What do you think?
Rate this book
The Sky Below
An epic memoir from a man whose life is defined by exploration and innovation, The Sky Below re-creates some of the most unforgettable adventures of our time. From dramatic, high-risk spacewalks to author Scott Parazynski’s death-defying quest to summit Mount Everest—his body ravaged by a career in space—readers will experience the life of an elite athlete, physician, and explorer.
This intimate, compelling account offers a rare portrait of space exploration from the inside. A global nomad raised in the shadow of NASA’s Apollo missions, Parazynski never lost sight of his childhood dream to one day don a spacesuit and float outside the airlock. With deep passion, unbridled creativity, resilience, humility, and self-deprecation, Parazynski chases his dream of the ultimate adventure experience, again and again and again. In an era that transitioned from moon shots to the Space Shuttle, space station, and Mars research, Parazynski flies with John Glenn, tests jet packs, trains in Russia to become a cosmonaut, and flies five missions to outer space (including seven spacewalks) in his seventeen-year NASA career.
An unparalleled, visceral opportunity to understand what it’s like to train for—and deploy to—a home in zero gravity, The Sky Below also portrays an astronaut’s engagement with the challenges of his life on Earth, including raising a beautiful autistic daughter and finding true love.
This intimate, compelling account offers a rare portrait of space exploration from the inside. A global nomad raised in the shadow of NASA’s Apollo missions, Parazynski never lost sight of his childhood dream to one day don a spacesuit and float outside the airlock. With deep passion, unbridled creativity, resilience, humility, and self-deprecation, Parazynski chases his dream of the ultimate adventure experience, again and again and again. In an era that transitioned from moon shots to the Space Shuttle, space station, and Mars research, Parazynski flies with John Glenn, tests jet packs, trains in Russia to become a cosmonaut, and flies five missions to outer space (including seven spacewalks) in his seventeen-year NASA career.
An unparalleled, visceral opportunity to understand what it’s like to train for—and deploy to—a home in zero gravity, The Sky Below also portrays an astronaut’s engagement with the challenges of his life on Earth, including raising a beautiful autistic daughter and finding true love.
Audiobook
First published August 1, 2017
2105 people are currently reading
5227 people want to read
About the author
Scott Parazynski
9 books70 followersDr. Scott Parazynski is a highly decorated physician, astronaut, and tech CEO, recently inducted into the US Astronaut Hall of Fame. His first book, a memoir entitled "The Sky Below," is slated for launch on August 1, 2017.
He is a widely sought after keynote speaker on innovation, risk management, mentorship and leadership under extreme adversity.
Scott has lived and traveled all over the world, spending many of his grade school years in places such as Senegal, Lebanon, Iran and Greece. A graduate of Stanford University and Medical School, he went on to train at Harvard and in Denver for a career in emergency medicine and trauma.
In 1992 he was selected to join NASA's Astronaut Corps and eventually flew 5 Space Shuttle missions and conducted 7 spacewalks. Mission highlights include a global ozone mapping flight; leading the first joint US-Russian spacewalk while docked to the Russian space station Mir; serving as Senator John Glenn's crewmate and "personal physician"; and assembly of the Canadian-built space station robotic arm.
In October 2007, Scott led the spacewalking team on STS-120, during which he performed 4 EVAs. The final EVA is regarded by many as one of the most challenging and dangerous ever performed. The tremendous coordinated effort in orbit and on the ground by Mission Control has been likened to the Space Shuttle and Space Station era's "Apollo 13 moment."
In addition to being a diver and accomplished mountaineer, Scott is also a commercial, instrument, multiengine and seaplane-rated pilot. On May 20, 2009, he became the first – and, so far, only - astronaut to stand on top of the world. As a life-long explorer, he and colleague Sam Cossman recently set the first bootprints adjacent the world’s youngest lava lake, inside the crater of Massaya Volcano in Nicaragua.
He is a prolific inventor/product developer, and serves on the Boards of several companies. He recently founded Apogee Interests to commercialize his extensive innovation portfolio, including medical devices, consumer products and gear developed for extreme environments. He is Founder and CEO of Fluidity Technologies, focused on the development of revolutionary input devices powered by machine learning to intuitively move through physical and virtual space.
He is a widely sought after keynote speaker on innovation, risk management, mentorship and leadership under extreme adversity.
Scott has lived and traveled all over the world, spending many of his grade school years in places such as Senegal, Lebanon, Iran and Greece. A graduate of Stanford University and Medical School, he went on to train at Harvard and in Denver for a career in emergency medicine and trauma.
In 1992 he was selected to join NASA's Astronaut Corps and eventually flew 5 Space Shuttle missions and conducted 7 spacewalks. Mission highlights include a global ozone mapping flight; leading the first joint US-Russian spacewalk while docked to the Russian space station Mir; serving as Senator John Glenn's crewmate and "personal physician"; and assembly of the Canadian-built space station robotic arm.
In October 2007, Scott led the spacewalking team on STS-120, during which he performed 4 EVAs. The final EVA is regarded by many as one of the most challenging and dangerous ever performed. The tremendous coordinated effort in orbit and on the ground by Mission Control has been likened to the Space Shuttle and Space Station era's "Apollo 13 moment."
In addition to being a diver and accomplished mountaineer, Scott is also a commercial, instrument, multiengine and seaplane-rated pilot. On May 20, 2009, he became the first – and, so far, only - astronaut to stand on top of the world. As a life-long explorer, he and colleague Sam Cossman recently set the first bootprints adjacent the world’s youngest lava lake, inside the crater of Massaya Volcano in Nicaragua.
He is a prolific inventor/product developer, and serves on the Boards of several companies. He recently founded Apogee Interests to commercialize his extensive innovation portfolio, including medical devices, consumer products and gear developed for extreme environments. He is Founder and CEO of Fluidity Technologies, focused on the development of revolutionary input devices powered by machine learning to intuitively move through physical and virtual space.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 469 reviews
July 14, 2017
I liked the book until the last few sections. All along, I was fine with the author's sort of bragging about the things he did, but they ARE quite an achievement. But I lost respect for him when he took out a 40K home equity loan to take of again for months, leaving his wife home again with the kids, including one who needed extra attention. He just seemed to discount the amount of effort his wife (by this time estranged) did for him. Then to top it off, at the very end, I had to read his gushing account of his true soulmate and how much he loves her. Bleck! So that left a taste in my mouth for this that instead of a cool account of some awesome space achievements, that the author is just a bragging, selfish person.
September 16, 2017
Really loved reading this book.
Reason for the five stars is my curiosity about space and how the astronauts train and do what they do.
Scott Parazynski, grow up outside the United States, he is determined, creative, knowledgeable human being. His determination made him selfish and made a bad choice to get home improvement loan to climb Everest. Didn't think about what kind of pressure he was putting on his wife.
Enjoyed his humorous writing, learned how astronauts train and physical impact on their health.
Reason for the five stars is my curiosity about space and how the astronauts train and do what they do.
Scott Parazynski, grow up outside the United States, he is determined, creative, knowledgeable human being. His determination made him selfish and made a bad choice to get home improvement loan to climb Everest. Didn't think about what kind of pressure he was putting on his wife.
Enjoyed his humorous writing, learned how astronauts train and physical impact on their health.
September 1, 2017
Seriously the worst. I hope I never meet Scott Parazynski.
I got this as a Kindle First book because I wanted to try out the Kindle in Motion feature. That part was cool (though I hate reading with the Kindle app on my phone). I liked the photos and movies added in.
The rest was awful. I realize that people write memoirs when they've done great things with their lives but I came away thinking that my life is crap and I'll never amount to anything. I think a memoir should leave you in awe and excited about how cool someone is. Scott's whole book is "Blah blah blah I am amazing and my life is amazing and everything was handed to me on a silver platter and I saved the world and I am awesome." So not fun to read.
I was also severely disappointed in his discussion of his daughter's autism. He gushed about his amazing son all the time. But every time he brought up his daughter it was to say how disappointed he was that she would never have a normal life and how her autism was the wedge that drove his first marriage apart. I understand that having a kid with autism could be challenging but don't be such a stereotype.
It also really bugged me how much he just did whatever he wanted to do instead of trying to balance his life with his first wife's. It makes me mad that we glorify people who do whatever they want without thinking of how it affects other people's lives.
It's also in present tense, which is really jarring.
There were many other things I despised about this book but just in case you want to read it, I won't give anything away.
I got this as a Kindle First book because I wanted to try out the Kindle in Motion feature. That part was cool (though I hate reading with the Kindle app on my phone). I liked the photos and movies added in.
The rest was awful. I realize that people write memoirs when they've done great things with their lives but I came away thinking that my life is crap and I'll never amount to anything. I think a memoir should leave you in awe and excited about how cool someone is. Scott's whole book is "Blah blah blah I am amazing and my life is amazing and everything was handed to me on a silver platter and I saved the world and I am awesome." So not fun to read.
I was also severely disappointed in his discussion of his daughter's autism. He gushed about his amazing son all the time. But every time he brought up his daughter it was to say how disappointed he was that she would never have a normal life and how her autism was the wedge that drove his first marriage apart. I understand that having a kid with autism could be challenging but don't be such a stereotype.
It also really bugged me how much he just did whatever he wanted to do instead of trying to balance his life with his first wife's. It makes me mad that we glorify people who do whatever they want without thinking of how it affects other people's lives.
It's also in present tense, which is really jarring.
There were many other things I despised about this book but just in case you want to read it, I won't give anything away.
July 26, 2017
Disappointed. I've read 1/3 of the book, and the first several chapters felt completely unrelated to one another or to life as an astronaut, more about "look at the amazing places I've lived, mountains I've climbed, brilliant achievements I've made." Everything about him is so much larger-than-life that it's hard to relate to him as being a mere human. Also, I'm very distracted by it all being written in present tense. Ugh. At least it was a freebie and I didn't spend any money on it.
July 26, 2017
I agree with the less positive reviews. It is difficult to like Scott. He is the egotistical cool dude that will get his way no matter what. I was wondering about his marriage, and of course his first marriage was doomed to end, when all he cared was jumping from one adventure to the next. He feels shallow. I have been wondering about the deeper meaning of this book, and I do not find much. Be persistent and always get your way? To show you care about your family, take a picture of your kids and carry it to the Himalayas? Always be on the lookout for thrills?
There is no discussion of substance of the related science. I was left seriously wondering about the purpose of the space program. The book reads as "I climbed and dived and wham! I trained with John Glenn and we were like whee!" Scott describes the space program as an expensive playground. Maybe that is what it is.
Sorry, this is not a good book. It is a condescending book, solely written for astronaut admirers.
There is no discussion of substance of the related science. I was left seriously wondering about the purpose of the space program. The book reads as "I climbed and dived and wham! I trained with John Glenn and we were like whee!" Scott describes the space program as an expensive playground. Maybe that is what it is.
Sorry, this is not a good book. It is a condescending book, solely written for astronaut admirers.
January 31, 2018
The most important factoid to latch onto with this nonfic is that Scott Parazynski's an even bigger self-involved ignoramus than I am! And that's saying (typing) a lot. Hey, dude...just a thought here: maybe—in the moment—it's super duper cool climbing Mount Everest to further boost your already inflated ego, but being with your kids is actually way cooler. You should've tried it out some more! Oh; I forgot. That would have cut into your all-encompassing me time. Two stars only for throwing in a random but clever callback to Spinal Tap. Otherwise? Wiggity wack.
W. I. G. G. I. T. Y.
W. A. C. K.
Yup...I just did that!!
W. I. G. G. I. T. Y.
W. A. C. K.
Yup...I just did that!!
July 16, 2017
Didn't finish it. Spoiler alert.
Frankly, gave up on this memoir because, even though I did read most of it, the personality of the author just started to turn me against any sympathy for him at all. Perhaps if I were a guy, and not a mom, I could have overlooked his selfishness.
Frankly, gave up on this memoir because, even though I did read most of it, the personality of the author just started to turn me against any sympathy for him at all. Perhaps if I were a guy, and not a mom, I could have overlooked his selfishness.
January 25, 2018
I enjoyed reading about Parazynski's life, from his childhood to his love for mountain climbing to his career as an astronaut. I learned a lot of interesting information about the life of an astronaut and the space program. However, toward the end, I had to force myself to keep reading. I lost interest in Parazynski as a person because he seemed to always put his wanderlust ahead of his family, twice leaving his wife to care for their two children, one autistic, while he went to try to "make peace" with Mt. Everest. Not to mention the fact that he took out a 40K home equity loan to do so the first time, which he admits was against his wife's wishes. He blames the disintegration of his first marriage on the difficulties of dealing with an autistic child and the fact that he and his wife didn't see eye to eye on the priority of his bucket list. As more of who he really is as a person shone through, my interest in him, his story, and his accomplishments waned. Not impressed.
July 4, 2017
There’s no following in Scott Parazynski’s footsteps because he doesn’t leave any tracks. He’s floating in space, slogging upslope through snow and ice, scuba diving in deep water, sliding on his back down an icy track, climbing on perpendicular rock cliffs, or piloting an airplane high above the rest of us. He’s never in one spot long enough to even leave an apparition.
In his memoir, “The Sky Below,” he mainly talks about his spectacular career as a NASA astronaut but also shares his other adventures with descriptions of exploits that are simply amazing. In most tales such as he has written a most common reaction would be to grimace and say, “Bullshit. No mortal could do all that.” But Parazynski has a storyteller’s grace to pull it off without a negative thought ever crossing the reader’s mind. Any doubt is replaced with an admiration that makes one proud to even read his book. He is plain spoken and self-deprecating with a humor that only adds to the magnificence of his achievements.
“The Sky Below” follows the story of a lanky physician who wants to be an astronaut, so subjects himself to a rigorous fitness and training regime that can only be described as torturous, flies five space shuttle missions, takes seven space walks, serves as John Glenn’s personal space physician, then, after retiring, climbs Mount Everest twice, summiting the second time after surviving a life-threatening brain clot. All the while he’s capturing the reader’s heart with his descriptions of family life and values. Along the way he dispenses philosophy, unruly man talk, understated bravado, great pride, and various aspects of humility. There’s a lot of plain speak science that educates, as well as talk of adult diapers and weightless toilet experiences. Something for everyone.
I found the book to be highly readable and difficult to set aside to attend to more mundane activities such as eating and sleeping. This book will make you puff up and inspire you to find your better self. Any feelings of inadequacy you might acquire are, I’m sure, unintentional on the author’s part and probably deeply regretted. Focus on giving some admiration kudos to a remarkable man.
July 5, 2018
Before I began reading "The Sky Below", I read several of the reviews. Most were very positive. A few were condescending and said more or less that the author was full of himself. I had a completely different opinion.
Scott Parazynski tells a story about a major portion of his life from growing up with parents who moved to different parts of the world, to going to medical school, mountain climbing, becoming an astronaut, and climbing Mt Everest.
Although he discusses his five Space Shuttle flights and space walks, the reader is not bogged down by technical details that only an engineer or true space geek would appreciate.
This book is about a brilliant person who learns to solve problems and how the NASA higher ups helped him become a team player.
He becomes so driven that his marriage fails and he has to deal with some serious health concerns.
The part about the book that gave it it's five stars was that it is filled with so many motivational quotes at the beginning of each chapter.
I feel that this book should be a must read for high school kids or taught as a motivational class. The reason is simple. Everyone fails and it's how you overcome obstacles in life is what makes you successful.
Scott Parazynski is a person I would love to share a cup of coffee or space food with just so I could thank him helping me think about things in a different manor.
Oh. Before I forget ,the video pictures in the E-book is pretty cool.
Scott Parazynski tells a story about a major portion of his life from growing up with parents who moved to different parts of the world, to going to medical school, mountain climbing, becoming an astronaut, and climbing Mt Everest.
Although he discusses his five Space Shuttle flights and space walks, the reader is not bogged down by technical details that only an engineer or true space geek would appreciate.
This book is about a brilliant person who learns to solve problems and how the NASA higher ups helped him become a team player.
He becomes so driven that his marriage fails and he has to deal with some serious health concerns.
The part about the book that gave it it's five stars was that it is filled with so many motivational quotes at the beginning of each chapter.
I feel that this book should be a must read for high school kids or taught as a motivational class. The reason is simple. Everyone fails and it's how you overcome obstacles in life is what makes you successful.
Scott Parazynski is a person I would love to share a cup of coffee or space food with just so I could thank him helping me think about things in a different manor.
Oh. Before I forget ,the video pictures in the E-book is pretty cool.
September 12, 2017
I got this book for free for Kindle as an Amazon Prime member and it was worth what I spent on it. The animations and video clips inside the book were cool and my favorite part. The actual autobiography, not so much.
Maybe you have to be the kind of selfish that would take out a 40K second mortgage on a house you own with your soon-to-be ex wife, leaving her with your kids for months so you can go try to fulfil your dream of climbing Mount Everest to be a successful physician and astronaut. The tunnel vision that focuses on the one thing in front of you that you want and forgets about the wants and needs of everyone around you. If so, I'm glad I've never wanted to become a physician/astronaut.
If you want to read a book about another white man achieving things beyond his wildest dreams while his family takes 5th place or lower in his attention, this is the book for you. Especially if you want to be encouraged by how he dumps his first wife after she literally moves halfway around the world for his career, among other sacrifices, and is now madly in love with his second wife.
The author's rare attempts to come across as modest (aw gee- I don't know anything about playing politics at NASA) come across instead as either phony or living a life that is so lacking in self examination as to be obnoxious.
Maybe you have to be the kind of selfish that would take out a 40K second mortgage on a house you own with your soon-to-be ex wife, leaving her with your kids for months so you can go try to fulfil your dream of climbing Mount Everest to be a successful physician and astronaut. The tunnel vision that focuses on the one thing in front of you that you want and forgets about the wants and needs of everyone around you. If so, I'm glad I've never wanted to become a physician/astronaut.
If you want to read a book about another white man achieving things beyond his wildest dreams while his family takes 5th place or lower in his attention, this is the book for you. Especially if you want to be encouraged by how he dumps his first wife after she literally moves halfway around the world for his career, among other sacrifices, and is now madly in love with his second wife.
The author's rare attempts to come across as modest (aw gee- I don't know anything about playing politics at NASA) come across instead as either phony or living a life that is so lacking in self examination as to be obnoxious.
July 4, 2017
Inspiring story!
Really enjoyed this book, from the heartwarming story to the video snaps, the diagrams and photos. Many of my early years were lived in Central Florida, from 1959 to 1993. I've seen many launches, from a distance yes, but going up, seeing the Earth and the immense universe was a fantasy dream. Thank you, Scott, for sharing, and thanks to every one who made this book happen.
Really enjoyed this book, from the heartwarming story to the video snaps, the diagrams and photos. Many of my early years were lived in Central Florida, from 1959 to 1993. I've seen many launches, from a distance yes, but going up, seeing the Earth and the immense universe was a fantasy dream. Thank you, Scott, for sharing, and thanks to every one who made this book happen.
January 11, 2018
I can see why Scott Parazynski wrote a book. If you spent your childhood traveling the world from Iran to Greece, then became a doctor and astronaut, climbed Everest and lived or trekked through parts of Russia, Antarctica and space then you have to write a book.
I didn’t really love his writing style...while I’d immediately be the first to recommend astronauts Chris Hadfield and Mike Massimino as brilliant writers, I wouldn’t say Scott’s writing alone would make a book.
I also didn’t like the way he just skirted past any credit for his ex-wife who was there for him through space travel, Russia, Houston, two kids and a largely absent husband. I know what it’s like to do most of the work as a parent and it’s hard! This lady deserves a medal probably and instead he spends the last section of the book doting over his new wife Mimi. No offense Mimi, but who cares.
At least he says many beautiful things about his kids that make me tear-up. And the adventures and some of the insights along the way in this incredibly full life make it all worthwhile. What a unique life and enjoyable story. I’d give it a go if you like heartfelt astronaut and adventure stories.
I didn’t really love his writing style...while I’d immediately be the first to recommend astronauts Chris Hadfield and Mike Massimino as brilliant writers, I wouldn’t say Scott’s writing alone would make a book.
I also didn’t like the way he just skirted past any credit for his ex-wife who was there for him through space travel, Russia, Houston, two kids and a largely absent husband. I know what it’s like to do most of the work as a parent and it’s hard! This lady deserves a medal probably and instead he spends the last section of the book doting over his new wife Mimi. No offense Mimi, but who cares.
At least he says many beautiful things about his kids that make me tear-up. And the adventures and some of the insights along the way in this incredibly full life make it all worthwhile. What a unique life and enjoyable story. I’d give it a go if you like heartfelt astronaut and adventure stories.
August 20, 2017
I received this as a free Kindle download from Amazon, and even then, the price was far too high. In order for a memoir to be worthwhile, I feel like there are 3 necessary factors: 1) that the material be interesting, 2) that the author be likable, and 3) that it be well written. In fact, if you can achieve 2 of those three, it can still be a success. Well, space flight and adventuring can certainly be interesting, but when the author is so appallingly unlikable and selfish in every single act of his life and makes the baffling choice to write the entire book, which skips around in time, mind you, in the present tense, there is quite frankly nothing left to redeem this "book." Thanks for your service to space flight, Scott.
July 9, 2017
The reason this book gets 4 and not 3 stars is that the kindle edition was excellently developed, with great graphic design and multimedia.
As for the writing... Scott P is a very impressive guy, no doubt. But in many places this felt less like a reflection on his life and more of a rote retelling. Retellings can be exciting, but his lacked both emotional depth and scientific depth, making it neither a good textbook nor a good memoir.
I don't want to come down too hard on the guy; he admits in the afterword that he's not much for introspecting.
What this novel did do well is make me feel like I could do it too. He tells the story of his life, how he's just a guy, and he got to do it.
As for the writing... Scott P is a very impressive guy, no doubt. But in many places this felt less like a reflection on his life and more of a rote retelling. Retellings can be exciting, but his lacked both emotional depth and scientific depth, making it neither a good textbook nor a good memoir.
I don't want to come down too hard on the guy; he admits in the afterword that he's not much for introspecting.
What this novel did do well is make me feel like I could do it too. He tells the story of his life, how he's just a guy, and he got to do it.
August 13, 2017
Another free book from Amazon Kindle first. My Kindle is old so I couldn't watch the videos and other animations, but the pictures were great! I loved most of the book. Learning more about astronauts was cool, but I wish he had described his experience in the neutral buoyancy pool in greater detail. That's where astronauts train for specific tasks. Instead, the end focused on climbing Mt Everest. I thought too much emphasis was placed there. I realize he's very proud of that accomplishment, but come on. you're an astronaut! Way cooler!
July 28, 2017
I got this to my Kindle, in advance of publication date. I must say, I liked the book for its detailed yet understandable look at becoming an Astronaut with NASA. I have to say, I did not find the author especially likable. I realize that it was his childhood dream to pursue this career path, but he did so at some personal cost. He does take pains to explain in detail abbreviations for the NASA lingo, thus not leaving us totally in the dark (no pun re: space travel) as to what the terms mean. He talks of the camaraderie among the NASA team members, yet also freely offers that he felt some of the NASA newbies were jealous of his many space shuttle missions, and space walks (EVA) for various mission tasks. On the whole, as I said the book is interesting, but the author comes off rather detached and I did not ever really feel strongly about him as a person... That is not necessarily a fault of the author per se, more an editing issue in my opinion...
September 3, 2017
Very motivational
I ended up picking this book off the Kindle first and I don't regret it. What brought me to choose it was the videos included in it, so I let go of my Kindle Paperwhite and started reading on my tablet or my phone. What ensued was pure joy for me.
At time I did wonder why I was reading this book, why I cared about a man who kept seeking thrills of life that were completely in the dark for me. I kept reading, though, because I saw a man that kept challenging himself and had a growth mindset.
As a math educator, this spoke volumes to me. I see many students with ambitious aspirations and some of them let go once it becomes challenging. I hope to recommend this book to students who might learn to grow from their challenges and use that to their advantage.
Besides, who doesn't enjoy watching hydrogen bonds at work in space?
I ended up picking this book off the Kindle first and I don't regret it. What brought me to choose it was the videos included in it, so I let go of my Kindle Paperwhite and started reading on my tablet or my phone. What ensued was pure joy for me.
At time I did wonder why I was reading this book, why I cared about a man who kept seeking thrills of life that were completely in the dark for me. I kept reading, though, because I saw a man that kept challenging himself and had a growth mindset.
As a math educator, this spoke volumes to me. I see many students with ambitious aspirations and some of them let go once it becomes challenging. I hope to recommend this book to students who might learn to grow from their challenges and use that to their advantage.
Besides, who doesn't enjoy watching hydrogen bonds at work in space?
October 2, 2023
This is a wonderfully written story about a fascinating man. Scott has a very interesting and busy life, full of adventures. Lots of travel and mountain climbing and multiple trips to space and the ISS. He tells his story in a way that makes you feel excited, not jealous to learn about everything. You are happy with his highs and sad with his lows. A great book!
The coolest part of the book is Amazon's Kindle in Motion! I am so excited to see where this technology goes. Watching mini-videos and seeing graphs and maps come alive was awesome and it really took the book to another level.
The coolest part of the book is Amazon's Kindle in Motion! I am so excited to see where this technology goes. Watching mini-videos and seeing graphs and maps come alive was awesome and it really took the book to another level.
August 15, 2018
This is an excellent first-person account of a doctor, astronaut, and inventor who had a really impressive career in the space program.
Oh, yeah, and he climbs mountains a lot.
I wish I could care more about that. I really do. It's not a fair criticism of the book to say that he talks too much about that. Objectively, I don't think he does. It's not his fault that for me, climbing the world's major peaks for the heck of it pushes a lot of buttons--particularly after he marries and has two kids.
And he knows his wife isn't thrilled about it.
And he's taking out home equity loans on their house to pay for it.
Honestly, for a lot of readers, I suspect the mountain climbing stuff is a bonus. He's knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and writes about it as well as he does about his NASA career. It isn't even irrelevant to his NASA career. At one point, it gets him an Earth-bound assignment that is directly relevant to future exploration of Mars. So my advice is, ignore my grumpiness on this point. You'll probably like those bits.
Far more enjoyable and more to the point, though, is his account of his medical education, his astronaut training, He helped build the International Space Station, missed out on a tour of duty on Mir only because he was just a few inches too tall for the Soyuz, made emergency repairs in space, on an unplanned space walk, on a damaged solar panel for the ISS. He was on John Glenn's shuttle mission, as part of research on space travel and aging. On his last shuttle flight, he was the most experienced astronaut on board.
He's got a lot to say about space, the space program, exploration--and the conflicts between maintaining a healthy marriage and having a successful career as an astronaut.
Overall, it's well-written, interesting, and lively. Scott Parazynski is also a good choice for reading his own book, which isn't always the case with someone with no background as a voice performer.
Recommended.
I bought this audiobook.
Oh, yeah, and he climbs mountains a lot.
I wish I could care more about that. I really do. It's not a fair criticism of the book to say that he talks too much about that. Objectively, I don't think he does. It's not his fault that for me, climbing the world's major peaks for the heck of it pushes a lot of buttons--particularly after he marries and has two kids.
And he knows his wife isn't thrilled about it.
And he's taking out home equity loans on their house to pay for it.
Honestly, for a lot of readers, I suspect the mountain climbing stuff is a bonus. He's knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and writes about it as well as he does about his NASA career. It isn't even irrelevant to his NASA career. At one point, it gets him an Earth-bound assignment that is directly relevant to future exploration of Mars. So my advice is, ignore my grumpiness on this point. You'll probably like those bits.
Far more enjoyable and more to the point, though, is his account of his medical education, his astronaut training, He helped build the International Space Station, missed out on a tour of duty on Mir only because he was just a few inches too tall for the Soyuz, made emergency repairs in space, on an unplanned space walk, on a damaged solar panel for the ISS. He was on John Glenn's shuttle mission, as part of research on space travel and aging. On his last shuttle flight, he was the most experienced astronaut on board.
He's got a lot to say about space, the space program, exploration--and the conflicts between maintaining a healthy marriage and having a successful career as an astronaut.
Overall, it's well-written, interesting, and lively. Scott Parazynski is also a good choice for reading his own book, which isn't always the case with someone with no background as a voice performer.
Recommended.
I bought this audiobook.
April 19, 2019
What an incredibly life that Scott has had! Learning about the training and trials of a NASA Astronaut was well worth the read.
June 19, 2018
I was captivated by this read from the first few pages, and couldn't put it down. I highly recommend it anyone who like real-life adventure, space, mountaineering, or just a damn good, entertaining read.
July 14, 2018
Light, easy reading - nothing very challenging or noteworthy. 3.5 stars.
I read the Kindle in Motion version so there were lots of cool pictures and animations that I really enjoyed.
I read the Kindle in Motion version so there were lots of cool pictures and animations that I really enjoyed.
July 13, 2017
This book was really fun to read. Scot Parazynski has had some grand adventures and his story is well told.
July 7, 2017
Thoroughly enjoyed this memoir by NASA astronaut Scott Parazynski. One of the best features was the Kindle in Motion aspect of the Kindle version I read. When astronaut Parazynski recounted his first Space Shuttle launch, you didn't just see a picture of the space shuttle, but there was a movie embedded of the actual lift-off. It's like what happens in a book in a Harry Potter film!
Besides this inventive technology, the story of Scott's life unfolded in a very interesting way, and the language was not too technical. All in all, this book was a thrilling look into our planet's exploration of space
Besides this inventive technology, the story of Scott's life unfolded in a very interesting way, and the language was not too technical. All in all, this book was a thrilling look into our planet's exploration of space
July 7, 2017
Fascinating!
Loved the interactive format. It was also refreshing to read of Scott's internal struggles as well as the external ones. Thanks for keeping the language fairly clean and leaving out things that would just detract from the real purpose of the book.
Loved the interactive format. It was also refreshing to read of Scott's internal struggles as well as the external ones. Thanks for keeping the language fairly clean and leaving out things that would just detract from the real purpose of the book.
July 6, 2017
This was awesome! Not only was the author's story super fascinating, this had the Kindle Motion software which means it has a moving cover and some moving pictures that really added to the story. I've always been obsessed with space so this blew me away. Could you imagine having been in space AND summited Everest?? Scott Parazynski is definitely on my list of freaking awesome people.
July 7, 2017
Great Book of Exploring
Details becoming an astronaut, 7 space walks, trying to climb Everest and failing, then succeeding a year later. Life as an astronaut and after. Becoming a medical doctor and what drove him in his many quests.
Details becoming an astronaut, 7 space walks, trying to climb Everest and failing, then succeeding a year later. Life as an astronaut and after. Becoming a medical doctor and what drove him in his many quests.
July 7, 2017
I purchased this book from one of those kindle monthly specials, and it did not disappoint! If you're a space nerd, or certainly an "ASHO", you will enjoy this book and the detailed adventures from Scott Parazynski's vantage point.
April 29, 2019
Possibly because of my age, I'm very interested in the space program. I remember the end of the Apollo flights, and the beginnings of the Space Shuttle flights. This is a nice enough entry in the literature of the program. Scott is one of the guys who came into the space program early in the shuttle era who didn't come in via the military. He's a science guy. He's an MD, and also a creator of specialty medical gear. He was John freakin' Glenn's personal doctor when he returned to space on the shuttle. Not only that, the guy has CLIMBED MOUNT EVEREST. Can you imagine being able to say you flew multiple shuttle missions, finished several of the most important space walks in shuttle history, and climbed Mount Everest? Oh yeah, and he almost made the Olympic luge team. That's a lot of win packed into one life time. This is an interesting read. It's not perfect. Sometimes it comes off as a little too "rah-rah-you-can-do-anything-yay-'Murica". There's nothing particularly wrong with that, but it isn't too well balanced here. Bottom line, I enjoyed this a lot. It's probably worth reading this, mostly, if you have a great interest in the space program.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 469 reviews