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Chasing Space
Meet Leland Melvin—football star, NASA astronaut, and professional dream chaser.
When the former Detroit Lion’s football career was cut short by an injury, Leland didn’t waste time mourning his broken dream. Instead, he found a new one—something that was completely out of this world.
He joined NASA, braved an injury that nearly left him permanently deaf, and still managed to muster the courage and resolve to travel to space on the shuttle Atlantis to help build the International Space Station. Leland’s problem-solving methods and can-do attitude turned his impossible-seeming dream into reality.
Leland’s story introduces readers to the fascinating creative and scientific challenges he had to deal with in space and will encourage the next generation of can-do scientists to dare to follow their dreams.
When the former Detroit Lion’s football career was cut short by an injury, Leland didn’t waste time mourning his broken dream. Instead, he found a new one—something that was completely out of this world.
He joined NASA, braved an injury that nearly left him permanently deaf, and still managed to muster the courage and resolve to travel to space on the shuttle Atlantis to help build the International Space Station. Leland’s problem-solving methods and can-do attitude turned his impossible-seeming dream into reality.
Leland’s story introduces readers to the fascinating creative and scientific challenges he had to deal with in space and will encourage the next generation of can-do scientists to dare to follow their dreams.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published May 23, 2017
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698 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
July 29, 2018
I loved Leland’s heart and compassion. He seems like a wonderful friend and colleague. He also has a long list of accomplishments and stories. The book however started to feel like it was just that: a long list of accomplishments, especially toward the end. Even the parts that were especially moving (he was raped as a child and it is tossed in there like a side note, various experiences with race, and a very interesting prophecy) were quickly mentioned a couple times and then just as quickly dropped without transition, like notes on a post-it. I wanted more editing fluidity, and passion/personality/depth, which I know he has, and which was obvious in all he has experienced and all of the people he has influenced and work with over the years. But alas he’s an introvert like me, and first and foremost a scientist, and probably wants to keep that to himself.
September 16, 2019
"Chasing Space" by Leland Melvin was a motivating memoir of an astronauts life. Leland started out in a tough situation and ended up in space, staring down at Earth. He survived multiple blows to his career including an injury that nearly left him without the ability to hear and a near-death experience when he had to haul fellow trainees out of deep water with limited oxygen. His life was full of hardships and successes which make this a stunningly impactful biography. A particularly exciting component of the book was the author's ability to describe the setting of the story and I recommend this book to people that like motivational memoir novels.
November 12, 2019
This book caught my eye, because my nephew is enthralled with football and space. I thought this may be a good book to give him, so I decided to read it.
Although this is the Young Reader's edition, it was an inspiring read for me as an adult as well as a highly educational read. There are so many amazing facts about being in space that I never knew (i.e., the heart gets smaller and changes shape since it doesn't need to pull blood up from the feet.) Leland Melvin faced a lot of hardships, tragedy, and setbacks that would tempt anyone to succumb to failure and defeat, but Melvin tells readers how his faith in God and unwavering family support kept him chasing his dream. Leland Melvin reminds me of Ben Carson in the sense that they do not let the anger of injustice and racism stunt their growth as kind, faith-driven individuals using their gifts for good. Leland Melvin doesn't center on the bad things that happened to him. Instead, he focuses on the gifts God gave him and the opportunities that God brings his way. In a society that promotes entitlement to an outlandish degree, Melvin's story is an important one to share with the young generation so they may learn to work hard and be determined no matter what situation in which they find themselves. This version also has STEAM experiments that children can try with adult supervision.
Although this is the Young Reader's edition, it was an inspiring read for me as an adult as well as a highly educational read. There are so many amazing facts about being in space that I never knew (i.e., the heart gets smaller and changes shape since it doesn't need to pull blood up from the feet.) Leland Melvin faced a lot of hardships, tragedy, and setbacks that would tempt anyone to succumb to failure and defeat, but Melvin tells readers how his faith in God and unwavering family support kept him chasing his dream. Leland Melvin reminds me of Ben Carson in the sense that they do not let the anger of injustice and racism stunt their growth as kind, faith-driven individuals using their gifts for good. Leland Melvin doesn't center on the bad things that happened to him. Instead, he focuses on the gifts God gave him and the opportunities that God brings his way. In a society that promotes entitlement to an outlandish degree, Melvin's story is an important one to share with the young generation so they may learn to work hard and be determined no matter what situation in which they find themselves. This version also has STEAM experiments that children can try with adult supervision.
June 24, 2024
Pretty good. It tells his life story focusing on leading up to and being an astronaut. I hadn’t heard of him before and found his story cool. The first chapter made it seem like the book might start once he was training to be an astronaut, but it is basically a prologue that takes place part way through the story. There are some nice additions of some pictures of him growing up and in space, as well as a few science activities in the back.
December 7, 2017
Very good book filled with lessons on never giving up. Interesting details on preparing to be an astronaut and going into space. Recommend for young reader and adults.
February 22, 2025
Good, easy to read…read it with my 10 year old for his book report. He liked it! 😊
March 12, 2019
This was a great, charismatic book
I started off only knowing Leland from the photo of him with his dogs in his astronaut suit that went viral last year
Starting with low expectations, Leland’s story became fascinating to me
From the nfl, to being an astronaut, to being an educator and a tv host, Leland did a great job describing and giving credit to the people who supported him throughout his life
I also loved how he included the “moments” in his life that excelled him to new opportunities
I would recommend this book to anyone, but especially to African Americans to know that there are plenty of stories of Leland’s out their to model their lives after
I started off only knowing Leland from the photo of him with his dogs in his astronaut suit that went viral last year
Starting with low expectations, Leland’s story became fascinating to me
From the nfl, to being an astronaut, to being an educator and a tv host, Leland did a great job describing and giving credit to the people who supported him throughout his life
I also loved how he included the “moments” in his life that excelled him to new opportunities
I would recommend this book to anyone, but especially to African Americans to know that there are plenty of stories of Leland’s out their to model their lives after
February 7, 2018
A very good read. Would have liked if the author's jock years and S.T.E.M. did not take up so much space in the book. Very glad the author shared his Christian witness in the book.
September 4, 2019
Originally published online at BORG.com.
Young Leland Melvin wasn’t the type of kid who dreamed about flying in outer space. But he was guided by good parents and developed the right stuff to work for NASA for more than a quarter of a century that culminated in two space shuttle flights to the International Space Station. Melvin has written his memoir and it has been published in a version for kids and a version for adults. Harper Collins and Amistad Press’s Chasing Space is a book that every school library should carry, a book kids should read to understand that you can be anything you want to be.
Melvin credits a good mind-set for his ability to adapt to new situations and succeed in whatever he put his mind to. But even with hard work, life manages to get in the way sometimes. Unforeseen circumstances stopped him in his tracks at several points in his many pursuits, including college, where he was almost expelled for an alleged ethics violation. In high school football he made a mistake that his coach allowed him to redo, resulting in him getting a scholarship to college. His girlfriend and he were pulled over and a racist police officer tried to get him thrown in jail. He played football for the Detroit Lions, but a recurring hamstring problem knocked him out of the sport. He got another chance at football, this time for the Dallas Cowboys, but his leg stopped him again. Only after returning to graduate school work did his career in science take hold, and once he graduated NASA was practically waiting for him. But his pathway to space was tripped up by a problem with his ear while training. And despite it all, and being one of the first African-Americans to forge a path where few had gone before, Leland Melvin worked hard, mentally and physically, and overcame everything thrown in his way to become one of only 550 humans to leave the planet and become an astronaut. He is known by many as the astronaut that had his formal NASA photograph taken with his two dogs, Jake and Scout, who would later join him and Cesar Millan on an episode of Millan’s Dog Whisperer show.
Melvin flew on the Space Shuttle Atlantis during missions STS-122 and STS-129 and worked closely with astronauts that were lost on both the Challenger and Columbia disasters as well as current astronauts like Peggy Whitson and Suni Williams, who have continued to set new records in space aboard the International Space Station. In Star City, Russia, Melvin worked closely with and trained alongside former Navy SEAL Bill Shepherd–the famed astronaut “who knew how to kill somebody with a knife”–as Shepherd prepared for the very first long-duration flight by an American and becoming the first commander of a crew based at the International Space Station. Melvin even helped Russian scientists translate tech manuals into English in Moscow. Surprisingly astronaut training for Melvin included extreme survival training and adventure hikes across America and giving talks around the world, learning to stretch the boundaries of his own abilities. When one of his crews was without a medical officer, he volunteered and trained to add that role to his list of duties. He spent months stitching up cadavers and working on emergency room patients to be ready for any kind of emergency in space, training under the eye of famous skilled surgeon Dr. Red Duke, the doctor that had admitted President Kennedy and Governor Connally at the Dallas hospital in November 1963. All these seeming tasks and trials are not obvious things the average person thinks about when they hear the word “astronaut.” Yet all prepared Melvin to be able to think on his feet should a problem occur, and that according to Melvin’s account, is the way of astronaut training.
Melvin’s life was filled with events like any other’s, those missteps where his progress could have been stymied but for the aid and support of mentors along the way. As Melvin says in his book, “failures in life are the building blocks for later success.” According to Melvin, anything is possible. Melvin tells stories about many African-Americans in particular and others who blazed the trail for him in Chasing Space. Now retired, Melvin continues to address crowds and inspire others as a motivational speaker, among other public affairs projects, hosting TV programs, and working on other business opportunities.
For anyone who ever wanted to be an astronaut and anyone trying to get past life’s roadblocks, Leland Melvin’s Chasing Space is available now at Amazon, in standard format here and in a young reader’s edition.
Young Leland Melvin wasn’t the type of kid who dreamed about flying in outer space. But he was guided by good parents and developed the right stuff to work for NASA for more than a quarter of a century that culminated in two space shuttle flights to the International Space Station. Melvin has written his memoir and it has been published in a version for kids and a version for adults. Harper Collins and Amistad Press’s Chasing Space is a book that every school library should carry, a book kids should read to understand that you can be anything you want to be.
Melvin credits a good mind-set for his ability to adapt to new situations and succeed in whatever he put his mind to. But even with hard work, life manages to get in the way sometimes. Unforeseen circumstances stopped him in his tracks at several points in his many pursuits, including college, where he was almost expelled for an alleged ethics violation. In high school football he made a mistake that his coach allowed him to redo, resulting in him getting a scholarship to college. His girlfriend and he were pulled over and a racist police officer tried to get him thrown in jail. He played football for the Detroit Lions, but a recurring hamstring problem knocked him out of the sport. He got another chance at football, this time for the Dallas Cowboys, but his leg stopped him again. Only after returning to graduate school work did his career in science take hold, and once he graduated NASA was practically waiting for him. But his pathway to space was tripped up by a problem with his ear while training. And despite it all, and being one of the first African-Americans to forge a path where few had gone before, Leland Melvin worked hard, mentally and physically, and overcame everything thrown in his way to become one of only 550 humans to leave the planet and become an astronaut. He is known by many as the astronaut that had his formal NASA photograph taken with his two dogs, Jake and Scout, who would later join him and Cesar Millan on an episode of Millan’s Dog Whisperer show.
Melvin flew on the Space Shuttle Atlantis during missions STS-122 and STS-129 and worked closely with astronauts that were lost on both the Challenger and Columbia disasters as well as current astronauts like Peggy Whitson and Suni Williams, who have continued to set new records in space aboard the International Space Station. In Star City, Russia, Melvin worked closely with and trained alongside former Navy SEAL Bill Shepherd–the famed astronaut “who knew how to kill somebody with a knife”–as Shepherd prepared for the very first long-duration flight by an American and becoming the first commander of a crew based at the International Space Station. Melvin even helped Russian scientists translate tech manuals into English in Moscow. Surprisingly astronaut training for Melvin included extreme survival training and adventure hikes across America and giving talks around the world, learning to stretch the boundaries of his own abilities. When one of his crews was without a medical officer, he volunteered and trained to add that role to his list of duties. He spent months stitching up cadavers and working on emergency room patients to be ready for any kind of emergency in space, training under the eye of famous skilled surgeon Dr. Red Duke, the doctor that had admitted President Kennedy and Governor Connally at the Dallas hospital in November 1963. All these seeming tasks and trials are not obvious things the average person thinks about when they hear the word “astronaut.” Yet all prepared Melvin to be able to think on his feet should a problem occur, and that according to Melvin’s account, is the way of astronaut training.
Melvin’s life was filled with events like any other’s, those missteps where his progress could have been stymied but for the aid and support of mentors along the way. As Melvin says in his book, “failures in life are the building blocks for later success.” According to Melvin, anything is possible. Melvin tells stories about many African-Americans in particular and others who blazed the trail for him in Chasing Space. Now retired, Melvin continues to address crowds and inspire others as a motivational speaker, among other public affairs projects, hosting TV programs, and working on other business opportunities.
For anyone who ever wanted to be an astronaut and anyone trying to get past life’s roadblocks, Leland Melvin’s Chasing Space is available now at Amazon, in standard format here and in a young reader’s edition.
July 1, 2019
I read this book for the library family book club for the library where I work. (Route 9 Library and Innovation Center) Book club is next week.
This book is an easy read and I was pleased and surprised to find the author is a Christian and includes his faith in a few places in the book. This book should get all kids excited about the space race and the possibility of becoming an astronaut OR whatever they dream of becoming. I liked how Leland includes his struggles and how he overcame them. Nothing was just handed to him. He had to fight for it. He had setbacks. He had to trust the Lord. He grew in his knowledge and his faith.
I also liked how he was appreciative of all his family. I'll start with his mother and the books... grin
"My mother loved to read, and she passed her passion along to my sister and me. She read to us every night when we were young. Early favorites included stories like The Little Engine That Could and Curious George. Curiosity and the "I think I can, I think I can" refrain from The Little Engine inspired me in a million different ways. When the going gets tough, I still come back to those lessons. The remind me to never stop experimenting and to never stop trying." (pg 15)
I love the books, the sentiment and the reading! I agree with reading to your kids every day and don't stop when they are done with picture books. Keep reading together.
He was especially thankful for the things his father had taught him growing up. Those lessons of having a vision.
"Young people often ask me who my heroes are, and my first answer is always "my father." I learned so many lessons from him. One of the most lasting was the importance of vision. My father would visualize a goal and work toward it tirelessly. He taught me to see past the obstacles in front of me and to always believe in myself.
One morning when I was about eleven, he drove up to the house in a bread truck.
'What's that for?' I asked.
'It's going to be our camper,' he said.
....
Turning that bread truck into a camper taught me an important lesson. Everything starts with a vision. You can't create something great if you can't 'see' what that great thing is from the start." (pg 16-17)
I highly recommend this wonderful biography.
If you kids are doing summer reading and your library is using the summer theme Universe of Stories (Space) like our library is than this is a great book to go along with that theme. And if they are not doing that theme read it anyway. It an inspirational book.
This book is an easy read and I was pleased and surprised to find the author is a Christian and includes his faith in a few places in the book. This book should get all kids excited about the space race and the possibility of becoming an astronaut OR whatever they dream of becoming. I liked how Leland includes his struggles and how he overcame them. Nothing was just handed to him. He had to fight for it. He had setbacks. He had to trust the Lord. He grew in his knowledge and his faith.
I also liked how he was appreciative of all his family. I'll start with his mother and the books... grin
"My mother loved to read, and she passed her passion along to my sister and me. She read to us every night when we were young. Early favorites included stories like The Little Engine That Could and Curious George. Curiosity and the "I think I can, I think I can" refrain from The Little Engine inspired me in a million different ways. When the going gets tough, I still come back to those lessons. The remind me to never stop experimenting and to never stop trying." (pg 15)
I love the books, the sentiment and the reading! I agree with reading to your kids every day and don't stop when they are done with picture books. Keep reading together.
He was especially thankful for the things his father had taught him growing up. Those lessons of having a vision.
"Young people often ask me who my heroes are, and my first answer is always "my father." I learned so many lessons from him. One of the most lasting was the importance of vision. My father would visualize a goal and work toward it tirelessly. He taught me to see past the obstacles in front of me and to always believe in myself.
One morning when I was about eleven, he drove up to the house in a bread truck.
'What's that for?' I asked.
'It's going to be our camper,' he said.
....
Turning that bread truck into a camper taught me an important lesson. Everything starts with a vision. You can't create something great if you can't 'see' what that great thing is from the start." (pg 16-17)
I highly recommend this wonderful biography.
If you kids are doing summer reading and your library is using the summer theme Universe of Stories (Space) like our library is than this is a great book to go along with that theme. And if they are not doing that theme read it anyway. It an inspirational book.
May 18, 2019
"Chasing Space," was a quick read, and it was a good example of an inspiring story told in a (slightly!) unexciting way. Leland Melvin's life story is undoubtedly a good one, but the book sometimes wandered off on tangents or focused a bit too much on lists of names, places, & events. I found my mind wandering at times (perhaps the fault is mine, as I was traveling while reading this?) and had a hard time following the thread of a few passages. But this is not a criticism of the story itself; just the writing of it. I would have preferred a more in-depth focus on some aspects of his personality/family/personal history, interspersed with some more detailed technical descriptions of the type of work he did. This book definitely had PARTS of all those things, but a little more focus would have helped it.
But enough negativity! There was much to enjoy here. Leland Melvin is a man of many varied accomplishments, and yet his whole tone bespeaks modesty and mild amazement that such an eventful life is his, and that it was largely of his own making. A skilled student with supportive, progressive parents, Leland also excelled in sports throughout high school. He played college football and was even scouted by two different NFL teams, participating in both their training camps! And then, in a somewhat drastic turn of events, Leland changed careers...moving to NASA and ultimately becoming a material systems engineer. His dream of becoming an astronaut was legitimately moving and inspiring...he diligently worked & persisted for close to a decade (along the way suffering a major ear injury that could have permanently wrecked his chances), before he was at long last given the opportunity to make it to space. Leland served two mission in the International Space Station and his recollections of his time in space are very fascinating.
This biography feels a bit unfocused (and somewhat incomplete), but it is still recommended for the remarkable life of its subject. Leland is a great role model and inspiring to all ages. I would particularly recommend this book to middle- and high-school students. Reading a story of an African-American man reach career highs in both sports AND science will hopefully inspire a bunch of youth, particularly those in the STEM fields. Even if the book isn't perfect, it's obvious from reading it that Leland is a man filled with determination, passion, and love for his career. He also clearly wants to inspire children and youth to achieve similar goals (his later appearances on a kid's science television program and as an inspirational speaker all attest to this). I hope he continues to inspire many more people!
But enough negativity! There was much to enjoy here. Leland Melvin is a man of many varied accomplishments, and yet his whole tone bespeaks modesty and mild amazement that such an eventful life is his, and that it was largely of his own making. A skilled student with supportive, progressive parents, Leland also excelled in sports throughout high school. He played college football and was even scouted by two different NFL teams, participating in both their training camps! And then, in a somewhat drastic turn of events, Leland changed careers...moving to NASA and ultimately becoming a material systems engineer. His dream of becoming an astronaut was legitimately moving and inspiring...he diligently worked & persisted for close to a decade (along the way suffering a major ear injury that could have permanently wrecked his chances), before he was at long last given the opportunity to make it to space. Leland served two mission in the International Space Station and his recollections of his time in space are very fascinating.
This biography feels a bit unfocused (and somewhat incomplete), but it is still recommended for the remarkable life of its subject. Leland is a great role model and inspiring to all ages. I would particularly recommend this book to middle- and high-school students. Reading a story of an African-American man reach career highs in both sports AND science will hopefully inspire a bunch of youth, particularly those in the STEM fields. Even if the book isn't perfect, it's obvious from reading it that Leland is a man filled with determination, passion, and love for his career. He also clearly wants to inspire children and youth to achieve similar goals (his later appearances on a kid's science television program and as an inspirational speaker all attest to this). I hope he continues to inspire many more people!
February 25, 2019
Choice Book #2 Quarter 3
Chasing Space by Leland Melvin, a nonfiction book, well its really a biography that takes place in multiple settings, such as Lynchburg Virginia, the Jhonson Space Center, Kennedy Space Center, in the ISS, and in low-Earth orbit. It follows Leland Melvin as he tells about his life.
Characters: Leland Melvin, an astronaut who is born in Lynchburg, Virginia on February 15, 1964. He was a football player and played for the NFL for a short period of time, until he had a few major injuries. He served as an astronaut on the missions STS-129 and STS-122, he delivered multiple parts to the ISS. He is the owner of two dogs, and lost his hearing for 3 weeks after an accident while training. He was dragged into NASA unexpectedly, a woman at a booth just randomely said, “Youre going to NASA” and Leland refused for some time, but then gave up and just decided that that was his career.
Problem/Conflict: Leland is trying to do football, but injuries take over. Eventually, he must go to space and trains for a time that is over 10 times more than the normal astronaut because of injuries. At one point in his training, he went deaf for 3 weeks!
Theme: The author (Leland) believes that if you encounter a problem, don't give up on trying to tackle it. Evidence? Easy. First, Leland is injured multiple times on the football field, but does not give up. He continues. Secondly, after practically getting kicked out of the NFL, he continues to try and find more football-based sports. Finally, normal astronauts going on expeditions usually train for 6 months to a year. Leland trained for a whole decade before finally getting assigned to his first mission.
Opinion/Analysis: I liked the book because it had all its problems solved. It does not have a cliffhanger, either. My favorite part was the launch, very detailed and inspiring. Book inspired me, nothing other emotionally-related. Yes I already mentioned that the book told everything, but yes all I wanted to know, all my questions, all of them were answered. With a quick bonus, some DIY experiments after the ending of the book! I would just let my book sell if I was the author, no changes. What a great biography!
5/5
Chasing Space by Leland Melvin, a nonfiction book, well its really a biography that takes place in multiple settings, such as Lynchburg Virginia, the Jhonson Space Center, Kennedy Space Center, in the ISS, and in low-Earth orbit. It follows Leland Melvin as he tells about his life.
Characters: Leland Melvin, an astronaut who is born in Lynchburg, Virginia on February 15, 1964. He was a football player and played for the NFL for a short period of time, until he had a few major injuries. He served as an astronaut on the missions STS-129 and STS-122, he delivered multiple parts to the ISS. He is the owner of two dogs, and lost his hearing for 3 weeks after an accident while training. He was dragged into NASA unexpectedly, a woman at a booth just randomely said, “Youre going to NASA” and Leland refused for some time, but then gave up and just decided that that was his career.
Problem/Conflict: Leland is trying to do football, but injuries take over. Eventually, he must go to space and trains for a time that is over 10 times more than the normal astronaut because of injuries. At one point in his training, he went deaf for 3 weeks!
Theme: The author (Leland) believes that if you encounter a problem, don't give up on trying to tackle it. Evidence? Easy. First, Leland is injured multiple times on the football field, but does not give up. He continues. Secondly, after practically getting kicked out of the NFL, he continues to try and find more football-based sports. Finally, normal astronauts going on expeditions usually train for 6 months to a year. Leland trained for a whole decade before finally getting assigned to his first mission.
Opinion/Analysis: I liked the book because it had all its problems solved. It does not have a cliffhanger, either. My favorite part was the launch, very detailed and inspiring. Book inspired me, nothing other emotionally-related. Yes I already mentioned that the book told everything, but yes all I wanted to know, all my questions, all of them were answered. With a quick bonus, some DIY experiments after the ending of the book! I would just let my book sell if I was the author, no changes. What a great biography!
5/5
April 14, 2019
Leland Melvin is a material sciences engineer who flew on two space shuttle missions during the naughts.
This started out promisingly with Melvin's recounting of the incident in Neutral Buoyancy Lab (the massive pool they train astronauts in for spacewalks) that severely damaged his hearing. I'm hard-of-hearing myself, so I was looking forward to learning about his recovery and eventual career as a slightly deaf astronaut. Instead, the tale kind of peters out; we never learn how much of his hearing he recovers, though his being limited to the shorter missions of the space shuttle era, rather than the longer duration ones of the current Soyuz rockets.
After his account of the hearing loss, his childhood in Virginia, and his education, the book rather went downhill, becoming litany of his activities and accomplishments within NASA and without. It was informative to learn of all the work astronauts do on the ground; Melvin put in a lot of work with educational programs, both for teachers interested in teaching their students about space and children interested in STEM and STEAM.*
Ultimately, this lacks the slick motivational readability of Hadfield, but also the total asshole-ness of Mike Mullane in Riding Rockets. I know who I'd prefer in terms of a human being to sit next to at a dinner party, but with regards to books, this one's a bit of an informative nap.
*I have a lot of complicated feelings about STEM and STEAM as educational programs, most of them negative, but I'm not about to ding a guy in a book review for encouraging children in their interests.
This started out promisingly with Melvin's recounting of the incident in Neutral Buoyancy Lab (the massive pool they train astronauts in for spacewalks) that severely damaged his hearing. I'm hard-of-hearing myself, so I was looking forward to learning about his recovery and eventual career as a slightly deaf astronaut. Instead, the tale kind of peters out; we never learn how much of his hearing he recovers, though his being limited to the shorter missions of the space shuttle era, rather than the longer duration ones of the current Soyuz rockets.
After his account of the hearing loss, his childhood in Virginia, and his education, the book rather went downhill, becoming litany of his activities and accomplishments within NASA and without. It was informative to learn of all the work astronauts do on the ground; Melvin put in a lot of work with educational programs, both for teachers interested in teaching their students about space and children interested in STEM and STEAM.*
Ultimately, this lacks the slick motivational readability of Hadfield, but also the total asshole-ness of Mike Mullane in Riding Rockets. I know who I'd prefer in terms of a human being to sit next to at a dinner party, but with regards to books, this one's a bit of an informative nap.
*I have a lot of complicated feelings about STEM and STEAM as educational programs, most of them negative, but I'm not about to ding a guy in a book review for encouraging children in their interests.
July 6, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. At times I wasn't sure, but looking back on it as a whole, it's great!
Melvin seems like such a nice guy. I appreciate his perspective - he explains the importance of hard work, persistence, Growth Mindset, working together, having dreams, second chances, and respect. His story is so interesting to me - he overcame an accident that made him deaf in one ear to go to space twice. I also enjoyed watching his YouTube videos as I read through this book.
I think that this book is geared toward children who are a little older and may have some background in space science, as there are terms throughout that a lot of kids wouldn't understand. That being said, I don't think it would be too distracting from the story, and kids could learn a lot from this book whether they were well-versed in science or not.
The pictures are in black and white, which is kind of a disappointment sometimes because the blues are referred to, but you can't see them. This is a kids' version that I bought from Scholastic, so I'm okay with that (I have the internet, after all!).
The end of the book has STEAM activities for kids - building rockets, testing them, etc. I learned a lot from reading through the experiments! Don't skip that part! Also don't skip the Acknowledgements - there is a lot of heart and soul in there, and it gives a good glimpse of Melvin as a person.
Great book! I can't wait to give it to one of my students who I think will be inspired by Melvin's story!
Melvin seems like such a nice guy. I appreciate his perspective - he explains the importance of hard work, persistence, Growth Mindset, working together, having dreams, second chances, and respect. His story is so interesting to me - he overcame an accident that made him deaf in one ear to go to space twice. I also enjoyed watching his YouTube videos as I read through this book.
I think that this book is geared toward children who are a little older and may have some background in space science, as there are terms throughout that a lot of kids wouldn't understand. That being said, I don't think it would be too distracting from the story, and kids could learn a lot from this book whether they were well-versed in science or not.
The pictures are in black and white, which is kind of a disappointment sometimes because the blues are referred to, but you can't see them. This is a kids' version that I bought from Scholastic, so I'm okay with that (I have the internet, after all!).
The end of the book has STEAM activities for kids - building rockets, testing them, etc. I learned a lot from reading through the experiments! Don't skip that part! Also don't skip the Acknowledgements - there is a lot of heart and soul in there, and it gives a good glimpse of Melvin as a person.
Great book! I can't wait to give it to one of my students who I think will be inspired by Melvin's story!
June 13, 2019
During the last month of school, I stepped back to evaluate my classroom library. I realized that while I had several books about African-Americans, they weren't the kinds to appeal to my gifted, upper middle class African-American students. These students aren't interested in how to get out of a gang. They don't want historical fiction about slavery and racism. They're only moderately interested in sports. They're nerds! They're into science fiction, where they aren't really depicted much. They're into fantasy, ditto.
So I started to look at how my books ought to appeal to these students. I came across this book in a random search on ebay. Upon receiving it, I was attracted to the cover because of the dogs, the depiction of an African-American astronaut, and a blurb by Bill Nye, a hero of my students.
It is a bit dry but I can still see how this book would appeal to several of my students. This guy is still alive! He's active! He knows Bill Nye. He's been in space. While he was in sports, sports are not his driving passion.
I look forward to sharing this book with my students. I may want to book club it.
On a side note, it wasn't until the end that I realized that Leland Melvin had worked with Mike Foreman, an astronaut I met last year. I want both their autographs!
So I started to look at how my books ought to appeal to these students. I came across this book in a random search on ebay. Upon receiving it, I was attracted to the cover because of the dogs, the depiction of an African-American astronaut, and a blurb by Bill Nye, a hero of my students.
It is a bit dry but I can still see how this book would appeal to several of my students. This guy is still alive! He's active! He knows Bill Nye. He's been in space. While he was in sports, sports are not his driving passion.
I look forward to sharing this book with my students. I may want to book club it.
On a side note, it wasn't until the end that I realized that Leland Melvin had worked with Mike Foreman, an astronaut I met last year. I want both their autographs!
February 7, 2019
choice book #1 quarter 3
chasing space written by Leland Melvin is a nonfiction book and this book fallows Leland Melvin and his journey threw his life and eventually going to space.
the main character in this book is Leland Melvin he was a foot ball player his whole life until he became a astronaut.
he encounters a lot of challenges along his way and has to deal with it and get threw it all.
life is tough but you should never give up on your dreams.
evidence 1: when his foot ball cloches didn't give up on him and he got a scholarship.
evidence 2: when the cop pulled him and his girlfriend and he almost got arrested for no reason.
evidence 3: when he got def for a while and still went to space.
Great book it was very inspirational, my favorite part was when he got the second chance at the game and they won, this book engages my emotions not that much, this book felt complete it was good I really liked it.
chasing space written by Leland Melvin is a nonfiction book and this book fallows Leland Melvin and his journey threw his life and eventually going to space.
the main character in this book is Leland Melvin he was a foot ball player his whole life until he became a astronaut.
he encounters a lot of challenges along his way and has to deal with it and get threw it all.
life is tough but you should never give up on your dreams.
evidence 1: when his foot ball cloches didn't give up on him and he got a scholarship.
evidence 2: when the cop pulled him and his girlfriend and he almost got arrested for no reason.
evidence 3: when he got def for a while and still went to space.
Great book it was very inspirational, my favorite part was when he got the second chance at the game and they won, this book engages my emotions not that much, this book felt complete it was good I really liked it.
April 18, 2019
I enjoyed reading Leland’s story. He lead an interesting life particularly his work in STEM education and of course his long struggle to be an astronaut. You’ll get some inside intel on what it’s like to work at NASA, too. It did get a little bit dull toward the end as it just bounced from event to event when it lacked a real narrative.
I did feel like his story was a bit... whitewashed. He’s relentlessly positive and constantly talking about how blessed he is. He is! But at the same time, he makes very passing mentions of racism which is absolutely encountered. And glossed over is that he’s single, which was surprising given his love of children and family.
Still, Leland is an admirable and very affable, hardworking man who should be more of a household name. So I recommend this book to all with an interest in careers in space.
I did feel like his story was a bit... whitewashed. He’s relentlessly positive and constantly talking about how blessed he is. He is! But at the same time, he makes very passing mentions of racism which is absolutely encountered. And glossed over is that he’s single, which was surprising given his love of children and family.
Still, Leland is an admirable and very affable, hardworking man who should be more of a household name. So I recommend this book to all with an interest in careers in space.
December 24, 2019
Leland Melvin is an interesting guy! In this Young Readers adaptation of his memoir, he describes how he pushed through the bad times with his faith and took advantage of lucky opportunities and gave it one more shot... something that got him a college football scholarship, got him work in a research lab, got him drafted onto an NFL team, got him hired into an engineering career at NASA, got him into the astronaut candidate class, got him through a scary ear/hearing injury, and finally got him into space.
The writing in the Young Readers version probably could have used a better editor; a lot of Melvin's stuff comes across less excitingly than it could have, because it is very matter-of-fact in its description. Still, it's a good look at how one can be into sports and into science and continue to break down barriers.
The writing in the Young Readers version probably could have used a better editor; a lot of Melvin's stuff comes across less excitingly than it could have, because it is very matter-of-fact in its description. Still, it's a good look at how one can be into sports and into science and continue to break down barriers.
February 11, 2021
I really enjoyed the Young Reader’s version of this book, especially after the year 2020. I loved reading about one of the first African-American’s (what he called himself) life journey to become a NASA astronaut. I loved how he focused on how his family, faith in God and role models in his educational and sports settings helped him to develop his character and to become the person he is today. He taught how he was given second chances in his life that made all the difference in his success and how he overcame adversity to become his best self. I appreciated that he focused on unity and cooperation across all people, regardless of skin color, nationality or political affiliation. I love how his story can inspire young people to grow in the areas of STEAM. It was a quick, inspiring and uplifting read.
October 29, 2021
I’ve been interested in space for my whole life and this only strengthens my love for it. In the book Leland Melvin writes about his time in the NFL and his journey to, and time in space. I loved this book because he didn’t dawdle on anything for too long, and even on subjects I wasn’t too interested in he still gave some interesting insight and aspects of them. The book covered about 8 topics he covered in 187 pages, and those were all detailed and interesting without being extremely long. Although I’m not super into football, I was still interested in his journey because I learned some new things about the process. In his journey to space I also learned some cool things about that process. Overall this book was great because the story moved fast and everything was interesting and detailed.
September 9, 2017
I am always looking for current memoirs or autobiographies that are middle school appropriate. This one fits the bill with no swears, sex or violence. Leland tells his story, starting from a kid and ending with retiring. He is the only person to be drafted by the NFL and to be drafted by NASA to be an astronaut. There is a good mixture of sports and science for kids interested in those topics. There are also some great life lessons. I felt like some of it was a little preachy and there was some humble bragging and name dropping, but that can be a typical element found in autobiographies. Will some of my students like it? Yes they will and hopefully they will learn from it. There are some STEAM experiments at the back of the book that could be a nice extension for learning.
September 30, 2019
I picked up this book since I heard five minutes of this man's story on NPR. I was super intrigued from the 5 minute bit I heard on the radio. I found the book was great, but not as awesome as I was thinking it was going to be for some reason. The first half I enjoyed much more than the second half, because it focused on all his challenges and "failings" he had to overcome. His life is truly quite remarkable in all that he overcame to become an astronaut. The second half was a little more slow going for me, because it mostly dealt with his life in a nutshell after he went into space. It was much more a list-type of things he did without as much overcoming challenges. At all costs, this man is really a remarkable man.
December 10, 2018
A book about staying the course. Parts were good and parts were not. There was a lot of fluff in the book and more about trips and vacations taken than actual training and work experience. Plus a lot of name dropping. I got tired of reading about all the places and events he’d been to or been involved with. I wanted to read more about his training as an astronaut and stories about his time at NASA. There were also times he started taking about something as if it would play a larger role and then shift gear and start taking about something else. I like Leland and he’s a great guy but I think the book was a little lacking.
December 25, 2020
This is the second “youth edition” (the other was Hidden Figures) and whoever edited for youth did a poor job. Melvin comes across as a bit conceited and bragging and sometimes really shallow—especially when mentioning his faith. He sounds brilliant and hard-working. I was completely amazed at how hard and how thorough astronaut training is. There is one chapter that details every college football game: BORING.
One very missing aspect of the entire life story is there is never a mention of any love interest, not even a hint; the absence of any mention seemed odd, incomplete.
This book would have been better written by someone else, for adult and for kids.
One very missing aspect of the entire life story is there is never a mention of any love interest, not even a hint; the absence of any mention seemed odd, incomplete.
This book would have been better written by someone else, for adult and for kids.
March 26, 2021
Leland Melvin tells his life story in an engaging way. He was drafted for the NFL and then chosen from a rigorous program with fierce competition to be an astronaut to go to the ISS. I was absolutely inspired by his deep faith in God, his overwhelmingly positive outlook, and his charitable work after becoming famous.
This was also fun to read because I attended his old high school for a semester in 2002. He went to elementary school up the road from where my parents lived for 18 years. When I was in college I was living in the same town as him and didn't even know it. I loved hearing him describe the history of Lynchburg from a time before I lived there.
This was also fun to read because I attended his old high school for a semester in 2002. He went to elementary school up the road from where my parents lived for 18 years. When I was in college I was living in the same town as him and didn't even know it. I loved hearing him describe the history of Lynchburg from a time before I lived there.
January 18, 2018
Leland Melvin shares his amazing life journey in this autobiography that has been abridged as a Young Reader’s Edition. This edition has been written in such a manner that younger readers from ages 10 and up can easily learn about the life of this astronaut, educator, speaker, and television host who can also claim the title as the only person to have been both drafted into the NFL and to have flown in space for NASA. Additionally this title includes several very detailed STEAM experiments for readers to try. I highly recommend this title for both school and public libraries.
February 9, 2018
If you are a parent or educator looking for inspiration how to motivate teens or young adults in STEM I recommend this book. There are many possible resources mentioned that might help in finding programs to help you. It also offers a good look at astronaut training and the inner workings of the astronaut corp and its operations. If you are looking for a book about what its like to live in space and an honest no holds bar evaluation of the shuttle and the international space station like Scott Kelly's Endurance, this isn't it. In the end its a good autobiography that is slow but can inspire.
April 22, 2024
While I enjoyed the overall story, I didn't find the writing partciualy good. There were times where he repeated the same expression about events that were very similar. I also felt that he would mention things like, for example, taking steroids and then launch into a whole paragraph about why you shouldn't use them when the part involving steroids could have easily been left out of the story. I also thought that the part about him playing for the NFL was hyped a lot and then he never even played a game. However, I did find his life interesting and I liked the parts where he was in space.
January 5, 2025
The writing was choppy and did not flow well. However, Leland led an extraordinary life and I was honored that he was able to share what it means to succeed in the face of adversity. It was also very interesting to see what it was like to train as an astronaut! Leland did amazing work both for NASA and for education. I loved the story... but the book was not as easy a read as I had hoped. It was choppy, which might deter young readers.
September 15, 2017
Melvin's life is pretty unbelievable, with all the twists and turns. This is written in a very conversational tone for the most part, except for a few sections that seem like they are a laundry list of items written in to get to the next chapter of Melvin's exciting life. As always, I wonder how this actually compares to the adult edition but I don't think I have enough time to read that one.
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