumulatively

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book club read.

The subtitle is misleading. Technically he wasn't a migrant farmworker—his parents were and they had their kids, as young children, help out on weekends to teach them the value of education so they wouldn't be stuck doing menial labor in their future. Apparently that lesson worked.

I spent this past week reading this book aloud to my husband (and sometimes family) as we drove places. While I found the author's story very inspirational, the book suffered from the writing style. The epilogue had a distinct shift in style that was much better (we all noticed this), and as I read that final chapter we wondered if he had a different editor or if someone else had written it for him. If he had a ghost writer, we weren't impressed. There is no mention of a second author in/on our copy, although one is listed on Goodreads. We also felt his editor could have done a better job of cleaning up his repetitive style. The book could have been at least 50 pages shorter, or could have spent much more time on his work with NASA as an engineer and finally as an astronaut.

We tried to give him grace since English is his second language, however, he did acquire it at a very young age and he is very highly educated. It wasn't so much grammatical issues, but more the repetitiveness in places, circular storytelling, and dry/bland patches. Also, the way he incorporated Spanish words became annoying after awhile ("They say that tragedias, or tragedies, come in threes", "generous amounts of liquidos, or liquids", "counting down the minutes, or los minutos", "Time, or el tiempo" etc.) was extremely frustrating to us (I've seen other reviewers comment on the same.) There was no consistency in the order the Spanish/English words were given, with sometimes the Spanish first, and other times the English first. There were times he provided no translation but assumed readers were familiar with more colloquial Spanish terms of speech. Occasionally there were words dropped in that were not as close to their English counterparts, and those needed a translation, which he included, but why even interrupt the flow of the text and include any of them at all? Why??? My son's boyfriend is from Mexico and was in the car for many of the times when I was reading the book, and he even found it annoying and distracting. In other books we've seen it done where the Spanish word is just substituted for the English one, and left at that. Meaning in those cases is derived from context, and if not, they gave authenticity, usually being used to characterize someone in direct conversation. There could have been a glossary provided, or better yet, an asterisk with a footnote for the English translation. Or why include some of them at all, since they were so very disruptive to the flow of the story? My son's boyfriend, over halfway through reading it, said, it's like the guy is trying to remind you all that he's Mexican (he's not though—he's American born first generation). My son's boyfriend then said, we get it already, you've proven your origins, can you just get back to the story?

We're going to seek out the movie made about him.

We looked up things online, especially dates, which are sometimes absent. A general timeline would have been helpful. He mentions running for congress at the end of the book (written 2011 is our guess from online research of the events in his life, then book published first in 2012). Spoiler: He is not elected. Since we read a 2023 reprint, it would have been nice to have it updated. This spurred a conversation about what makes a successful politician. Just because he was such a good scientist and engineer, and fulfilled a life long dream of working towards and becoming an astronaut, why would that qualify him to be a good politician. And we talked about other examples of famous or semi-famous people who run for offices, and talked about their effectiveness. I suggested maybe it was their desire to promote good and the way their minds worked towards tackling difficult problems, versus the reach for power that some politicians seem to have as their goal. He genuinely wanted to help his community, but he didn't mention how he would do it. The book would have been stronger if he had included his platform.
. This book and his movie are not readily available at any of the four library systems available for our use within the San Diego County area.

...

Quote, p. 44:

"He (his father) said if I followed his recipe, I could do anything that I wanted to do when I grew up because we lived in the United states. He explained to me that my siblings and I had the opportunity to live the American Dream.

"Looking at me very seriously, he said, "First, identify what you want to be when you grow up. Second, know how far you are from your goal. Third, draw yourself a road map that gets you all the steps it will take to get there. Fourth, get yourself a good education. Fifth and finally, apply the same work ethic that you have in your work in the fields to your books, and subsequently to your job once you graduate from college. Mix it all together, José, and you can be successful at anything you want to do, including becoming an astronaut!"

[Scott Kardel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A moving and inspirational autobiography.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Nothing in life happens or is accomplished purely by chance. Goals and dreams are realized through planning, perseverance, and hard work.”

I watched “A Million Miles Away” and immediately put this book on hold as I was so inspired by the story presented through the movie. José’s memoir is very inspiring, although (no surprise) slightly different than the movie. I was likely the perfect audience as my ancestors were migrant workers and I also believe that hard work and education can go a long way in making your dreams come true.

José shares his father’s recipe for success:

“First, identify what you want to be when you grow up. Second, know how far you are from your goal. Third, draw yourself a road map that gives you all the steps it will take to get there. Fourth, get yourself a good education. Fifth and finally, apply the same work ethic that you have in your work in the fields to your books, and subsequently to your job once you graduate from college. Mix all this together, José, and you can be successful at anything you want to do”

José is impressive, but it’s equally impressive that he credits his success back to his support system: parents, siblings, teachers, coworkers, wife, children, etc. Jose’s life wasn’t easy, but he really did stick with his goals to achieve his dreams. He had setbacks and plenty of times he could have given up, but he persevered. I loved his acknowledgment of God and how God played a role in his success.

I think that José’s story is a 5/5; however, the writing was at times repetitive and I personally didn’t gain a lot by having the Spanish mixed in. At the end of the day, I’d recommend this, especially if you’re looking for an inspiring story to motivate you to reach your own dreams.

“It dawned on me that there is no secret formula or magic for making dreams come true. The only way to make a dream come true is to have the passion, the work ethic, and the foundation of a good education to help one go from one step to the next, while pushing aside the obstacles in life. La educación, or education, is crucial for whatever you do in life. It is fundamental when venturing out into the world.”

[Ethan D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fuck me this book was drag

[Kelley Matthews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amazing guy and his story is great but not a great flowing book.

[William Dahlmeier · Rating 2 out of 5]

Forgot I read this which I think is enough said about it

[Karin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the true story of Jose Hernadez and his journey from migrant farm-help to astronaut. Jose is the 4th child of a very loving Mexican couple who taught him (and his siblings) that education is the ticket to fulfilling your dreams. His parents had him work on the farms when he wasn't in school so he could 'see his future'. If he didn't want to be a farm worker his whole life, it was schooling that would help him out of that life.

The writing needs some more editing especially during the first part of the book. He would jump from topic to topic in the same paragraph. But if i were in gr. 5 or 6, I probably wouldn't notice that! Fortunately it is not so choppy that the real message gets lost.

This is an optimisitic book that says: if I can do it, so can you. He does keep reiterating that it's hard work, persistance, determination as well as a dream that make dreams come true. He tells the stories of his childhood friends who didn't take advantage of their educational opportunities and never broke the bonds of poverty.

Sometimes, tho, his simple formula of: dream, education, hard work & determination is just that: simple. He doesn't talk of unexpected illlnesses that cut short dreams and steal finances, or of mass unemployment where newly graduated university students (like my son) can't find a job that uses their skills. Not that he should be dumping cold water on the dreams of children, so I don't know how to answer this dilemna myself.

All in all a very nice read for preteens and teens who need to believe the world goes right if you believe and work hard.

Congradulations Mr. Hernandez on your incredible life!

BTW, I got this book free from Goodread's Giveaway.

[Jeff · Rating 1 out of 5]

Impressive subject. An incredibly impressive man that is very accomplished in a variety of ways. His humble beginnings, his ability to obtain a college degree, as well as an advanced degree, his marathon running, his work with breast cancer, and finally his ability to become an astronaut. The plot and the original story was very well worth getting to know.

Writing Style. I simply thought his writing style was directed to a much younger audience. There was limited use of descriptive language, very few examples, the narrative was very direct, very linear, very on-the-nose and did not allow for any interpretation or nuance.

Political Aspirations. Towards the end of the book, he announces that he is running for Federal office in California. This seemed to provide the motivation – and possibly the rushed nature of the story – for telling the story. This was a veiled attempt to garner support and it didn’t land with me.

Accusations of racism. The author also, throughout the story, has many examples of racism that he experienced. I didn’t quite understand the point of these accusations but he used this many times and I felt it distracted from his overall message.

Overall message. I feel like the author was trying to tell everyone that the USA is the land of opportunity and that he credits a lot of his success to his family and his support system. The message was muddled with bad writing and, most likely, plenty of embellishment.

“I am not going to force you to go to school or get good grades. But if you don’t, this is the type of job you’ll have for the rest of your life. This is the future that awaits you.”

[Anita · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the spirit of full disclosure -- I am somewhat of a "space geek." I grew up during the heyday of the space age and vividly remember watching man walk on the moon. I was anticipating this book. I realize Jose was writing to a young audience to encourage them to follow their dreams and set goals in their lives, but I still thought the writing was too simple and choppy. I especially did not like his habit of stating an English word in a sentence, then giving the Spanish word or vice versa. "As I would place each fruit I picked in my bucket--whether it was a strawberry, or fresca, I picked, or a peach, or durazno, I pulled from a tree-- ..." It grew very annoying over the entire book. Also, I was interested to read about his astronaut training and his time of the ISS. But that was only the last 1/4 or so of the book. Most of the book was about his growing up years and his schooling and jobs. There was lots of quotes from his family and teachers that made me wonder, do I have that bad of a memory that I can't recall the same kinds of things from my own life? I always wonder... how do you remember that event or conversation? Jose did write some very valuable advice about setting goals, family support, getting an education and following your dreams, but overall even though I really wanted to like the book, I didn't.

[Mike Fletcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truly a feel-good story charting the ‘astronomical’ rise of Jose Hernandez from migrant farm worker to NASA astronaut, family man, and so much more! A great tale of the American Dream in action. With a clear goal in mind, incredible passion and desire, a focus on great education (& a decent slice of luck), anything is possible! As an editorial aside, I could have done without the constant Spanish/English word/phrase translations, which I found to be distracting. But otherwise the writing was certainly authentic (which is to say, not ghost written by a professional writer! The writing was… basic) and conveyed the heart of this amazing gentleman. A great story, told adequately.

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book I’ve ever read. Got super emotional throughout the book. As a daughter of immigrants this book hit home for me. It was so relatable and representation matters so much. It was extremely inspiring and moving.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great story but not well written. Loved the movie.

[Robynne Lozier · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting story about a Hispanic American who was dirt poor as a child, but whose parents encouraged him to persevere with his education in order to fulfil his dream of becoming an astronaut.

Jose Hernandez's parents were both born in Mexico and therefore both possibly entered California illegally. Their children were all born in California. But Jose never specifically states if his parents became green card holders or citizens of the USA. The family visited Jose's grandparents back in Mexico during the Xmas holidays every year until he was 10 years old, because it was warmer in Mexico.

Jose grew up picking fruit and vegetables on the farms around Stockton, California, where he was born, raised and educated. He spoke Spanish as a child and did not learn to speak English fluently until he entered Middle school.

Jose dreamed of becoming an astronaut after seeing the Apollo Landing in July 1969. He was 8 years old at that time.

All of Jose's siblings were encouraged to stay in school and persevere with their education. But Jose does also mention some of his childhood friends who failed to complete their education and were all eventually killed for one reason or another by the time Jose graduated from university.

Jose attended the University of the Pacific in Stockton for several reasons. The biggest reason because it was close to home and he could save money on residential costs. He did win a scholarship which paid 90 percent of his tuition. Jose worked his way through college to pay the rest of the tuition amount. The UP also has an excellent Engineering program, and Jose graduated cum laude in 1984. He later completed a Masters degree in engineering at the UC Santa Barbara as well.

Jose spent a good amount of his adult life working for the Lawrence Livermore Laboratories in Livermore, which is an hours drive/commute from Stockton. Th Livermore labs are run and funded by the DOD - Department of Defence.

Jose also applied to NASA to become an astronaut every year for 11 years. He ran a marathon every year for 11 years until finally he was selected to join an Astronaut class.

While Jose does give some details about the training, he glosses over them pretty quickly. There are very few personal experiences from him or his class mates. The same thing is true for the Actual trip into space as well.

Jose went on one mission to the International Space station on a space shuttle. Soon after his mission, (STS 128) the shuttle program was scrapped and all future astronauts were required to do their training in Russia, Canada, UK, and then fly to the ISS on the Russian rockets. This usually meant that all the training and the missions were done outside of the USA which required the astronaut to be away from family for 3 or 4 years.

Jose chose not to go this route. He felt that his family was more important so he formally retired from NASA in 2011.

Before he was finally selected to become an astronaut, Jose started a foundation called Reaching for the Stars. It encourages children (especially minority children) to learn more about the STEM fields.

This is an easy book to read. There are a number of words in spanish throughout the whole book, but this is a nice easy way to learn a few spanish words.

I give this book 4 stars because, while it is good for an introduction to NASA, and astronaut training, it does not go into a whole lot of personal details. I wanted more nitty gritty details. More stories of the hardships that Jose may have endured. He also said nothing about his fellow astronauts lives (their education and background) and their families as well.

The astronaut community is supposed to be a close knit one, but the way this book is written, Jose has chosen to keep himself and his family, separate from the rest of the Astronaut community. They all do live together in Houston. He says nothing personal about any of his friends and nothing about his wife's activities other than she runs a Mexican bar and grill which seems to be a good place to eat.

[Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had actually watched the book's adaptation 'A Million Miles Away' on Amazon when I saw that lo and behold, it was based off a book! It took forever for me to find a copy but I was excited to see it was available through Hoopla. José M. Hernández is a Mexican-American engineer who eventually became an astronaut (the first migrant farmworker in space) and this is his story.

Hernández spends his childhood going back and forth between Mexico and the States as his parents are migrants and hope to make enough money in the US to buy a house back home. Eventually he attends college in the US, goes on to work at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and dreams of becoming an astronaut. He does (after being rejected 11 times over the course of 3 years).

Overall I enjoyed it and this was probably helped by the nice adaptation. Hernández has a really fascinating story, but it is told in a rather choppy sort of way, in a series of essays about parts of his life rather than feeling like a cohesive narrative. It felt a bit like a first draft and having an editor that make it flow and tighten it up more might have helped. Still, overall it was still fairly enjoyable and a "nice" read. (For example, I thought the movie emphasized the racism he faced by being mistaken for the janitor even though the janitor, who started around the same time, had a "Western" first and last name, hmm).

This might have been because this book was apparently written in anticipation for Hernández's Congressional run in 2012 (he lost), but he also seems like that type of nice guy, so it was fun to be able to read/watch him achieve his dreams. Good read, especially for Mexicans and/or other Latinos who maybe want to go into engineering or be an astronaut or engage in STEM, etc. Movie was also good as being family-friendly so everyone can watch (maybe grade school or older as I think younger audiences would probably find it boring).

As mentioned, borrowed via Hoopla and that was best for me.

[bowie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This memoir tells the inspiring story of his journey from a humble background to becoming a NASA astronaut. The central message of the book—that education is essential for success—shines through, making it a valuable read for anyone aspiring to reach their dreams. As someone with Mexican roots, I found Hernández to be a powerful representation of what can be achieved despite negative stereotypes. His journey showcases the incredible possibilities that exist when one refuses to be defined by societal limitations.

However, the narrative tends to be quite repetitive. While Hernández’s passion for education and perseverance is commendable, the book occasionally reiterates similar points, which can detract from its overall impact. Despite this, his determination to overcome obstacles is truly motivating, and readers will appreciate the emphasis on striving for what may seem out of reach.

Ultimately, "Reaching for the Stars" offers an uplifting perspective on ambition and education, even if it could benefit from a tighter narrative. It’s a worthwhile read for those looking for inspiration in their own journeys.

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fellow really followed his dreams! And he worked very hard for it, too. The author had wonderful parents who wanted more for him than picking tomatoes. They believed education was the key to success. I was thinking that I most likely wouldn't put in repeat applications to NASA after being rejected a couple of times like the author was. Rejection is hard. But then, an opportunity to travel in space, I probably would try over and over.
Great story of hard work, perseverance, and grit in light of being discounted for being Mexican American. He has set a good example for all of us to reach for our dreams.

[Pedro Dominguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just read the book Reaching for the Stars by Jose Hernandez. Reading his book and learning how Jose worked hard in the fields and went to Mexico frequently, yet he had the desire to be an astronaut and never gave up despite the many times he was rejected, really changes my perspective that someone that is from my culture, speaks my language and looks like me can achieve and accomplish great things. The grit he showed to persist, from his early college days, to his parents making the decision to stay in the US and not go back to Michoacan made the whole difference for him. I’m hoping I can instill similar values for my kids as they grow older.

[Steen · Rating 3 out of 5]

After watching “A Million Miles Away” I was obsessed with Jose Fernandez’s story. This book was not what I was expecting though. Less of a memoir, more of a life lesson book for middle schoolers? And that’s not meant as an insult. The language was simple and clear, and a lot of time was spent describing the parts of a space shuttle and the process of being in space. I was more interested in his back story - which felt like a basic overview. But this would be an excellent read for someone interested in becoming an engineer or astronaut!

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Reaching for the Stars” by Jose Hernandez is not only an interesting autobiography, but has an inspiring message to reach for your dreams. It takes focus, dedication, and a roadmap with the willingness to learn from others. His result - being an astronaut.

I was fortunate to hear Mr. Hernandez speak at an event in my workplace. Very inspiring! I did prefer hearing him to reading the book. That is likely due to the specific target audience for speaking engagement versus a broader (and maybe younger?) target audience for the book.

[Doug Alexander · Rating 2 out of 5]

An inspiring story, but it suffers from the writing style. From the get go you know this is written by a Mexican-American boy. The incessant sprinkling of the text with Spanish words followed by the translation is both distracting and irritating. I usually love this kind of book and wanted to love this but couldn’t. I was glad it was a short read. Watch the movie. They take a lot of artistic license, but it is much more entertaining than the book.

[Hardika · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of THE most under rated books of all time! Jose M Hernandez proves to you that nothing is impossible. The amount of detail he has provided across both his personal hardships and professional development, while still keeping the reader engaged at all times, is remarkable! Jose is a great storyteller, writer, and most importantly, an inspiration. You do not have to be an astronaut to read his book, you just need to have a goal and be willing to pursue it.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have read in quite a while! Definitely one of my new favorites!
(A lot more details and insights than the movie, although it's a great movie too!!)

I have met him a few times and he is a super, nice guy! 🙂

[Federico Tewes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiration for Making Your Own Dreams a Reality

Amazon made a movie about Hernandez’s life. The reason I read the entire book is to see the roadmap. Hernandez’s step-by-step explanation for creating your own roadmap towards your dream is in Kindle location 3188

[Christie Arias · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome feel good story about hard work and accomplishing goals.
Easy read.

[Mark Reynolds · Rating 3 out of 5]

An incredibly inspiring story. The writing was a bit juvenile, but I guess I can't expect a successful engineer and astronaut to be a great non technical writer.

[Laurie]

Inspiring